The chronological sequence of events, reconstructed through the documents examined, sheds light on how much interest the University scholars had in the precious, personal library that Enrico Catellani had put together during his lifetime.
The University of Padova was going through a very difficult period of history that was between the Armistice and Liberation under the rectory of Giuseppe Gola who, probably among many difficulties but with the support of the scholar, Anton Maria Bettanini, managed to take the right steps to rescue the jurist’s books.

In order to confiscate Jewish property (LD 4 January 1944), on 19 February 1944, two municipal officials conducted a survey of the Catellani home in via Marsala 29b, drawing up an inventory of all movable property, then handed it over to his wife, Lina, for safekeeping.
The inventory included descriptions of the important library, located in several rooms; however, a list of books was never found.
On 17 July 1944, the property was eventually confiscated.

A few months later, the Catellani couple had died. Lina died on 4 January 1945, Enrico on 7 January.

On 15 January 1945, a registered communication signed by the rector of the University of Padova, Giuseppe Gola, informed the Ministry of National Education of the death of Professor Enrico Catellani, stating: “In view of agreements with the Agency for the administration of Jewish property, the vast library of Professor Catellani has been impounded and entrusted to the Faculty of Political Science of this University."

The Rettore Giuseppe Gola (From the Phaidra collection Iconoteca dei botanici)

Courtesy of the University of Padova - Ufficio gestione documentale. Settore Archivio di Ateneo, professori di ruolo e incaricati cessati, Catellani Enrico, b. 2 fasc. 30 (cliccare sulle immagini per ingrandire).

The Facoltà di Scienze Politiche was located at the time in Palazzo Bo'.
On 17 May 1945, the outgoing rector, Giuseppe Gola, wrote to the Comunità ebraica with regards to the death of the Catellani spouses, pointing out that Professor Enrico, in his will kept by the notary Piovan in Padua, was leaving their property to their legitimate heirs. Therefore: “We kindly request that you inform their heirs that the University would be pleased to enter into negotiations for the acquisition of the late professor’s library…“

Courtesy of the University of Padova - Ufficio gestione documentale. Settore Archivio di Ateneo, professori di ruolo e incaricati cessati, Catellani Enrico, b. 2 fasc. 30.

The Comunità ebraica promptly responded on 24 May 1945, disclosing the identity of the heirs, including Clotilde Limentani (née Levi Catellan), who lived in Padua.

Courtesy of the University of Padova - Ufficio gestione documentale. Settore Archivio di Ateneo, professori di ruolo e incaricati cessati, Catellani Enrico, b. 2 fasc. 30.

The heirs agreed to the sale of the library and by a letter dated 21 August 1945, Limentani requested a list of books that belonged to the jurist which were in storage at the Facoltà di Scienze Politiche; the heirs would be willing to send one person to make the list.

Courtesy of the University of Padova -  Ufficio gestione documentale. Settore Archivio di Ateneo, professori di ruolo e incaricati cessati, Catellani Enrico, b. 2 fasc. 30.

On 25 august 1945, the new Rettore, Egidio Meneghetti announced that the staff member who could accommodate that person was on holiday. The existence of such a list is still unknown, but it is known that the negotiations were successful because the Council of the Faculty of Law, at its meeting of 29 May 1946, recognised the importance of the Catellani library and authorised its acquisition, establishing a maximum expenditure of 200,000 liras: the dean, Guicciardi, announced that he had obtained that amount from the Rettore, Egidio Meneghetti, as an exceptional allocation. A few months later, at a meeting on 9 October 1946, and upon conclusion of the negotiations with the heirs, the Board of Directors – with the approval of the Rettore President – made the funds available to the Istituto di Diritto pubblico: the expenditure was charged to a fund created by the Allied Military Government. Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting of 19 December 1946 confirms payment of an invoice to the heirs of 208,000 liras.

The Rettore, Egidio Meneghetti (from the Phaidra collection, Liberazione di Padova)

From this moment, all traces of the library are lost. Where was it kept? And how?
The documentation shows that the books were initially kept in the premises of the Facoltà di Scienze Politiche which was sharing space with the Facoltà di Giurisprudenza at Palazzo Bo. In 1958, the new premises of the Facoltà di Scienze Politiche were inaugurated on the third floor of the same building which also housed the afferent library.

In 2010, the University began to arrange the contents of some boxes which contained part of the original library. Some of these boxes were found in the Diritto penale Section of the Facoltà di Giurisprudenza, on the third floor of Palazzo Bo: the same premises occupied by Scienze Politiche. Nearly 1,500 volumes were counted which, divided by type and partly by subject, are now stored in a room in the Diritto Internazionale Section, and are being catalogued.

Partial analysis of some entry registers and a random check in the catalogues have shown that many other volumes had been shelved in the library of the Law School.

Currently, searching in the catalogue of the University of Padova Library System for the owner, Enrico Catellani, gives more than more than 1800 results, but the cataloguing and updating of the data are ongoing.