Vatican Library, National library in Vatican City.
The Vatican Library is a national library in Vatican City that houses one of the world's largest collections of manuscripts and printed books within the papal palace complex. Multiple interconnected halls, galleries and storage vaults extend across different levels, forming a network of archive rooms with long shelves and climate-controlled chambers.
Pope Nicholas V founded this collection in the 15th century when he acquired Byzantine manuscripts after the fall of Constantinople. Later pontiffs expanded the holdings through purchases and donations over the following centuries.
The name reflects the papal mission to gather and safeguard knowledge, a role this building has played since medieval times. Visitors can view some of the historic reading rooms where researchers from around the world still work and submit their requests.
Access is limited to scholars and researchers with prior authorization who must request their materials in advance. Consultation takes place in dedicated reading rooms under supervision from staff who can assist with searches.
Specialized workshops inside the building are devoted to restoring damaged manuscripts using both traditional and modern methods. These studios work on documents showing centuries-old damage from humidity, insects or human handling.
Location: Vatican City
Inception: 1450
Address: Cortile del Belvedere, V-00120 Città del Vaticano
Phone: +390669879411
Email: bav@vatlib.it
Website: https://vaticanlibrary.va
GPS coordinates: 41.90472,12.45444
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:04
European historic libraries and bookshops preserve written heritage accumulated over centuries. From Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon, founded in 1732 and still operating at the same location, to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which has housed over 13 million works since 1602, these sites reflect the evolution and dissemination of books. Livraria Lello in Porto is notable for its curved wooden staircase and neo-Gothic woodwork from 1906, while Dominicanen Bookshop in Maastricht is housed in a converted 13th-century church. These spaces are distinguished by their architecture, from baroque to neo-Gothic, and by their function preserved across centuries. The Celsus Library in Izmir, built in 135 AD, used double walls to protect its 12,000 parchments from humidity. Hatchards in London has been operating since 1797 over five floors in Piccadilly, whereas Shakespeare and Company in Paris has maintained its English-language tradition since 1951 opposite Notre-Dame. These institutions offer visitors the chance to explore places where the history of the book is engraved in stone and wood.
Sistine Chapel
197 m
Laocoön and His Sons
4.1 km
Vatican Museums
186 m
Apostolic Palace
203 m
Augustus of Prima Porta
194 m
Apollo Belvedere
186 m
Restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes
185 m
Sphere Within Sphere
114 m
Cortile del Belvedere
66 m
Bramante staircases
187 m
Borgia Apartment
161 m
Gallery of Maps
66 m
Pinacoteca Vaticana
178 m
Museo Pio Clementino
203 m
Niccoline Chapel
148 m
Apoxyomenos Pio-Clementino
186 m
Casina Pio IV
173 m
Vatican loggias
203 m
Gregorian Tower
50 m
Museo Chiaramonti
156 m
Anima Mundi
186 m
Nile
54 m
Gregorian Egyptian Museum
176 m
Belvedere Villa (Vatican)
66 m
Collection of Modern Religious Art, Vatican Museums
161 m
Fontana della Galera
189 m
Via Triumphalis necropolis
155 m
Fontana del Sacramento
164 mReviews
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