The indipetae are letters written by Jesuits to their Superior General to apply for the extra-European missions, usually called the “Indies.” Jesuits wrote thousands of indipetae from as early as the 1560s until as late as the 1960s. The Digital Indipetae Database allows users to search the letters by a number of facets -- the full text, a sender’s name or location, the date a letter was sent, the destination desired, and the names of saints quoted among the others. The database also hosts scans of the original letters that are housed at the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu and other Jesuit archives.
The letters and metadata in the Digital Indipetae Database are aggregated within the search capabilities of the Portal to Jesuit Studies.
Founding Partners
Project Updates
- The soft launch of the Digital Indipetae Database took place at a Jesuit Studies Café on March 26. The online presentation and discussion were led by Emanuele Colombo of DePaul University, editor of the database, and Marco Rochini, a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.
- The editors welcome comments and corrections as they continue to modify the database and to add additional content in advance of the formal launch. Please contact the editors with questions.