Biblioteca de Santa Cruz, University library in Valladolid, Spain.

The Biblioteca de Santa Cruz occupies the upper floor of the Palacio de Santa Cruz, the college Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza founded in 1483 and built between 1486 and 1492. Its main room is the 18th-century Librería: a wooden bookcase of two tiers joined by a staircase, divided by salomonic columns and crowned by the Mendoza arms with the motto "Ave María" and the Figueroa fig leaves. A 1705 painting by Manuel Petí Vander shows the cardinal on horseback.

The library was founded in 1483 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and was built on the book collection of Cardinal Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza. This beginning made it one of the oldest educational collections in the region.

The library displays collections focused on regional history and medieval studies, reflecting how Valladolid served as an important center for scholarship over centuries. Visitors can observe how these materials continue to support research and learning today.

Access is through the main building, where different sections can be visited depending on research topics of interest. Visitors should ask about current availability of collections upon arrival, as some materials require advance notice to view.

The oldest item is the Beatus of Valcavado, a 970 copy of Beatus of Liébana's commentary on the Book of Revelation, written in Visigothic script with 87 coloured miniatures. The library also holds a 1476 Venetian calendar by Regiomontanus, the first printed book to carry a title page naming author, printer and year.