Provincia Ecclesiastica di Siracusa - G. Petri 1858

Map depicting the Ecclesiastical Province of Syracuse, issued from “L’Orbe Cattolico ossia Atlante Geografico Storico Ecclesiastico...”. The composition relates to south-eastern Sicily and its ecclesiastical organization, structured according to nineteenth-century religious-administrative cartographic conventions.

The layout is defined by clarity and precision, with a careful delineation of diocesan boundaries, main settlements, and ecclesiastical divisions. The engraved line, analytical and orderly, provides a systematic reading of the territory, balancing documentary function and visual presentation.

This example represents pontifical editorial production of its time and belongs to the tradition of ecclesiastical and administrative cartography, constituting a significant testimony to the territorial organization of the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century.

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Art Historical Note
Girolamo Petri stands among the leading figures of nineteenth-century ecclesiastical cartography, distinguished by his documentary rigor and systematic representation of Church territorial hierarchies.

The work belongs to “L’Orbe Cattolico ossia Atlante Geografico Storico Ecclesiastico”, conceived as a geographical repertory of dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces of the Catholic world. Examples of this type, intended for institutional and scholarly use, document the role of cartography in defining religious geography.

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Technical Sheet
Type: Map
Author: G. Petri
Publisher: Tipografia della Reverenda Camera Apostolica
Place: Rome
Period: 1858-1859
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Decoration: Ecclesiastical divisions and title
Dimensions:
Sheet: 57 x 80.5 cm
Plate: 46 x 58.5 cm
Marks / signatures / inscriptions: Title “Provincia Ecclesiastica di Siracusa”; from “L’Orbe Cattolico...”

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Condition Report
Sheet in excellent overall condition.
No significant defects noted.
Engraved surface clear and well preserved.
Verso blank.