Centro Studi Biblici

Culture and sacred texts meet in a unique offer: this Centre for Bible Studies is the opportunity to find out more on theology and discuss religious matters, as well as current news.

Hosted in Palazzo Ovio-Gobbi, ancient noble house now hosting the Parish premises, Centro di Studi Biblici was founded in 1976 by Professor Giuseppe Scarpat, Bible scholar, and Mons. Pietro Mazzarotto, Parish Priest of Duomo at the time. It was first established to answer the need for education of the clergy after the strong advice of the Second Vatican Council, but soon became a reference for laymen who wished to accrue their knowledge on biblical texts.

The centre’s main purpose is to spread the knowledge of the bible on various levels: approach, basic study, systematic exegetic analysis.

Over time, activities have been diversified to answer local needs and meet renewed and enriched objectives. The offer ranges from the study of biblical texts on two levels (simple approach and systematic exegetic analysis), cultural and biblical trainings, to language seminars (biblical Greek and Jewish culture). Centro di Studi Biblici also organizes recurrent trips and study tours to the Holy Land (actual courses led by local Bible scholars), spiritual Bible readings during Christmas period, theatre plays on Biblical texts or on related themes, meetings on music, cinema, literature: all these aspects of knowledge meet the message of the biblical texts.

Unique in Northeast Italy, the library hosts two mirroring rooms with carefully selected biblical, pastoral and theological texts, reaching over 13,000 books in Italian, German, English and French, together with the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Copt, Chinese and Japanese.

The most ancient books are from Vittorio Veneto’s Seminar, with a Bible dated 1543 and commentaries from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Nonetheless, the main focus is on modern Bible studies. The patristic sector is well cared for too, and houses the complete series of Sources Chrétiennes, over 520 books and the complete works of the fathers of the Church, including Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose. The offer also includes theology, history and religion history sectors. The library is mainly visited by specialists, university researchers, theology or religious studies students and also features informative, consultation and analysis sectors to integrate the courses.

Centro di Studi Biblici is tied to the Holy Land by a two-way relation: on one hand, it has always aimed at collecting texts, reaching extremely rare works which are not available elsewhere in Italy, while on the other it is active on its territory with pilgrimages and in-house seminars. In Sacile, the meeting room is dedicated to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Since 2001, the centre is managed by the director Mons. Rinaldo Fabris, a Bible scholar; in 2002 it was acknowledged as a cultural entity of great relevance by Friuli Venezia-Giulia region. Its president has always been Mons. Pietro Mazzarotto.