Académie Saint-Anselme

The Académie Saint-Anselme is a learned society based in the Aosta Valley, Italy, founded on 29 March 1855 in a hall of the bishop's palace in Aosta. It was established under the patronage of Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and Doctor of the Church, by the historian and prior Jean-Antoine Gal together with around twenty religious and lay intellectuals. Originally named the "Société académique religieuse et scientifique du Duché d'Aoste," it aimed to promote knowledge of the historical monuments, both sacred and secular, of the Duchy of Aosta and to make them accessible to a wider public. From its earliest years, the Academy also set itself the task of defending the French language and safeguarding local civil and religious traditions. Over the decades, the Academy has remained committed to the study of theology, history, law, literature, archaeology, art, and the sciences related to mountain exploration. Its activities include conferences and the publication of a Bulletin, issued every two years; the Bulletin completed its first series in 1982 with its 50th issue and began a new series in 1985. A further collection, "Écrits d'histoire, de littérature et d'art," was launched in 1999 and includes volumes on the correspondence of Bishop Antoine-Philibert Bailly, the Missel de Charvensod, medieval manuscripts, and art history in the Aosta Valley. The Academy also maintains a library of some fifteen thousand publications and a museum preserving valuable pieces from antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Academy's seat was located in two rooms of the cathedral chapter in Aosta from 1870, placed at its disposal by the bishopric. In 2009, the year of the ninth centenary of Saint Anselm's death, it moved to the Tour Saint-Anselme, part of the fortified house known as Maison Saint-Anselme, in the hamlet of La Bagne in Gressan. Legend holds that Saint Anselm was born in this tenth-century stronghold, which belonged to the noble De Balnea family. The Academy is governed by a Bureau composed of a president, a vice-president, a secretary-treasurer, an archivist-librarian, and a museum curator. The president is elected for a seven-year term and is indefinitely re-eligible. The presidency has historically included both clergy and lay scholars; Hector Passerin d'Entrèves, a professor of history at the University of Turin, became the first lay president in 1980. The current president, Paolo Papone, took office in 2017. The Academy remains an active cultural institution in the Aosta Valley, continuing its mission of research, publication, and heritage preservation.

