Gaza numismatum: breve storia della collezione numismatica di San Michele in Isola

The Camaldolese monastery of S. Michele in Murano was an important and prolific centre of studies, always accompanied by an intense publishing activity. The value of the scientific contribution of the Camaldolese studies and research of this period, however, has not yet been sufficiently assessed, also because of the dramatic dispersion of the materials (documents and collections) following the Napoleonic suppressions. The monks’ inclination to study the sciences also included numismatics, no longer regarded as erudite antiquarian research, but rather as a noble and rigorous discipline useful for the advancement of human knowledge, in full harmony with the ideas of the Enlightenment. In this context, the figure of Fortunato Mandelli (1728-1797) appears central. Thanks to his work and contacts with the Venetian nobility, the monastery of S. Michele was enriched with a numismatic collection, of which unfortunately we know very little. This contribution aims to shed light on such unknown collection of coins and on the cultural environment that gave rise to it.