Angelo Rocca

Angelo Rocca
Pages from Angelo Rocca's Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana describing Glagolitic script. (A. Rocca: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana a Sixto V... translata, Rome, 1591)
Born	(1545-03-03)March 3, 1545 Rocca, near Ancone, Papal States
Died	Rome, Papal States
Nationality	Italian
Other names	Angelo Roccha Camers Camerinus
Occupation	Humanist, librarian and bishop
Known for	founder of the Angelica Library at Rome
Notable work	Osservazioni intorno alle bellezze della lingua latina

Angelo Rocca (1545, in Rocca, near Ancone – 8 April 1620, in Rome) was an Italian humanist, librarian and bishop, founder of the Angelica Library at Rome, afterwards accessible from 1604 as a public library.

Biography

Angelo Rocca is also known as Cameras Camerinus from the Augustinian monastery at Camerino. He studied at Perugia, Rome and Venice. In 1577 he graduated as a doctor in theology from Padua. After serving as superior-general of the Augustinian Monastery there from 1579, he became the head of the Vatican printing-office in 1585. In 1595 he was appointed sacristan in the papal chapel. In 1605 he was granted the office of titular Bishop of Tagaste in Numidia (the historic Augustinian diocese).

He was a researcher of history. He edited the printed version of the Vulgate Bible, (widely unknown before the printing press) and had it printed. During the editing he became accustomed to historic manuscripts stored in the Vatican – some of them not readily accessible until modern times. He (incorrectly) credited St. Jerome with the invention of Glagolitic. He was associated with the Vatican Press and Aldus Manutius the Younger.

His library was one of the most complete private collections in Rome, possessing over 130,000 volumes. Having been open to the public since 1604, it is considered the oldest public library in Europe along with the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

Works

He edited the works of Egidio Colonna – 1581, and of Augustinus Triumphus – 1582.

His notable works include:

• Bibliothecæ theologicæ et scripturalis epitome – 1594
• De Sacrosancto Christi corpore romanis pontificibus iter conficientibus præferendo commentarius – 1599
• De canonizatione sanctorum commentarius – 1601
• De campanis – 1612

An incomplete collection of his works was published in Thesaurus pontificiarum sacrarumque antiquitatum necnon ritual praxium et cæremoniarium (Rome: 1719 and 1745).