Nel grande spazio di Prato della Valle, in the heart of Padua and yet immersed in greenery and silence, there is an Abbey rich in history, established near the Basilica erected in the 5th century on the tomb of Saint Justina, virgin and protomartyr of Padua. From this important center of monastic life began in the 15th century the reform that gave rise to the “Congregation of Santa Giustina,” from 1505 “Cassinese.” The Monastery, equipped with as many as five cloisters, was suppressed by Emperor Napoleon in 1810 and transformed into a barracks; reopened in 1919, since the end of the Second World War it has increasingly distinguished itself with cultural activities, including the Institute of Pastoral Liturgy attached to the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm of Rome, the Ancient Book restoration laboratory, and the Library. The latter has existed since the first settlement of the monks (10th century), according to the traditional love for culture inspired by Saint Benedict. In the 15th century it was enriched with numerous choir books, richly illuminated: by 1493 there were as many as 1337, kept in the ancient Library, the current “Sala S. Luca.” As ties with the Studio (the University) of Padua grew closer, the collection increased so much that a new building was needed; thus a large hall (30x10m) was built, furnished with shelving by the Flemish architect Michele Bartems (circa 1640-1716). At the time of the Napoleonic suppression (1810) the collection was rich with 80,000 volumes, which were dispersed in various locations. Beneficiaries of its funds were the Braidense Library of Milan, the Marciana of Venice, the Civic Museum and the University Library of Padua; other volumes ended up in antiquarian shops and are scattered all over the world: from Paris to London, from New York to Los Angeles, from Cape Town to Berlin and Budapest. Revived in 1919, the Abbey’s new monks gradually increased it until reaching the current collection of 140,000 volumes: it specializes in religious sciences (Bible, patristics, theology, liturgy) and history (monastic, ecclesiastical, and local), but other disciplines are also present in its collections, such as philosophy and Italian and classical literature and art history. It also has 1,300 periodicals, of which 500 are current.
Reborn in 1943 as a library exclusively serving the Benedictine monastic community of St. Justina, it has acquired its current profile as a public state library, open for consultation to every Italian citizen (and by extension to every citizen of the European Union).
Information on the State Library of the National Monument of Santa Giustina
via G. Ferrari, 2/A
Padua (Padua)
049 8751948
bmn-sng@beniculturali.it
https://www.bibliotecasantagiustina.it/home.html
Mon. and Tue.: 8:30 – 12:30; 15:00 – 18:00. Wed. – Fri.: 8:30 – 12:30 Sat.: 9:00 – 12:00
Source: MIBACT
