Vatican Library
Pope Sixtus IV signed the papal bull Ad decorem militantis ecclesiae on the 15th of June 1475. This document formally established what is now known as the Vatican Library. The institution was much older than this date suggests. Earlier popes had gathered collections of books and manuscripts over centuries. Pope Nicholas V envisioned a public library for Rome in the mid-1400s. He sought to attract pilgrims and scholars to transform the city. His death prevented him from completing his plan. Sixtus IV inherited these efforts and turned them into an official entity. By 1481, librarians Bartolomeo Platina and Pietro Demetrio Guazzelli produced a signed listing. That list counted either 3,500 or 2,527 manuscripts depending on the source. At that time, it represented the largest collection of books in the Western world.
The library moved through various palaces before settling in its current home. It began at the Lateran Palace until the end of the thirteenth century. Pope Boniface VIII died in 1303 when he possessed one of Europe's most notable illuminated manuscript collections. That same year, Philip IV of France plundered the palace after it burned down. Seven successive popes resided in Avignon during the fourteenth century. They grew book collections and record-keeping systems between the death of Boniface and the 1370s. The Pre-Vatican period ranged from about 1370 to 1447 with scattered holdings across Rome and Avignon. Pope Eugenius IV possessed 340 books by the time of his death. In 1451, Nicholas V sought to establish a public library at the Vatican. Around 1587, Pope Sixtus V commissioned architect Domenico Fontana to construct a new building. This three-story wing now bisects Bramante's Cortile del Belvedere. A large statue of Hippolytus decorates the La Galea entrance hall today.
Scholars faced limited access following the introduction of the Index of banned books during the Counter-Reformation. Protestant scholars experienced particularly strict restrictions on their use of the collection. These barriers were lifted gradually throughout the seventeenth century. Pope Leo XIII formally reopened the library to scholars in 1883. Napoleon Bonaparte arrested Pope Pius VII in 1809 and had the contents seized and removed to Paris. Authorities returned the materials in 1817 after Napoleon's defeat and abdication. The library closed for renovations starting the 17th of July 2007. It reopened the 20th of September 2010 after a three-year project costing nine million euros. During this period, all 70,000 volumes received electronic chips to prevent theft. Foreign researchers noticed inadequate facilities before these improvements. American organizations like the Library Association offered assistance in implementing modern cataloguing systems. Librarians from the Vatican visited institutions including Princeton, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Chicago, Champaign, Toronto, and Ann Arbor to receive training.
The oldest documents date back to the first century of recorded history. Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209 stands as one of the oldest known nearly complete manuscripts of the Bible. The Secret History of Procopius was discovered here and published in 1623. In 1623, Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria gave the hereditary Palatine Library of Heidelberg containing about 3,500 manuscripts. This gift came after he acquired it as loot during the Thirty Years' War. Queen Christina of Sweden's important library was purchased on her death in 1689 by Pope Alexander VIII. That collection represented almost the entire royal library of Sweden at the time. Had it remained in Stockholm, it would have been lost in a palace fire in 1697. The library contains over 100 Quran manuscripts from various collections. Giorgio Levi Della Vida cataloged them as Vaticani arabi 73, Borgiani arabi 25, Barberiniani orientali 11, and Rossiani 2. The largest manuscript measures 540x420mm while the smallest is a circle of 45mm diameter.
In March 2014, the Vatican Library began an initial four-year project to digitize its collection of manuscripts. Holy See announced that NTT Data Corporation and the library concluded an agreement to digitize approximately 3,000 manuscripts within four years. NTT donated equipment and technicians estimated to be worth 18 million euros. Storage for these holdings will reside on a three petabyte server provided by EMC. High-definition images became available on the library's Internet site through DigiVatLib service. Plans were announced in 2012 to digitize one million pages of material in collaboration with the Bodleian Library. Books using gold and silver in illuminations require special scanning equipment. Digital copies are served using the CIFS protocol from network-attached storage hardware by Dell EMC. There exists possibility of subsequently digitizing another 79,000 of the library's holdings.
The nominal head of the library has often been made a cardinal with the title Cardinal Librarian. Effective directors were called Custodians in earlier periods. After reopening in 1883, Pope Leo XIII changed the title to Prefect. The library currently employs some 80 staff members working across five departments. These include manuscripts and archival collections, printed books and drawings, acquisitions and cataloguing, coin collections and museums, and restoration and photography. Father Franz Ehrle implemented the first modern catalogue system between 1927 and 1939. He used the Library of Congress card catalogue method. Rev. Leonard E. Boyle computerized the library catalogue in the early 1990s. A School of library science operates in association with the Vatican Library. Marcello Cervini served as Bibliothecarius I from 1501 until his death in 1555. Raffaele Farina held the position starting in 2007 while Jean-Louis Tauran served until 2018.
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Common questions
When was the Vatican Library officially established by papal bull?
Pope Sixtus IV signed the papal bull Ad decorem militantis ecclesiae on the 15th of June 1475 to formally establish what is now known as the Vatican Library. The institution existed earlier through collections gathered by previous popes, but this document created it as an official entity.
Where did the Vatican Library move before settling in its current home?
The library began at the Lateran Palace until the end of the thirteenth century and later moved during the Avignon period when seven successive popes resided there between the death of Boniface VIII and the 1370s. Around 1587 Pope Sixtus V commissioned architect Domenico Fontana to construct a new three-story wing that now bisects Bramante's Cortile del Belvedere.
Who reopened the Vatican Library to scholars after restrictions were lifted?
Pope Leo XIII formally reopened the library to scholars in 1883 following gradual lifting of barriers throughout the seventeenth century. Napoleon Bonaparte had seized and removed contents to Paris in 1809, but authorities returned the materials in 1817 after his defeat and abdication.
What are the oldest documents held within the Vatican Library collection?
The oldest documents date back to the first century of recorded history with Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209 standing as one of the oldest known nearly complete manuscripts of the Bible. The Secret History of Procopius was discovered here and published in 1623 while the largest manuscript measures 540x420mm and the smallest is a circle of 45mm diameter.
How many staff members work at the Vatican Library across its departments?
The library currently employs some 80 staff members working across five departments including manuscripts and archival collections, printed books and drawings, acquisitions and cataloguing, coin collections and museums, and restoration and photography. Father Franz Ehrle implemented the first modern catalogue system between 1927 and 1939 using the Library of Congress card catalogue method.