The History of RECEPTIO

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Research, Manuscripts, and European Philological Tradition (2016–Present)

​The Research Centre for European Philological Tradition was founded in 2016 by Prof. Carla Rossi as an independent, non-profit research centre devoted to Romance philology, manuscript studies, codicology, textual criticism, and the preservation of Europe's written cultural heritage.

From its inception, RECEPTIO combined traditional philological methods with digital technologies, promoting innovative approaches to the study, reconstruction, and dissemination of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. Its activities soon expanded beyond Switzerland through collaborations with universities, libraries, museums, and cultural institutions across Europe.

As the Centre developed, its international activities increased, leading to the establishment of the Fondazione RECEPTIO, with its principal base in Lugano and a subsidiary presence in London. During these years, RECEPTIO organised international conferences, promoted scholarly publications, coordinated research projects, and contributed to critical editions and catalogues devoted to medieval and Renaissance textual traditions.

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Research on Stolen and Dismembered Manuscripts 

Research on the dispersion and reconstruction of medieval manuscripts did not originate with the establishment of RECEPTIO. It began in 2006, when Prof. Carla Rossi initiated an independent research programme devoted to the identification, documentation, and virtual reconstruction of dismembered manuscripts preserved in libraries, museums, and private collections.

Over the following years, this long-term research generated an extensive documentary archive, bringing together images, descriptions, provenance data, and codicological analyses relating to thousands of detached manuscript leaves and dispersed codices.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when access to libraries and archives became severely restricted, Prof. Rossi made this research archive available to RECEPTIO, allowing the Centre to consolidate and further develop its digital research activities. The archive became the foundation for new projects dedicated to the reconstruction of dispersed manuscripts and the documentation of biblioclasm for profit.

The resulting research required the systematic examination of auction catalogues, antiquarian dealers' inventories, museum collections, and digital marketplaces, making it possible to reconnect detached leaves with their original manuscripts through philological, codicological, and iconographical analysis.

These activities subsequently led to the creation of OProM (Organisation pour la Protection des Manuscrits Médiévaux) and to the expansion of RECEPTIO's work in the field of manuscript protection, provenance research, and the preservation of Europe's written cultural heritage.

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From Manuscript Research to the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Defamation and Institutional Continuity

Beginning in late 2022, following the publication of research on the dismemberment of stolen medieval manuscripts and, in particular, on the reconstruction of Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria, MS E.V.5, RECEPTIO and its Director became the target of an extensive public campaign.

The Centre's research had documented the appearance on the international art market of three illuminated leaves removed in 1979 from the Turin manuscript and had reconstructed their provenance through archival documentation, historical photographs, and auction catalogues. These findings drew attention to the broader phenomenon of biblioclasm for profit and to the circulation of detached manuscript leaves originating from public collections.

According to the criminal complaint filed with the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), the publication of RECEPTIO's research on Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria, MS E.V.5 was followed by a coordinated campaign directed against both the Centre and its Director. The complaint sets out the documentary evidence supporting this reconstruction and has been submitted to the competent judicial authorities. Parties with a legitimate interest may request access to the documentation in accordance with the applicable legal provisions. Rather than engaging with the scientific evidence concerning manuscript dismemberment, public attention shifted towards allegations directed against Prof. Carla Rossi personally. The events have been documented through official records, scholarly publications, and dedicated documentary projects: the attacks formed part of a broader retaliatory campaign that arose after the Centre began documenting the dismemberment of medieval manuscripts and the circulation of stolen leaves on the international art market. Throughout this period, the Centre continued its research, organised international conferences, published scholarly work, and expanded its academic collaborations through ISFiDA.

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Despite this campaign, RECEPTIO never suspended its scientific activities.

At no point did RECEPTIO suspend its academic activities, withdraw its publications, or discontinue its international collaborations. Research projects continued without interruption through the Institut d'Estudis Filològics Dantescs i Digitals Avançats (ISFiDA), the research institute through which RECEPTIO now operates in Barcelona.

During these years, the Centre continued to organise international conferences, seminars, and public lectures while maintaining collaborations with distinguished scholars and institutions across Europe.

Among the academics who participated in conferences, seminars, and research initiatives were the late Prof. Martin Aurell, a valued friend of the Centre, Prof. Leena Löfstedt, Prof. Philippe Guérin, Prof. Furio Brugnolo, Prof. Lucia Lazzerini, Prof. Antoni Rossell, Prof. Maria Grazia Bonanno, Prof. Romeo Bufalo, Prof. Lucinia Speciale, and many others, whose continued involvement testified to the vitality and international standing of the Centre.

The Centre's academic programme also expanded through the Seminario Internazionale di Studi Danteschi (SISD), directed by Prof. Raffaele Pinto, which today constitutes one of the teaching activities hosted by ISFiDA.

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RECEPTIO Today

Today, RECEPTIO continues its activities (https://www.youtube.com/@receptio), promoting research, international academic cooperation, and the protection of Europe's written cultural heritage.

Over the past decade, the Centre has organised numerous international conferences, seminars, and scholarly initiatives, attracting leading specialists from Europe and beyond. Several of these events have received coverage not only in academic media but also in the general press, reflecting the scientific quality and public relevance of the research presented.

The Centre collaborates with the competent public authorities responsible for the protection of cultural heritage, including the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC). Research findings concerning manuscripts stolen from public collections have been transmitted through the appropriate institutional channels in accordance with applicable legal procedures.

Ten years after its foundation, RECEPTIO remains committed to independent scholarship, rigorous documentation, and international academic collaboration.

Its activities include:

• Romance philology;

• medieval and Renaissance literature;

• manuscript studies and codicology;

• textual criticism and critical editions;

• digital humanities;

• Dante studies;

• history of the book;

• cultural heritage research;

• the reconstruction of dispersed manuscripts.

 

Since 2016, RECEPTIO has remained faithful to the principles that inspired its foundation: intellectual independence, international cooperation, and the protection of Europe's written cultural heritage. Ten years after its establishment, the Centre continues to pursue these objectives through research, publications, conferences, and collaborations with scholars and institutions across Europe.

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