In November 2022, a three-year research project was launched at the Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies (ISO) at Sapienza University of Rome. The project aimed to catalogue a collection of Tibetan texts belonging to the Tenjur (bsTan ’gyur) section of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon, preserved in the ISO library.
This initiative was made possible through an agreement between Sapienza and the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI), which provided funding and enabled the establishment of a fixed-term research position held by Dr. Filippo Lunardo. The research contract concluded in 2025.

The Tenjur Collection and its Historical-Cultural Context
The Tenjur section of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon comprises exegetical texts, commentaries, and philosophical treatises—mostly of Indian origin—related to the sūtra and tantra literatures.
The copy preserved at the ISO library is a complete woodblock-printed edition, consisting of 224 volumes, produced at Narthang Monastery (sNar thang) in Central Tibet between 1741 and 1742. This set was acquired by Professor Giuseppe Tucci during his 1948 expedition to Tibet.

Aims of the Cataloguing Project
The project aimed to produce a systematic catalogue of the Tenjur collection, with particular focus on:
Identifying and recording the titles of texts contained in the 224 volumes;
Comparing them with existing catalogues and bibliographies related to the Tibetan Canon;
Analyzing the miniatures found on the first and last pages of each text, in order to interpret their potential functions and iconographic references.
This last element represents an original contribution, not yet explored in prior studies, aimed at investigating the intentions of the patrons and the contexts of production and dissemination of the collection.

Outcomes and Future Directions
The project resulted in a detailed bibliographic database, providing a valuable resource for future philological, historical, and iconographic research on the Tibetan Canon and its historical editions.
This work contributes to the preservation and recognition of a rare literary heritage and serves as an important reference for Tibetan Buddhist studies in Europe.
The initiative also highlights the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and cultural organizations in promoting specialized research on texts and sources of historical and spiritual significance.