Albergo dei Poveri Archive

In 1973 the administration of the Istituto di Ricovero “Emanuele Brignole” - the former Albergo dei Poveri, an almshouse - donated its own archive (16th-19th century) to the City of Genoa. This archive consists of around 2000 units, and encompasses nearly four centuries, from the 16th to the end of the 19th.

The archival collection is divided into two distinct section. The first concerns the 16th-18th centuries, and consists of documents from the Ufficio dei Poveri (Office of the Poor), including registers of written decrees, cartularies and compendia from 1566 to the end of the 18th century; from the Magistrato dell’Albergo (registers of decrees from the Deputazione dell’Albergo, compendia and cartularies regarding the Albergo accounts from 1666 to 1800, files of letters, public deeds, deeds for lawsuits and remits); and from wealthy families (account books and files of documents) which linked their estates to the building and running of the Institution until 1797, the year of the fall of the aristocratic Republic. The other, concerning the 19th century, includes the administrative and accounting documentation of the Albergo (financial statements, records of income and expenditures, reports etc.) and documentation relating to the textile manufacturers operating therein.