The eighteen buste of this subseries of Bishops and Regulars represent only a fraction of the sum total of pastoral visits to Roman ecclesiastical institutions that reside in the ASV. The largest ASV collections of pastoral visits within Rome are found in the records of the Congregatio Visitationis Apostolicae and in Miscellaneous official series Miscellaneorum armarium VII. Although their physical state is more dishevelled and fragile than other similar collections, there is nothing distinctive in the scope or content of these visits, which distinguishes them from other groups of visits in the ASV and elsewhere. At the moment, one cannot say why these eighteen buste are isolated within the Bishops and Regulars series. Apostolic Visits are pastoral visits made within the pope's episcopal see, Rome. Like pastoral visits carried out elsewhere they offer fascinating views into the ritual and material settings of monasteries, oratories, parish churches, and the churches of cardinals, bishops, and religious orders. As sources for the state of parishes and diocese, visits have much in common with the "relations ad limina" and the acts of local synods (see S. Congregatio Concilii). The contents of visits vary widely and depend greatly on how the cardinal or commissioner conducting the Visit approached his job. Some were rather dry bureaucrats, who have left us simply lists of the location and condition of doors, windows, and liturgical furnishings inside a church; from him we may also learn what the priest reported as his age, his income, or the number of students studying catechism with him. Others render their point of view in strong autobiographical tones, allowing us to see them as they shake a broken door, or traipse around a neighborhood interrogating residents in an effort to track down the parish priest. While some are mainly concerned with administrative or sacramental affairs, others display a keen concern for the physical setting, describing altarpieces, the condition and subject of frescoes, and details pertaining to all aspects of decoration and architecture. Music, musical instruments, and theatrical activities are important to some. Others emphasize economic matters. Finally, attitudes may range from the sternly disciplinary to the magnanimous and protective. Many visits combine to some degree various of the above features. The visitor's point of view can be as revealing as the observations conveyed by it. The varie section contains many visits within Rome.
