Gaetano Moroni - Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica

Catholic Encyclopedia: "The author of the well-known "Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica", b. at Rome, 17 October, 1802; d. there, 3 November, 1883. He received his early education from the Brothers of the Christian School at Rome. Apprenticed later to a barber, his duties frequently took him to the Camaldolese convent of San Gregorio on the Coelian Hill; there the abbot, Mauro Cappellari, and several of the fathers recognized his exceptional gifts, and made use of him in a quasi-secretarial capacity. When Cappellari became a cardinal, he made Moroni his cameriere: and when he became pope as Gregory XVI, he took Moroni for primo aiutante di camera, employing him also as private secretary, in which capacity Moroni wrote over 100,000 letters. Moroni also served Pius IX as aiutante di camera. Among the books of the Camaldolese convent and of the cardinal as well as from conversation with learned people, Moroni acquired a vast store of information. He also gradually collected a considerable private library bearing on ecclesiastical questions, while he made notes from daily papers and from other publications for his own instruction. The subsequent arrangement of these notes in order suggested to him the idea of turning his labours to the benefit of the public, an idea which he realized in the "Dizionario" (Venice, 1840-61; index, 1878-9), a mine of interesting data and authoritative in matters concerning the Pontifical Court, the organization of the Curia and the Church, and the administration of the Pontifical States. In matters of history, it depends on the writers whom its author consulted. It is, however, not a well-ordered or homogeneous work, but these defects may be readily forgiven in view of the fact that its author did his work alone, without real collaboration, and wrote at times sixteen hours a day. He was also the author of official articles on papal ceremonies, the journeys of the popes, etc. During the conclaves of 1829 and 1831, he wrote the "Giornale storico-politico-eremoniale delle sede vacante e il conclave per l'elezione di Pio VIII e Gregorio XVI", which, like others of his writings remained unpublished. As a member of the household of Gregory XVI Moroni was the object of much sectarian hatred. He was a friend of many cardinals, including Wiseman, and of other illustrious men. In the index of the "Dizionario" (s.v., Moroni), he indicates the various passages of the work which he speaks of himself, and which thus constitute a kind of autobiography".

Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da San Pietro ai nostri giorni, specialmente intorno ai principali santi, beati, martiri, padri, ai sommi pontefici, cardinali e più celebri scrittori ecclesiastici, ai varii gradi della gerarchia della chiesa cattolica, alle città patriarcali, arcivescovili e vescovili, agli scismi, alle eresie, ai concilii, alle feste più solenni, ai riti, alle cerimonie sacre, alle cappelle papali, cardinalizie e prelatizie, agli ordini religiosi, militari, equestri ed ospitalieri, non che alla corte e curia romana ed alla famiglia pontificia, ec. ec. ec., compilato da Gaetano Moroni Romano primo aiutante di camera di Sua Santità, Venezia, Tipografia Emiliana, 1840-1879:

