ABOUT THE VATICAN LIBRARY COLLECTION
Imagine a priceless collection of ancient maps, illuminated manuscripts, and fine art protected for centuries in vaults at the heart of the Church's most spiritual and intellectual center. Imagine, too, that this premiere collection has been protected with such dedication that only a handful have had access to its rarest treasures. Now imagine that the doors to this extraordinary collection are slowly opening for the first time in over 500 years. But there is no need to imagine. This collection actually exists. Since Pope Nicholas conceived the Vatican Library in 1451, only scholars have seen the vast array of Vatican treasures that span 2000 years of art and culture. Until now.
ABOUT THE BIBLIOTECA APOSTOLICA VATICANA
The Vatican Library, or "BAV" (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) has been accessible only to church officials and scholars since its inception in 1451 by Pope Nicholas V for the "convenience of the learned." Located in the Cortile Del Belvedere in Vatican City, it is the oldest library in existence. The BAV is a rich repository of manuscripts, prints, coins and art from around the globe. Its holdings make up one of the premiere collections in the world.
The BAV contains almost 2 million printed works (including 8,000 incunabula); some 75,000 Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Ethiopian, Syriac, unique and illuminated manuscripts from the second century A.D. onward; 65,000 units of archival volumes in twenty-three deposits or collections, and 100,000 prints, engravings, etchings, drawings and maps. While many of these works are religious in nature, secular works in the liberal arts and sciences make up the majority of the library's collection. Among these works are the Palatine Virgil, the love letters of King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, autographed works of the Italian poet Petrarch, original working-sketches and letters of Michelangelo, and Botticelli's illustrations of Dante's Divine Comedy. In addition to the exceptional western works the BAV also contains thousands of works from Asia, Egypt, the Near East, and South America.
Throughout the Renaissance, the Vatican Library acted as a catalyst for scientific and geographic advancement, and the library's holdings reflect its contributional role. Within the library's walls are ancient timepieces, scientific instruments, navigational tools, stellar and terrestrial globes, coveted maps of the old world (illustrated with vicious sea monsters in the ocean's depths) and, of course, intricate maps of the new world (Christopher Columbus was born coincidentally, in 1451 the year of the library's founding).
The BAV has also collected priceless works of art. There are over 330,000 ancient Greek, Roman, and papal coins as well as sacred and secular artifacts in the library, including ceramics, crystal, gold, glass, sculpture, ivories, silver, and other media. Many of these treasures are gifts from kings and pontiffs to the library. The BAV also holds original works of Michelangelo, Botticelli, Bernini and others.
