Franchi de' Cavalieri, Pio
FRANCHI DE' CAVALIERI, PIO
Italian scholar and hagiographer; b. Veroli, Aug. 31, 1869; d. Rome, Aug. 6, 1960. After studies in classical philology, he was given the post of a scriptor or researcher in the Vatican Library (1896) under Cardinal Franz Ehrle; he served as honorary conservator of the Sacred Museum of the library from 1921 to 1948. He worked on catalogues of manuscripts with Vatasso, editing the list of Latin manuscripts (1902), and with A. Mercati, the Greek manuscripts (1923). He also brought out editions of the Rotulo di Giosuè (1905) and the Menologion of Basil (1907), and with H. Lietzmann he published Specimina Codd. graec. Vaticani (Bonn 1910 and 1929). His principal concern, however, was hagiography, and he published nine volumes of Note agiografiche in the Studi e Testi series and wrote articles for the Römische Quartalschrift, Rivista di archeologia cristiana, Nuovo bollettino di archeologia cristiana, and Studi romani. In 1956 he presented the library with a precious collection of ancient coins; he was looked upon as the dean of Roman hagiographers.
Bibliography: j. ruysschaert, Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia 30 (1960–61) 61–69. n. vian, L'Osservatore Romano 224 (25 Sept. 1960) 5; 230 (Oct. 2, 1960) 5.
[p. roche]