The history of the civic archive from its beginnings

The Municipal Historical Archive of Lecce was founded in 1897, at a time when safeguarding collective memory was seen not only as an administrative duty, but as an act of trust in the future.
It was the will of Mayor Giuseppe Pellegrino, who entrusted accountant Luigi Botrugno and three loyal collaborators – Villani, Quarta and Bortone – with the task of creating a modern, well-organised archive, capable of meeting the city’s needs with rigour and intelligence.

With passion, courage and painstaking patience, those who worked on this project laid the foundations of a documentary collection which, for its quality and refinement, would have few equals in the administrative landscape of post-Unification Italy.

The journey of the Archive, however, was not a straightforward one.
Reorganised in later years thanks to the careful work of Doria Pastore, a distinguished figure from the State Archive of Naples, it subsequently went through long periods of neglect and numerous moves: from the former Olivetan Convent to the Castle of Charles V, and later to the Margherita Institute — in a constant search for a space worthy of its importance.

Today the Archive has finally found its home in the former Augustinian Convent, giving Lecce back a living, accessible place of memory — a point of reference for anyone wishing to rediscover the city’s civic history.

Under public protection, the Archive continues to grow, enriched by the transfer of selected documents from municipal offices. Its core holdings preserve post-Unification records relating to matters closed more than forty years ago, alongside earlier testimonies — true treasures. Foremost among them is the Libro Rosso of the University of Lecce.
This extraordinary manuscript, begun in the 16th century and containing parchments dating back to the 13th century, is a unique heritage: the Neapolitan copy was destroyed during the Second World War, making the Lecce exemplar all the more precious. As scholar Amilcare Foscarini pointed out, the Libro Rosso is not merely a collection of patrimonial acts, but a record of the city’s detailed and profound history, in all its transformations.

Today, you can retrace this story through the Virtual Historical Archive: we have curated a thematic selection dedicated to the birth and journey of the civic archive.

Do you need help navigating the Archive’s collections? This section walks you through the consultation process—both online and on-site—providing useful tools, practical guidance, and tips to help you begin or deepen your research.