As part of a wide-ranging study of the Acta Criminalia in the Diocesan Historical Archives in Naples, this paper aims to follow the varied criminal career of a priest from the Neapolitan province, Alfonso Castaldo, as it emerges from court documents. Accused of attempted murder, of repeated (or continued) sentimental relationships with women, of celebrating Mass without the authorization of superiors, the cleric’s long trial history seems representative of a certain moral level of a part of southern society; it, however, also shows the intense activity of the territory’s ecclesiastical institutions directed toward bringing order to the social fabric, in this case curbing the illicit activities of those individuals who most should have been exemplary role models.
Un prete, furfante e recidivo, tra Napoli e provincia: prime ricerche su materiali giudiziari d’età austriaca e borbonica
ANGELINA CIRILLO
2025-01-01
Abstract
As part of a wide-ranging study of the Acta Criminalia in the Diocesan Historical Archives in Naples, this paper aims to follow the varied criminal career of a priest from the Neapolitan province, Alfonso Castaldo, as it emerges from court documents. Accused of attempted murder, of repeated (or continued) sentimental relationships with women, of celebrating Mass without the authorization of superiors, the cleric’s long trial history seems representative of a certain moral level of a part of southern society; it, however, also shows the intense activity of the territory’s ecclesiastical institutions directed toward bringing order to the social fabric, in this case curbing the illicit activities of those individuals who most should have been exemplary role models.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
