Reforming Priests and Parishes consists of case studies of diocesan seminaries in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Republic of Lucca from 1563-1660s. The major cases are Arezzo, Siena, Volterra and Lucca, and the dioceses and institutions are examined in their financial, educational, and religious milieux. Several other cases--Florence, Montepulciano, Pienza, and Pisa--are treated in less detail to provide contextual interpretative focal points.
Most of the seminaries have never been treated in English-language studies before, and no comparative study exists in any language. All of the case studies contain in-depth analysis of rare primary source material.
Kathleen M. Comerford, Ph.D. (1995) in History, University of Wisconsin, is Associate Professor of History at Georgia Southern University. Her previous publications include
Ordaining the Catholic Reformation (Olschki, 2001) and
Early Modern Catholicism: Essays in Honour of John O’Malley (Toronto, 2001).
Acknowledgements
List of Maps and Charts
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Chapter One: Early Modern Tuscany: The Social and Political Setting
Chapter Two: Early Modern Priests in Selected Tuscan Dioceses: Expectations and Realities
Chapter Three: The Diocese and Seminary of Arezzo
Chapter Four: The Archdiocese and Seminary of Siena
Chapter Five: The Diocese and Seminary of Volterra
Chapter Six: The Archdiocese and Seminary of Lucca
Chapter Seven: Context: Three Other Tuscan Dioceses and Seminaries
Chapter Eight: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
All those interested in intellectual, educational, and religious history of the Reformation and Catholic Reformation periods--both historians and church historians.