Archival Conservation at the Postulator's Office

Archival Conservation at the Postulator’s Office

(ANS – Rome – November 12, 2024) – An important experimental work was carried out from October 10 to November 11 for the conservation, organization, and cataloguing of some documents at the archives of the office of the Salesian postulator general in Rome, who studies and promotes the causes of saints of the Salesian Family. At the invitation of the postulator general, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, and with the collaboration of Fr. Gabriel Cruz, Diego Aguado, archivist at the Salesian Historical Archives of Peru, has carried out an experimental process for preserving original documents relating to the collection of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, Salesian Cooperator: correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs of great value for the Salesian Family.

This first step is significant since it serves as a model for the treatment of the rest of the materials in the archives, especially in reference to documents of greater historical value. During a month of intense and qualified work, Mr. Aguado carried out an accurate preventive conservation treatment which included the removal of elements harmful to document preservation (metal objects, plastic, adhesive tapes, etc.).

In addition, to ensure the integrity of the documents, custom-made documentary cases were created for each one, using appropriate materials and free of harmful agents. Similarly, the documentation received an archival organization treatment that involved the classification, ordering, and description of the material to facilitate its identification, consultation, and placement in the archival collection.

“We are sure that this effort represents a first step and a reference model to ensure all the documents of great value preserved in the postulator’s archive,” Fr. Cameroni said.