Logiche della restituzione. Opere pie come riscossione in età moderna

Giovanni Battista Leonardi died in 1733 without children, leaving his\r\nlegacy, composed for the most part of credits of the community of Trecate,\r\nto the foundation of an house of sisters called Ministre della Carità di San\r\nVincenzo de Paoli (the house opened in 1734) and a pious place, named\r\nOpera pia Leonardi, for the advantage of the citizens of Trecate. First of all,\r\nthe case focuses on the history of debt between the Leonardi’s family and the\r\ncommunity of Trecate, highlighting the attempts and mechanisms of collecting the debt by Giovanni Battista. Second, it shows the instrumental nature\r\nof charity, or rather its coincidence with reasons that are not attributable only\r\nto the salvation of the soul. Finally, the case analyses the history of debt of\r\ncommunities and the «local» link between charity and municipal institutions.