‎LUCA Eremita Hispano :‎
‎Romualdina, seu eremitica montis Coronae Camaldulensis Ordinis historia in quinque libros partita.‎

‎ Rua , [ Monte Rua presso Padova , IT] , Tipografia dell'Eremo di Rua, 1587, in-8°, (32) nn pp + 219 lvs + (2)nn pp ( complete) , title-page and last page with wood-engraved portrait of St. Romuald. Bound in supple vellum, manuscript title on spine. With some small damage at top of spine, interior crisp and fine. This is one of the two imprints known from the hermit abbey of the Camaldolese order in Monte Rua near Padua ( Italy ). The editions were probably printed by father Riccardo da Fagnano who was a monk at Rua from 1584 onwards. In 1588 the press was transferred to Montecorona near Perugia obviously because Rua had published another work without the consent of the superiors of the order. The typography is of the highest quality with a title page illustrated with a portrait of Saint Romuald within a floral typographical border. The dedication to Cardinal Antonio Caraffe is printed in a nice large italic type. The penultimate page contains a collation ( quire structure ) of the book and also the place and year of printing ( repeated from the title ). We could not found out where father Riccardo learned the art of printing and where he procured his typographical equipment. But is obvious from the high typographical quality of this publication that a first rate printer was involved at a preliminary stage. ( see item CNCT 1892 - Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico - Edit 16 ). The book, in Latin, written by a Camaldolese hermit from Cordoba ( Spain ) called Luca, describes the life of the founder of the Camaldolese order Saint Romuald and the subsequent history of the branche of the order called '' The Congregation of Monte Corona''. The Camaldolese order belongs to the Benedictine order . Originally its members were pure hermits but in the 16th c. this changed gradually. The book is excessively rare outside Italy. The USTC lists only 3 copies outside Italy ( Grenoble, London, Oxford ). No copy in the USA. (USTC N° 838710). Very fine item..‎

Reference : 50705

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