Durastante Natalucci facts for kids
Durastante Tommaso Francesco Emiliano Natalucci (born September 17, 1687 – died May 22, 1772) was an Italian historian. He was famous for studying the history of his hometown, Trevi, in the Umbria region of Italy.
A Young Scholar's Path
Durastante Natalucci was born in Picicche di Trevi. His family was very important in the area. When he was just seven years old, he became a "tonsured" person. This means he had his hair cut in a special way as a sign of becoming a clergyman. This happened after his uncle, who was a priest, passed away. Pope Innocent XII gave him the church benefice (a special right to income) of SS. Crocifisso.
From 1704 to 1709, Durastante studied with the Jesuits in nearby Spoleto. After that, he moved to Rome to study law. His father had died in 1705. Around 1710, his mother became sick. So, Durastante returned to Trevi to help his family. He was very good at managing their affairs. Soon, other local families asked him for help too.
Working for His Community
For the next ten to twelve years, Durastante traveled with the bishop of Spoleto. He likely worked as a trusted secretary. He knew a lot about Trevi. This was helpful when the bishop visited the northern part of his large diocese. This experience made Durastante even more interested in his hometown's history.
He started writing down all the historical facts he found. He filled many notebooks. Slowly, these notes became his big book. It was called Historia Universale dello stato temporale ed eclesiastico (History of the Temporal and Ecclesiastical State) di Trevi. In 1726, he was chosen as an attorney for the comune (town council) of Trevi. Later, he became a magistrate on the town council.
His Important History Book
In 1747, something very difficult happened. Durastante Natalucci suddenly became completely blind. This stopped his work on the history book. In the same year, he decided to get married. He had been a bachelor his whole life. He married a noblewoman from Spoleto. They had three children: Giuseppe, Maria, and another who lived only a few days.
Even though his work was very advanced, it was not published. It stayed as it was in 1745. Many years later, in 1985, his book was finally published. This happened thanks to Giuseppe Natalucci, one of his descendants. He shared the only copy of the manuscript. Another Trevi historian, Carlo Zenobi, then carefully prepared it for printing.
Natalucci's history of Trevi is incredibly detailed. Even though it was a draft, it used hundreds of carefully noted sources. It mainly focused on land areas and the families and churches that owned them. The book gives a very clear picture of rural Umbria. It covers the Middle Ages up to the mid-1700s. Many of the old documents he used no longer exist today. This makes Natalucci's book very valuable. He was a true scholar because he always checked his facts carefully.
