The archive

Since June 2025, the Historical Archive of the Municipality of Lecce has been housed within the Ex Convento degli Agostiniani (Former Augustinian Convent): a place of memory open to the city, where past and present meet.

It preserves a complex of documents produced by the Municipality of Lecce as part of its institutional activities, relating to administrative matters concluded more than forty years ago. These historical records are destined for permanent preservation and are available for consultation by anyone for study and research purposes.

Note for Researchers: All original documents, ledger entries, and minutes are held in Italian.

The entire documentary heritage held by the Archive is divided into two major groupings:

The registers (I registri)

  • This group includes registri degli atti di nascita (birth registers, 1809–1899), matrimonio (marriage, 1809–1899), morte (death, 1809–1900), and cittadinanza (citizenship, 1866–1899), atti diversi (miscellaneous records, 1812–1865) and cemetery records (1872–1971, with gaps).
  • It also holds the minutes of the Consiglio (Council, 1865–1971) and the deliberations of the Giunta (Executive Committee), the Regio Commissario (Royal Commissioner), the Commissario Prefettizio (Prefectural Commissioner), and the Podestà (the non-elected Mayor during the Fascist period) (1861–1971).
  • Furthermore, it contains protocolli della corrispondenza (correspondence logs, 1867–1976), budget forecasts, libri mastri e partitari (general and subsidiary ledgers, 1864–1974), giornali di cassa (cash journals), and ruoli unificati delle imposte (unified tax rolls, 1869–1968).

The general correspondence (il carteggio)

This consists of correspondence exchanged between the Municipality of Lecce and external parties (other public bodies or private citizens), as well as internal documents, often including notes, minute (drafts), and projects.

This substantial part of the archive is divided into fifteen categorie (categories) corresponding to the functions and activities performed by the Municipality. These are further divided into sub-categories called classi (classes) and sub-sub-categories known as fascicoli (files/folders).

Searching for a document in the archive is a task that requires attention, patience, and care. For this reason, we have prepared a Research Guide containing useful directions, and a section where you can download the Inventories of the Historical Archive.