The uniqueness of this Institute, with its remarkable collection of around 11,000 manuscripts, lies in the extraordinary combination of two factors: the special nature of its collections and the architectural significance of the building, designed and partly realized by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
The history of the Laurenziana dates back to the original private Medici core and has grown steadily, guided by consistent principles: the originality of the texts, their philological quality, and the aesthetic value of their physical supports.
The Laurenziana’s treasures include, among others, priceless manuscripts—unique and ancient—featuring works by Tacitus, Pliny, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Quintilian; the Virgil codex corrected in 494 AD by Turcius Rufius Apronianus Asterius; and the oldest surviving manuscript of the Corpus Iuris of Justinian, transcribed shortly after its promulgation.
Notably, the Laurenziana also houses one of only three complete paper copies in good condition of the Platonic Dialogues, donated by Cosimo the Elder to Marsilio Ficino for translation; the Squarcialupi Codex—the single surviving source for secular music between the 14th and 15th centuries; several autographs by Petrarch and Boccaccio; Guicciardini’s Histories with annotations from the author, and a partially autograph biography of Benvenuto Cellini.
The Library preserves evidence of pivotal moments in history, from the birth through the flourishing of the Florentine Renaissance.
The Humanist movement is well represented in the Laurenziana by works and codices belonging to, copied by, or authored by notable figures such as Coluccio Salutati, Poggio Bracciolini, Niccolò Niccoli, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola. The library is also an important witness to Humanistic script, as well as to the work of the leading Florentine miniature schools whose masters were inspired by artists such as Cimabue, Botticelli, the Pollaiolo brothers, and Ghirlandaio.
From the great Cosimo, tireless promoter of libraries, to his descendants—rulers of Florence and popes of the Holy Roman Church—to the Medici and Lorraine grand dukes who continued his legacy with remarkable vision, and to the enlightened ministers of the newly united Italian state, this commitment to excellence has been the driving force behind the aggregation of both private and public collections into the Laurenziana’s original nucleus through acquisitions, donations, and confiscations.
Information about the Medicea Laurenziana Library
San Lorenzo, 9, Florence
