Historical Library

The oldest evidence of the existence of a library in Camaldoli can be found in the 1253 law of Martin III governing the consultation of manuscripts. The first building that held the library were the rooms adjacent the sacristy that Prior General Mariotto Allegri had constructed circa 1460. It was later transferred to purpose-built premises built in 1620 by the Farnese family. The first library inventory dates back to 1406; it was rearranged in 1693 by Dom Odoardo Baroncini, and after the Napoleonic suppressions was reorganized once again and opened for consultation by the Camaldolese monk Lepri in 1854. With the suppression of religious institutions that took place from 1870 to 1890, the library suffered further dispersion. It was restored through the collections of the Abbot Fathers. Currently, the old library holds ten thousand volumes, including the Psalter of St. Romuald from the ninth century and prints such as the vernacular translation of the Legenda Aurea, printed in Venice in 1475 and miniated for the Rucellai family.

Manoscritti
Manuscripts

Go to page

Incunabula

Go to page

Printed Books

Go to page

Bardi Boccaccini Archive

Vai alla Pagina

Precious Bindings

Go to page

Van Ufford-Byron Archive

Go to page

Printing Plates

Go to page

Prints and Drawings

Go to page

Digital Archives

Support our project

Make your contribution

Why help the Camaldoli Library