Italy, Catania, Arcidiocesi di Catania, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Foreign Language
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Collection Time Period
This collection of baptisms and marriages from the San Biagio parish in Catania, Sicily covers the inclusive years of 1629 to 1912.

Record History
After the death of Pope Clemente VII, leaders of the Catholic Church realized there was a need to reform and standardize certain doctrines and practices. All church leaders, including bishops from all the dioceses in Europe, were called to a council in the city of Trent on December 13, 1545. After many stops and starts, protests, and suspensions, the reforms of the Council of Trent were adopted. One of the mandates was that every parish priest would keep a record of each parishioner’s baptism, marriage, and death. This mandate was passed in January 1564, but not every parish complied immediately, even though every diocese had to ratify and comply with the council’s reforms. In fact, the reforms were not universally accepted before 1595, when a papal proclamation was declared. Most Catholic parishes in Italy will have records dating from this time if the register books have survived. Copies of these records were not regularly sent to the diocese until about 1900, so most parishes will have their records stored at the parish church. Occasionally the original register was deposited in the diocesan archive.

Most parish records in Italy began anywhere from 1563 to 1595, and they continue to the present. During that time, 99 percent of the population belonged to the Catholic Church; the percentage is still around 95 percent, so almost the entire population has been covered in the parish registers. In larger cities there were some Jewish and Protestant residents who were not covered by the Catholic Church registers.

Why these records were created
Parish registers such as baptisms and marriages were created to keep a record of the vital events in the lives of each parishioner.

Record Reliability
The Catholic Church parish registers are the most reliable and accurate source for family history information in Catania until civil registration was enforced in 1820. It is recommended to search both parish and civil registers and verify them against each other.

Record Description
This collection of parish records includes baptisms and marriages only. About half to two thirds of the volumes are self indexed, some are indexed by the Latinized version of the first name. The earlier registers were usually written in Latin, but a few priests chose to write in Italian or a dialect. Preprinted forms were not available until after about 1810, and use of the forms varied from region to region. The majority of parish registers are free-form, handwritten records.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most baptism registers include: • Name given to the child • Name of the father and mother (maiden name is listed occasionally for the mother) • Date and place of baptism (birth date listed occasionally) • Godparent

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage registers include: • First and last name of bride and groom • Bride and groom’s parents’ names (maiden name is listed occasionally for the mother) • Date and place of marriage

How to Use the Collection
Parish registers are the best source of information for ancestors who lived in Catania before the civil registration began. The information included on birth and marriage records about a person’s parents can help extend that lineage. Use the place information included in all the entries to begin researching other records that may be needed.

Related Wiki Articles
Italy Church Records

Related Web Sites
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Sources of This Collection
"Italy, Catania Province, Catania Diocese, San Biagio Church records, 1629-1912", database, FamilySearch(http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch), 2009; from Archdiocese of Catania, Sicily, Italia. I"taly, Catania Province, Catania Diocese, San Biagio Parish Catholic church records"; Arcidiocesi di Catania, Catania, Sicili, Italia. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

How to Cite Your Sources
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