The Parchments Collection is a miscellaneous gathering of documents originating from different records creators, including ecclesiastical institutions, civil offices and private individuals. They are brought together on the basis of their shared material support: parchment. It is a heterogeneous collection in terms of documentary nature, originating from different fonds and institutional contexts, including the Antico Archivio Regio (Old Royal Archives), the Aymerich Archive and the Court of Appeal.

The documents that compose it are predominantly formal legal acts: grants, privileges, investitures, deeds of sale and judgements. The choice of parchment was not incidental: more durable than paper, it was used for acts intended to endure over time and to produce clear and lasting legal effects.

The video presents the collection through the distinctive material characteristics of the parchments. It highlights how the writing material, script, solemn formulae and seals provide evidence of rights, property, institutional relationships and legal practices in medieval and early modern Sardinia.

The collection is organised in two main series: Ecclesiastical Parchments and Secular Parchments The former brings together documentation produced or received by ecclesiastical institutions, such as monasteries, cathedral chapters and dioceses. The latter comprises civil and private documents. Both series are available online in digital format.

The collection covers a chronological span from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century and is held by the Cagliari State Archives as an autonomous archival holding, distinct from the large institutional complexes. It is a significant source for the study of the institutional, ecclesiastical and social history of medieval and early modern Sardinia. It also provides valuable evidence for the study of diplomatics, palaeography, sigillography and documentary forms.

Among the materials of greatest interest are examples belonging to different writing traditions – including Sicilian, Tuscan and Aragonese palaeography – and royal acts issued by sovereigns of the Crown of Aragon and of Spain.