The State Archives of Avellino was established following the law of November 12, 1818 (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Collection, 1818, no. 1379), but actually began functioning with the first deposits only in 1820. Following the Royal Decree of September 22, 1932, no. 1391, it became the Provincial State Archive together with all the former provincial archives of southern Italy. With the law of December 22, 1939, no. 2006, it took the name of State Archive Section and later, with the Presidential Decree of September 30, 1963, no. 1409, it became the State Archive.
The province of Avellino, or as it was called until almost the end of the nineteenth century, Principato Ulteriore, went through quite complex events; it encompassed until the unification of Italy almost the entire current province of Benevento and part of the province of Foggia: therefore, it is possible to find documents in the Archive that refer to locations currently included in the mentioned provinces.
The archives preserved here do not, of course, exhaust the documentation relating to Avellino and other locations of the current province: it will be necessary to look in particular at the fonds kept at the State Archives of Naples.
The Archive has been located since August 2007 in the monumental complex of the former “Bourbon Prison”, designed by architect Giuliano De Fazio and completed after the Unification of Italy. The archive occupies the pavilion intended for female detention, built in 1832 and subject to laborious and complex restoration works.
The State Archives of Avellino preserves approximately 65,000 bundles covering a time span from 1423 to 1960. The documentary material is divided by historical periods:
• Ancient regimes 1423 – 1814;
• Napoleonic period 1806 – 1814;
• Bourbon restoration 1815 – 1860;
• Unification of Italy 1861 – 1944;
• Republic 1945 – 1960.
The collections preserved are: Royal Provincial Court of Montefusco, Grand Criminal Court, Municipalities, Intendancy of P.U. and Prefecture, Magistrates and Courts, Military district of Avellino, Civil status, Religious corporations, Family and personal archives (Mazas, Grassi, Cicarelli, Iandoli, Grimaldi, and Sanseverini).
Important for the economic history of the province are the Cadastres, the Municipal state-owned property acts (Commissioner for civic uses for Campania) and documents of the Royal Economic Society.
Of some significance are the parchments relating to suppressed religious entities (1423-1882) and a miscellany of parchments (1454-1757) consisting of ecclesiastical bulls and privileges dating back to the Aragonese period and the Spanish viceroyalty.
One of the most substantial collections is certainly the Notarial Archive 1494 – 1899, a source of great interest for the study of social phenomena.
Prepared by the State Archivists, there exist guides, repertories, lists, summary and analytical inventories, indexes, registers, transcriptions, and computerized databases.
Information about State Archives of Avellino
Via G. Verdi, 15/17
83100 Avellino (Avellino)
0825.779111 – 0825.779502 – 0825.779516
as-av@beniculturali.it
https://www.archivi.beniculturali.it/ASAV/
Source: MIBACT
