The Biblioteca Estense (), was the family library of the marquises and dukes of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

. The exact date of the library's birth is still under speculation, however it is known for certain that the library was in use during the fourteenth century. Whilst it was greatly enriched during the Renaissance years in

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

, the library was concretely established in

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

in the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is known as one of the most important libraries in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The library is located, along with the

Galleria Estense The Galleria Estense is an art gallery in the heart of Modena, centred around the collection of the House of Este, d’Este family: rulers of Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Modena, Reggio and Duchy of Ferrara, Ferrara from 1289 to 1796. Located on ...

directly below its collection of artworks, in the Palazzo dei Musei (Piazza Sant'Agostino 337) in Modena.

History

On the ascension of the Marquis Niccolò III d'Este to the Ferrarese duchy in 1393, he inherited an important humanistic library, rich in works of literary, historical and artistic content. Its collection grew considerably during the Renaissance period with manuscripts and printed editions considered today to be of fundamental value, thanks to the refined and attentive patronage of the Este dukes. In 1598, the Library followed the dynasty when the capital was transferred from Ferrara to Modena. In the following centuries, the Estense Library continued to be enriched with local and international works, funded by the acquisitions of suppressed religious institutions as well as enriched by the elevated tastes of famous librarians Ludovico Antonio Muratori and Girolamo Tiraboschi. After the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

, the Estense Library merged with the University Library, which brought with it an important collection of philosophical, juridical and scientific texts. Thus was born the Estense University Library, considered today as a modern institute of national interest.

Collection

Today the Library's collection contains more than 500,000 printed works, about 11,000 codexes, more than 100,000 manuscript leaves, and 1,662

incunabula An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...

. Among the manuscripts, the most famous is the 1,200-page '' Bible of Borso d'Este'', extensively bordered with miniatures. The relic would be recovered and returned to Modena following the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Bought at an auction, it was gifted to Italy on behalf of Senator

Giovanni Treccani Giovanni Treccani (; 3 January 1877 – 6 July 1961) was an Italian textile industrialist, publisher and cultural patron. He sponsored the Giovanni Treccani Institute, established 18 February 1925 to publish the ''Enciclopedia Italiana'' (curr ...

. The Bible is today excluded from public view for reasons of conservation, a 1963 replica now takes its place in the Biblioteca Estense. The library holds many medieval manuscripts, among them biblical manuscripts: Codex Mutinensis, Minuscule 358, 359, 585, 586, 618, ℓ ''111''. Also known worldwide is its collection of musical manuscripts and printed books, the ''Raccolta musicale estense''.

Some manuscripts

* Biblia Borsi Estensis * Codex Mutinensis * Codex de sphaera * Mutinensis gr. 122 * Minuscule 585 *

Minuscule 586 Minuscule 586 (in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 417 (Biblical manuscript#Von Soden, von Soden), is a Greek language, Greek Lower case, minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeography, Pal ...

* Minuscule 358 * Minuscule 359 * Minuscule 618 * Lectionary 111

References

Related entries

* Gallerie Estensi *

Borso d'Este image:Borso d'Este.jpg, Borso d'Este, attributed to Vicino da Ferrara, Pinacoteca of the Castello Sforzesco, Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy. Borso d'Este (1413 – 20 August 1471) was the first duke of Ferrara and duke of Modena, Modena, which he ...

External links