Vercelli Holy Cross Confraternity: Masses for the Soul of a dead brother, 1673.

[Vercelli] / [Ephemera] / [Confraternity]. Faccio fede Io infrascritto con mio giuramento haver celebrato tré Messe à nome di [propria] & applicato il Sacrificio in suffragio dell’ Anima del fú [blank] uno de’ cento Fratelli della Congregatione; Eretta nella Chiesa di Sant’ Andrea di Vercelli, sotto la protettione del Santissimo Crocifisso; In fede &c. Dat. In Vercelli alli [23] du [feb:] 167[3]. [P. Xforo Giuseppe Mondini(?)]. S.l. [Vercelli]: s.n., signed 23 February 1673. [16.3 x 9.2 cm], [1] f. letterpress form, completed in manuscript, manuscript annotations on verso. Folds, minor toning and staining.

Unrecorded letterpress form printed in the early 1670s for the use of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Cross in the church of Sant’Andrea in Vercelli. The document was for confraternity members to register that, in accordance with confraternity rules, they had celebrated three masses for the soul of a deceased confraternity brother. The wording suggests that the confraternity consisted of one hundred members.

This example of the form was completed by a certain Father Christoforo Giuseppe Mondini(?), who celebrated the three required masses for his own account, which, being a priest, he could do. Non-priest confraternity members would have had the priest write in their name to show that the masses had be celebrated on their behalf. Curiously, the space for filling in the name of the deceased member was left blank here, but on the verso is a note indicating, I believe, that the masses were said for a certain Francesco Paniana (“p[er] il fú Frances[co] Paniana”[?]).

The letterpress text of the form might be translated: “I, the undersigned, with my oath, certify that I have celebrated three Masses in the name of [my own] and applied the Sacrifice in suffrage for the Soul of the late [blank] one of the one hundred Brothers of the Congregation; Erected in the Church of Sant’ Andrea di Vercelli, under the protection of the Most Holy Crucifix. In Vercelli, on the [23] of [February], 167[3].”

OPAC/SBN/ICCU, OCLC and KVK do not locate any examples of this form.