Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Renaissance conservation library in San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy
Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana is a heritage conservation library in the San Lorenzo complex of Florence. The reading hall occupies a narrow space with wooden benches and angled lecterns on both sides of a central passage.
Pope Clement VII commissioned Michelangelo between 1524 and 1534 to build this library for the Medici manuscripts. Work was later continued by Bartolomeo Ammannati following Michelangelo's plans.
The name comes from Lorenzo de' Medici, whose family built the collection over several generations. Visitors can now view handwritten volumes and early codices in the reading rooms, preserving knowledge from past centuries.
The library normally opens Monday through Friday during morning hours and allows visitors into the reading hall. Access is through the vestibule staircase, which you can explore on your own.
The three-part freestanding staircase in the entrance breaks strict Renaissance symmetry rules and resembles a stone waterfall. This unusual form later influenced staircase designs across Europe.
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