The Académie Saint-Anselme was founded on 29 March 1855 in a hall of the bishop's palace in Aosta as the "Société académique, religieuse et scientifique du Duché d'Aoste," placed under the patronage of Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and Doctor of the Church. It was initiated by Jean-Antoine Gal, prior of the Collegiate Church of Saints Peter and Ursus, who served as its first president until 1867. The founding group included Bishop André Jourdain, canons of Saint-Ours and of the cathedral, clergy such as Father Joseph Beroud and Abbé Frédéric Cavagnet, and lay figures including Baron Emmanuel Bich, Count Edoardo Crotti di Costigliole, Louis Lichtenberger, Paul-Antoine Farinet, and the lawyer Léonard Gerbore. The Academy's stated purpose was to make known the historical monuments, both sacred and secular, of the Duchy of Aosta and to encourage studies for a better knowledge and preservation of the cultural heritage of the Aosta Valley. Among its early priorities were the defense of the French language and the safeguarding of local civil and religious traditions. The presidency of the Academy has alternated between clergy and lay scholars. After Jean-Antoine Gal, the Capuchin Père Laurent led from 1868 to 1878, followed by Bishop Joseph-Auguste Duc (1878–1908), a historian. Subsequent presidents included canons and historians François-Gabriel Frutaz (1908–1922), André Dominique Noussan (1922–1933), Justin Boson (1933–1954), Maxime Durand (1954–1966), and Mgr Aimé-Pierre Frutaz (1966–1980), author of the Sources pour l'histoire de la Vallée d'Aoste. In 1980, Hector Passerin d'Entrèves, professor of history at the University of Turin, became the first lay president, serving until 1990. He was followed by Mgr Albert-Marie Careggio (1990–2004), Pierre-Georges Thiébat (2004–2010), Joseph-César Perrin (2010–2017), and Paolo Papone from 2017. The Academy's seat was located in Aosta, in two rooms of the cathedral chapter placed at its disposal by the bishopric since 1870. In 2009, the year of the ninth centenary of Saint Anselm's death, the seat moved to the Tour Saint-Anselme, part of the fortified house known as Maison Saint-Anselme, in the hamlet of La Bagne in Gressan. Legend recounts that Saint Anselm was born in this tenth-century stronghold, which belonged to the noble De Balnea family, from which the hamlet's name derives. The Academy's activities are realized through conferences and through the publication of a Bulletin every two years. In 1982, with its 50th issue, the Bulletin concluded its first series; a new series was inaugurated in 1985 and has since produced numerous fascicles. In 1999, a new collection, "Écrits d'histoire, de littérature et d'art," was launched, comprising volumes devoted to the correspondence of Bishop Antoine-Philibert Bailly, the edition of the Missel de Charvensod, medieval manuscripts, and the history of art in the Aosta Valley. The Academy also maintains a library of fifteen thousand publications and a museum preserving precious pieces from antiquity and the Middle Ages. In 1989, in association with the Fondation Humbert II et Marie-José de Savoie, it published "La Maison de Savoie et la Vallée d'Aoste" with Umberto Allemandi in Turin. The Academy is directed by a Bureau composed of a president, a vice-president, a secretary-treasurer, an archivist-librarian, and a museum curator. The president, elected for a seven-year term and indefinitely re-eligible, represents the Academy, convenes and chairs meetings, proclaims the results of votes, proposes the election of the vice-president, and chooses the other members of the Bureau. The statutes were updated in 1968, confirming the founders' objectives of disseminating knowledge of religious and civil traditions, the linguistic and cultural heritage of the region, and the valorization of its archaeological and artistic riches.

• 2017

  Paolo Papone becomes president.

• 2009

  The Academy's seat moves to the Tour Saint-Anselme in Gressan, on the ninth centenary of Saint Anselm's death.

• 1999

  Launch of the collection 'Écrits d'histoire, de littérature et d'art'.

• 1989

  Publication of 'La Maison de Savoie et la Vallée d'Aoste' with Umberto Allemandi, in association with the Fondation Humbert II et Marie-José de Savoie.

• 1985

  A new series of the Bulletin is inaugurated.

• 1982

  The Bulletin reaches its 50th issue, concluding the first series.

• 1980

  Hector Passerin d'Entrèves becomes the first lay president.

• 1968

  Statutes updated, confirming objectives of disseminating knowledge of religious and civil traditions and the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Aosta Valley.

• 1870

  The Academy's seat established in two rooms of the cathedral chapter in Aosta, provided by the bishopric.

• 1867

  Death of founder and first president Jean-Antoine Gal.

• 1855

  Founded on 29 March in Aosta as the Société académique, religieuse et scientifique du Duché d'Aoste, under the patronage of Saint Anselm.

A historic learned society and cultural association dedicated to the preservation and study of the Aosta Valley's religious, civil, linguistic, and artistic heritage.

• Bulletin de l'Académie Saint-Anselme

  Biennial publication; first series concluded in 1982 with issue 50, new series began in 1985.

• Écrits d'histoire, de littérature et d'art

  Book series launched in 1999, including volumes on the correspondence of Bishop Antoine-Philibert Bailly, the Missel de Charvensod, medieval manuscripts, and art history in the Aosta Valley.

• La Maison de Savoie et la Vallée d'Aoste

  Book published in 1989 with Umberto Allemandi, Turin, in association with the Fondation Humbert II et Marie-José de Savoie.

1. 1Académie Saint-Anselme d'Aoste | Site officielacademiestanselme.eu
2. 2Notre histoireacademiestanselme.eu
3. 3Académie Saint-Anselmewikidata.org
4. 4Académie Saint-Anselmefr.wikipedia.org