274
ultimately forgotten until the project was discovered in 2008 during the reorganization of the archive of the Special Commission appointed to rebuild the Basilica of
St. Paul, whose documents are preserved in the State Archives of Rome.
16.7 Concluding Remarks
Father Angelo Secchi’s experience covered a wide range of fields in physics. The
tasks that were conferred on him by the Papal States before 1870, and by that of the
Kingdom of Italy afterwards, allowed him to apply this scientific knowledge to
solve many practical problems; indeed, the fragmentation and heterogeneity of bibliographic sources make it difficult to reconstruct a complete picture of the extraordinary variety of sectors to which he devoted himself.
Among the most important applications in his service to the general public were
his projects concerning the drinking water supply and to the considerations on the
need to follow prudent policies to safeguard the territory against hydrogeological
instability. His attention to the effects of industrial emissions on the climate can be
considered particularly prescient, and his suggestions on the post-seismic reconstruction of Norcia after the earthquake of 1859 and on the construction of safe
dwellings for the poorest sections of the population take on a significance that goes
beyond the boundaries of science and engineering. His work on the protection of
cultural heritage sites from the risks associated with lightning and fire is also one of
the first examples anywhere in the world of a scientific approach to the problem. All
of this allows us to appreciate how fruitful were Father Secchi’s exchanges with the
European and US scientific community in the mid-nineteenth century.
Acknowledgments Thanks for reporting documents Dr. Maria Elisa Della Casa (Biblioteca
Luigi Poletti, Modena), Prof. Gioacchino Giammaria (Istituto di storia e di arte del Lazio
meridionale, Anagni), and Dr. Sarah Malfatti (Accademia dell’Arcadia, Roma) and for the granting of images Archivio di Stato di Roma (ASRm), Archivio della Pontificia Università
Gregoriana (APUG).
References
Abbondanza, R. (1962). Carte conservate nell’Archivio di Stato di Perugia. Inventario. In Gli
archivi provvisori e dei governi straordinari 1859 1861, III. Toscana, Umbria, Marche,
Inventario, Roma, Ministero dell’Interno. Pp. 383−415.
Aebisher, T., 2012. La scienza applicate. Le misure geodetiche. In Altamore, A., and Maffeo,
S. (eds.), Angelo Secchi: l'avventura scientifica del Collegio Romano. Foligno, Edizioni
Quater. Pp. 225−239.
Altamore, A., and Maffeo S. (eds.), 2012. Angelo Secchi: l'avventura scientifica del Collegio
Romano. Foligno, Quater.
M. Calzolari and S. Marsella
ultimately forgotten until the project was discovered in 2008 during the reorganization of the archive of the Special Commission appointed to rebuild the Basilica of
St. Paul, whose documents are preserved in the State Archives of Rome.
16.7 Concluding Remarks
Father Angelo Secchi’s experience covered a wide range of fields in physics. The
tasks that were conferred on him by the Papal States before 1870, and by that of the
Kingdom of Italy afterwards, allowed him to apply this scientific knowledge to
solve many practical problems; indeed, the fragmentation and heterogeneity of bibliographic sources make it difficult to reconstruct a complete picture of the extraordinary variety of sectors to which he devoted himself.
Among the most important applications in his service to the general public were
his projects concerning the drinking water supply and to the considerations on the
need to follow prudent policies to safeguard the territory against hydrogeological
instability. His attention to the effects of industrial emissions on the climate can be
considered particularly prescient, and his suggestions on the post-seismic reconstruction of Norcia after the earthquake of 1859 and on the construction of safe
dwellings for the poorest sections of the population take on a significance that goes
beyond the boundaries of science and engineering. His work on the protection of
cultural heritage sites from the risks associated with lightning and fire is also one of
the first examples anywhere in the world of a scientific approach to the problem. All
of this allows us to appreciate how fruitful were Father Secchi’s exchanges with the
European and US scientific community in the mid-nineteenth century.
Acknowledgments Thanks for reporting documents Dr. Maria Elisa Della Casa (Biblioteca
Luigi Poletti, Modena), Prof. Gioacchino Giammaria (Istituto di storia e di arte del Lazio
meridionale, Anagni), and Dr. Sarah Malfatti (Accademia dell’Arcadia, Roma) and for the granting of images Archivio di Stato di Roma (ASRm), Archivio della Pontificia Università
Gregoriana (APUG).
References
Abbondanza, R. (1962). Carte conservate nell’Archivio di Stato di Perugia. Inventario. In Gli
archivi provvisori e dei governi straordinari 1859 1861, III. Toscana, Umbria, Marche,
Inventario, Roma, Ministero dell’Interno. Pp. 383−415.
Aebisher, T., 2012. La scienza applicate. Le misure geodetiche. In Altamore, A., and Maffeo,
S. (eds.), Angelo Secchi: l'avventura scientifica del Collegio Romano. Foligno, Edizioni
Quater. Pp. 225−239.
Altamore, A., and Maffeo S. (eds.), 2012. Angelo Secchi: l'avventura scientifica del Collegio
Romano. Foligno, Quater.
M. Calzolari and S. Marsella