• Volume 1 Aba- (on-line)
• Volume 2 Amelia- (on-line)
• Volume 3 Arciprete- (on-line)
• Volume 4 Babila- (on-line)
• Volume 5 Benedetto XI- (on-line)
• Volume 6 Boncompagni- (on-line)
• Volume 7 Camera Apostolica- (on-line)
• Volume 8 Canopo- (on-line)
• Volume 9 Cap- (on-line)
• Volume 10 Car- (on-line)
• Volume 11 Cavachini- (on-line)
• Volume 12 Chi- (on-line)
• Volume 13 Chi- (on-line)
• Volume 14 Civitavecchia- (on-line)
• Volume 15 Colori- (on-line)
• Volume 16 Conclavisti- (on-line)
• Volume 17 Consalvi- (on-line)
• Volume 18 Costantinopoli- (on-line)
• Volume 19 Crosso- (on-line)
• Volume 20 Diarbekir- (on-line)
• Volume 21 Ebrei- (on-line)
• Volume 22 Era- (on-line)
• Volume 23 Faggio- (on-line)
• Volume 24 Fermo- (on-line)
• Volume 25 Firenze- (on-line)
• Volume 26 Foro- (on-line)
• Volume 27 Fra- (on-line)
• Volume 28 Frumenzio- (on-line)
• Volume 29 Genoveffa- (on-line)
• Volume 30 Gerra- (on-line)
• Volume 31 Giovanni- (on-line)
• Volume 32 Governatore- (on-line)
• Volume 33 Gregorio- (on-line)
• Volume 34 Immagine- (on-line)
• Volume 35 Ing- (on-line)
• Volume 36 Innocenzo- (on-line)
• Volume 37 Jube- (on-line)
• Volume 38 Leon- (on-line)
• Volume 39 Lisia- (on-line)
• Volume 40 Lubecca- (on-line)
• Volume 41 Macerata- (on-line)
• Volume 42 Magonza- (on-line)
• Volume 43 Maria Francesca - (on-line)
• Volume 44 Maurizio- (on-line)
• Volume 45 Metz- (on-line)
• Volume 46 Moderamno- (on-line)
• Volume 47 Mosca- (on-line)
• Volume 48 Nicolo Fattori- (on-line)
• Volume 49 Ombrellino- (on-line)
• Volume 50 Ospizi- (on-line)
• Volume 51 Pasqua- (on-line)
• Volume 52 Patriarchi- (on-line)
• Volume 53 Pienza- (on-line)
• Volume 54 Podlachia- (on-line)
• Volume 55 Povero- (on-line)
• Volume 56 Protonotari- (on-line)
• Volume 57 Referendari- (on-line)
• Volume 58 Rioni di Roma- (on-line)
• Volume 59 Roma- (on-line)
• Volume 60 Sabato- (on-line)
• Volume 61 Salvatore- (on-line)
• Volume 62 Savoia- (on-line)
• Volume 63 Scrittori- (on-line)
• Volume 64 Seminario Pio- (on-line)
• Volume 65 Septuagesima- (on-line)
• Volume 66 Sidone- (on-line)
• Volume 67 Siria- (on-line)
• Volume 68 Spada- (on-line)
• Volume 69 Spogli- (on-line)
• Volume 70 Stefano- (on-line)
• Volume 71 Suddiacono- (on-line)
• Volume 72 Svi- (on-line)
• Volume 73 Tarugi- (on-line)
• Volume 74 Templari- (on-line)
• Volume 75 Tessalonica- (on-line)
• Volume 76 Tivoli- (on-line)
• Volume 77 Tolomei- (on-line)
• Volume 78 Torcremada- (on-line)
• Volume 79 Tosco- (on-line)
• Volume 80 Tre- (on-line)
• Volume 81 Trionfo Ubaldo- (on-line)
• Volume 82 Ubbidienza- (on-line)
• Volume 83 Ugento- (on-line)
• Volume 84 Universita Artistiche- (on-line)
• Volume 85 Universita Roma 2- (on-line)
• Volume 86 Urbano- (on-line)
• Volume 87 Urgel- (on-line)
• Volume 88 Valenza Veglia- (on-line)
• Volume 89 Veio- (on-line)
• Volume 90 Velletri - (on-line)
• Volume 91 Venezia- (on-line)
• Volume 92 Venezia- (on-line)
• Volume 93 Venezia- (on-line)
• Volume 94 Verneuil- (on-line)
• Volume 95 Verona- (on-line)
• Volume 96 Vescovo- (on-line)
• Volume 97 Via Crucis- (on-line)
• Volume 98 Viborata- (on-line)
• Volume 99 Vicario Capitolare- (on-line)
• Volume 100 Vienna- (on-line)
• Volume 101 Villa- (on-line)
• Volume 102 Viterbo- (on-line)
• Volume 103 Viviers-Z (on-line)