Anselmo Costadoni (1714–1785) was an Italian

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

, historian and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Biography

Costadoni was born on 6 October 1714, at

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and christened Giovanni Domenico. The son of a rich merchant, he sacrificed at an early date his prospects of success in the world and took the

religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally, some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious Hermit, eremitic and Anchorite, anchorit ...

of the Camaldolese monks at the Monastery of St. Michael, situated on the island of

Murano Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was o ...

in the Venetian

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

. Here he studied philosophy and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

with more than usual success. He died on 23 January 1785, in Venice.

Works

At the age of twenty-three, Costadoni revealed his literary ability in a letter () written in defense of certain Camaldolese writers, who had been attacked by Giusto Fontanini in his "Library of Italian Eloquence". Costadoni subsequently collaborated for eighteen years with Gian Benedetto Mittarelli of his monastery in the publication of the (The Annals of the Camaldolese of the Order of St. Benedict, 907-1770), printed in 9 volumes

folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...

(Venice, 1755–73). It follows the plan of

Jean Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon , (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabillon w ...

's . (Venice, 1755–73). Some archæological papers due to his pen, such as , were published in the voluminous collection of historical essays edited by Calogerà, a monk of the same order. His works also include: * (Faenza, 1770; Venice, 1771) * (Venice, 1775) * (Venice, 1773). Costadoni's unpublished manuscripts were transferred, after his death, to St. Gregory's monastery at Rome, by order of the Camaldolese abbot, Mauro Cappellari (later Pope Gregory XVI).

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Costadoni, Giovanni Domenico Camaldolese Order Italian historians of religion 1714 births 1785 deaths Italian Benedictines Benedictine scholars 18th-century Venetian historians