Main description (English)

The plague of 1630 did not affect the city of Rome. An enormous effort was made by the Congregazione di Sanità, which already existed, to guard borders by alerting, in particular, the legates of Ferrara, Bologna and Romagna, which were governed by men trusted by Urban VIII. In 1635, when the plague was defeated, Giovan Battista Spada wrote a report on the principles of diligence against contagion used in Rome, which he dedicated to his nephew Cardinal Francesco Barberini. The report takes on a precise political significance as it glorified the actions of the cardinal in this difficult circumstance and sang the praises of papal policy. In that tournant, the plague became a useful and effective propaganda tool in political contexts that presented challenges for the Papacy and for the Barberini family: the Thirty Years’ War, the attacks of Spain on the Pope, and the continuous (and unheeded) imperial request for substantial financial aid from Rome. The essay is accompanied by the publication of the Relazione (BAV, Barb. lat. 5626, cc.1-14r) in the appendix.