The Biblioteca Vallicelliana is a library in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The library is located in the Oratorio dei Filippini complex built by

Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini (, ), byname of Francesco Castelli (; 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667), was an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino

in Piazza della Chiesa Nuova. The library holds about 130,000 volumes of manuscripts,

incunabula In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pro ...

, and books. Among these, there are about 3,000 manuscripts written in Latin and Greek, including a Bible which belonged to

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...

dating to the 9th century and a lectionary from the 12th century. The library holds documents from the time of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

History

The library was established in 1565 by St

Filippo Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of th ...

who left his collection to the congregation past his death in 1595. Pope

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

officially recognized the library in 1575 with the bull "Copiosus in misericordia". The library was mentioned in 1581 when Achille Stazio donated 1,700 printed volumes and 300 manuscripts to

and the Congregation of the Oratory. The Archive and part of the Library of San Giovanni n Venere was donated in 1585. In 1604, there were more donations to the library in the form o f books of Pierre Morin and Giovenale Ancina. In 1607, Cardinal

Cesare Baronio Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), whi ...

died and left a part of his library to the Vallicelliana. The first library was partially destroyed by a fire in 1620. The current building was built in the subsequent years. In 1644, the Borromini Hall was inaugurated by

Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini (, ), byname of Francesco Castelli (; 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667), was an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino

. Borromini directed the construction from 1637 to 1652, and was continued by Camillo Arcucci in 1649 and finished in 1667. In 1669 Leone Allacci presented to the library 243 volumes, 137 Latin and 106 Greek (''Fondo Allacci''), in 1764

Giuseppe Bianchini Giuseppe Bianchini (1704 in Verona – 1764 in Rome) was an Italian Oratorian, biblical, historical, and liturgical scholar. Clement XII and Benedict XIV, who highly appreciated his learning, entrusted him with several scientific labors. Bian ...

presented 293 volumes (''Fondo Bianchini''), in 1843 Ruggero Falzacappa presented 79 volumes of documents from 17-19th centuries (''Fondo Falzacappa'').

Manuscripts

In the library are housed the biblical manuscripts: Minuscule 169,

170 Year 170 ( CLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius (or, less frequently, year 923 ''Ab urbe condita ...

171 Year 171 ( CLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Herennianus (or, less frequently, year 924 '' Ab urbe c ...

393 __NOTOC__ Year 393 ( CCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Augustus (or, less frequently, year 114 ...

394 __NOTOC__ Year 394 (CCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Western Europe as the Year of the Consulship of Flavianus without colleague (or, less ...

, 397. The library covers multiple topics, including history, philology, archeology, theology, and more.

References

External links

Biblioteca Vallicelliana
at the ''Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali''

De Leonis Allati Codicibus qui Romae in Biblioteca Vallicelliana asservantur

List of press marks, Roma, Biblioteca Vallicelliana
{{Authority control Libraries in Rome Rome R. VI Parione