Although the Augustinian Recollects, whose origin goes back to the end of the 16th Century, are an old Order, documentation kept in the Archive is fundamentally modern. The old documents were seized, as were all their monasterios, in the 19th Century, in the successive confiscatons decreed in various countries from 1835 onwards. This considerable vacuum has been partly filled thanks to the photocopies which some meritorious Augustinian Recollect scholars have obtained in the nacional archives of Spain, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil. These materials constitute a collection of 256 boxes.
The AGOAR is made up essentially of books, periodicals and boxes of documents relating to the Order and to the Augustinian Recollect family, which are kept in six big compact cabinets, of which four are double-sided. The books represent a total of 6.357 volumes, forming a highly valuable library to support the research of any scholar.
The Archive itself is composed of 871 boxes and about twelve thousand files, divided into 20 sections. One of these, which comprises 33 boxes, corresponds to the photographic section, and contains a large quantity of photographs, slides, negatives and various elements of digital support.
The researcher can find the contents of each of these boxes given in every detail in a digital data bank which at present takes up about 600 printed pages. The Augustinian Recollect Fr. José Javier Lizarraga, who, as archivist, has taken part in this re-organization, is putting the finishing touch to the regulations to which the visits and consultations of scholars will be subject.
The work undertaken
The compact cabinets The AGOAR is situated in the General Curia of the Order, in Rome. Work lasted for almost eleven months, beginning in September 2012. The premises were completely cleared, and their contents transferred to other areas of the house. On 5th October there began the building work, to strengthen the pillars and the floor which support the weight of the Archive, situated just above the chapel, which is open to the public.
At present the AGOAR consists of a large room, and entrance lobby and a depository. An air-conditioning system has also been installed, as has a dehumidifier which regulates the humidity content of the air.
The old metal bookcases have been replaced by new compact cabinets which slide on rails. The old wooden boxes made by the former archivists themselves have been replaced by other which are more modern, made of PH neutral cardboard according to the criteria of technicians and experts.