| Albani | |
|---|---|
Family weapon |
|
| Ethnicity | Albanian, Italian |
| Current region | Rome |
| Information | |
| Place of origin | Malësi e Madhe, Albania |
| Name origin and meaning | Albania |
The Albani were an aristocratic Roman family, members of which attained the highest dignities in the Roman Catholic Church, one, Clement XI, having been Pope. They were Albanians who originally moved to Urbino from the region of Malësi e Madhe in Albania.[1] and were originally soldiers of Scanderbeg against the Ottoman Empire.
During Clement XI's reign as a Pope the famous Illyricum Sacrum was commissioned, and today it is one of the main sources of the field of Albanology, with over 5000 pages divided in several volumes written by Daniele Farlati and Domenico Coletti.
The Albani library was sold between 1864 and 1928, and part of it was purchased by The Catholic University of America. This collection contains a large section concerning the Jansenist controversy and the Chinese Rites controversy, as well as Canon Law, and other related topics.
The manuscript material purchased in 1864 by Theodor Mommsen on behalf of the Prussian government was lost at sea on its way to Germany.