"Purim della Bomba" - Special Prayer Book – Illustrated Manuscript Documenting the Miraculous Rescue of the Jewish ...

"Purim della Bomba" - Special Prayer Book – Illustrated Manuscript Documenting the Miraculous Rescue of the Jewish Community of Cuneo, Italy during the battle Against Napoleon in 1799 – Including Seder Purim of the Community and Special Piyyutim Commemorating the Event – 1819
Special handwritten prayer book with many illustrations. It contains a unique historical documentation of the miraculous rescue of the Cuneo community during the war against napoleon in 1799 and which was celebrated by the community as "Purim Sheni" (a second Purim). Except for the documentation, the book contains two special Piyyutim that were written to commemorate the event and additional prayers, some of which are unique to the community of Cuneo.
Cuneo, Italy, 1819.
The miraculous event documented by the manuscript occurred at the beginning of 1799, on the fourth of Kislev. After a heavy shelling of canons, the French soldiers retreated from the city of Cuneo and it was conquered by the Austrian and Russian armies.
During the bombing, the Russian attackers fired (intentionally or by mistake) a shell towards the synagogue, which was full of praying Jews. The shell hit the wall of the synagogue yet miraculously, none of them were hurt!
In memory of the event, the community declared a second Purim, which was celebrated each and every year for the next hundred years. This day of celebration was called by the Jews of the city "Purim della Bomba".
Among the special Takanot of "Purim della Bomab": to say Hallel Shalem (!), to read special Piyyutim which were written for the occasion (and are included in the manuscript before us), to study Torah, to give money to the poor and to celebrate with a festive meal.
Anyone visiting Cuneo today can see the hole in the wall of the synagogue that was made by the shell. A sign beside it says "For the miracle that occurred here".

The documentation of the event by the manuscript
From leaf [30A] of the manuscript appears the historical documentation of the event.
At the end of this passage there is an impressive illustration of the battle over the besieged city, soldiers shooting cannons and shells flying near the synagogue.

The manuscript
The manuscript was written by "Raphael Chizkiya Latatsh".
At the beginning of the manuscript there is an illustrated title page and on its margins, the writer's name and the year.

[37] leaves (and many more empty pages). 19 cm.
Condition: Good. Bluish paper. Stains. Green leather worn original binding with golden impressions.