Francesco Antonio Zaccaria facts for kids

Francesco Antonio Zaccaria (born March 27, 1714 – died October 10, 1795) was an Italian theologian (someone who studies religion), historian (someone who studies the past), and a very active writer. He wrote many books and articles during his life.

Biography

Francesco Antonio Zaccaria was born in Venice, a famous city in Italy. His father, Tancredi, was a well-known jurist, which means he was an expert in law.

When Francesco was 17, he joined the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. This is a religious group of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church. He taught subjects like grammar, humanities (studies about human culture), and rhetoric (the art of speaking or writing effectively) at a college in Gorizia.

In 1740, he became a priest in Rome. He then worked in different towns like Ancona, Fermo, and Pistoia. People knew him as a good preacher and a lecturer who could debate well.

In 1751, he took over from Muratori as the official archivist and librarian for the Duke of Modena. An archivist looks after historical records, and a librarian manages books. However, he lost this job in 1768. This happened because of a book he wrote called Antifebronio. In this book, he strongly defended the rights of the Holy See, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.

After that, he became a librarian at the Jesuit house in Rome. Pope Clement XIII gave him money each year, and this continued under Pope Clement XIV. Pope Pius VI even increased his pension. Pius VI also made him a professor of church history at the Sapienza University of Rome and the director of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

Francesco Antonio Zaccaria was a member of at least 19 different Italian academic groups. He passed away in Rome when he was 81 years old.

Works

Anecdotorum Medii Aevi (Anecdotes from the Middle Ages), one of Zaccaria's works.

Francesco Antonio Zaccaria wrote a huge number of books and articles, with 161 printed works credited to him. Here are some of the main types of works he created:

Church History

He wrote many books about the history of the Church. These included histories of bishops in different Italian cities, like Series episcoporum Cremonensium (about the bishops of Cremona). He also wrote about saints and important events in Church history. One of his major works was Raccolta di dissertazioni di storia ecclesiastica, a collection of essays on Church history in 22 volumes.

Theology and Canon Law

Zaccaria also wrote about Theology (the study of religious faith and practice) and Canon law (the laws of the Church). His Thesaurus theologicus was a large collection of theological writings from different authors, organized to explain various topics in theology. He also wrote Apparatus omnigenae eruditionis ad theologiam et jus canonicum, which was a guide for studying theology and Church law.

Polemics

This category includes works where he debated or argued strongly for certain views, especially about the Church. His book Antifebronio was a famous defense of the Pope's authority. He also wrote Storia polemica del celibato sacro, which discussed the history of priests not marrying, and Storia polemica delle proibizione de' libri, about the history of banning books.

Liturgy

He wrote books about Liturgy, which are the rules and traditions for public worship in the Church. Examples include Dell'anno santo (about the Holy Year) and Bibliotheca ritualis, a two-volume work on rituals.

Archaeology

Zaccaria also explored Archaeology, the study of human history through digging up old sites and objects. He wrote guides like Istituzione antiquario-lapidaria (about ancient inscriptions on stone) and Istituzione antiquario-numismatica (about ancient coins).

Literary History

He was very interested in the history of literature. He edited and contributed to several literary reviews and journals. These included Storia Letteraria d'Italia (Literary History of Italy) and Annali letterarii d'Italia (Literary Annals of Italy). These works helped people understand the history of writing and books in Italy.

Annotated Editions

Zaccaria also prepared new editions of important books by other authors, adding his own notes and explanations. He worked on editions of works by famous figures like Dante (who wrote The Divine Comedy) and many important theologians and legal scholars.