Daniele Farlati

An ecclesiastical historian, b. at San Daniele del Friuli in the present Italian province of Udine, 22 February, 1690; d. 25 April, 1773. After having studied at Gorz he entered, in 1707, the Society of Jesus at Bologna. He was for five years teacher of classics at the Jesuit college in Padua, and then went to Rome, where he completed his theological studies, was ordained priest, in 1722, and was again sent to Padua, to assist Father Filippo Riceputi in the latter's historical labours. Riceputi intended to write ecclesiastical history of Illyria, and in 1720 had issued, at Padua, a prospectus of this monumental enterprise. During twenty years they both searched with unwearied industry, in all the libraries and archives of ancient Illyria, for the material for their work; the matter they collected filled three hundred manuscript volumes. In 1712, just as two of the larger divisions, the martyrology of Illyria and the life of San Pietro Orseolo, were about completed, Riceputi died. Thus Farlati was left alone to work into presentable shape the prodigious amount of material collected. As co-labourer he chose Father Jacopo Coleti. The first volume of "Illyricum Sacrum" appeared at Venice, in 1751; it contained the history of the Church Salona up to the fourth century. Three further volumes appeared in rapid succession while the fifth was in press Farlati died. His assistant Coleti finished the fifth volume, which appeared in 1775, and issued three more, the last being completed in 1818. The whole work fills eight well-executed folio volumes.