National Library of Chile, National library and Historical Monument in Santiago, Chile

The National Library of Chile occupies a wide stone building on Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, completed in 1925 with a pale grey facade of French neoclassical influence. A green-tinted dome with four circular windows sits above a sculpted central panel, and tall columns frame three dark doorways reached by a broad staircase. Inside are carved marble staircases, sculptures and paintings by Alfredo Helsby and Arturo Gordon; the National Archive shares the building.

It was founded on August 19, 1813, during Chile's independence period, and relocated to its current site in 1925 after several moves around the city. This location change marked the institution's stabilization as a permanent center for national memory.

The library shares its building with the Archivo Nacional de Chile, and its interior, over two main levels and a basement, holds carved marble staircases, sculptures and paintings by Chilean artists such as Alfredo Helsby and Arturo Gordon. Friar Camilo Henríquez, director of the Aurora de Chile newspaper, became its second head librarian in 1822.

The building connects directly to the Santa Lucía metro station and sits next to Cerro Santa Lucía hill, making it easy to find. Visitors can access reading rooms, a periodicals section, map collections, and digital resources for research and study.

The building was commissioned in 1913 as a public work for the centenary of Chilean independence, and construction finished in 1925. The National Archive of Chile occupies the same building, so archival and bibliographic collections share one address on the Alameda.