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Vatican Library

The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, located inside the Vatican Palace and accessed via the Belvedere Courtyard. Founded in 1448 by Nicholas V and formally established by Sixtus IV in 1475, it is one of the oldest libraries in the world and holds a first-rate historical collection: more than 150,000 manuscripts, around 8,300 incunabula, 300,000 coins and medals and 20,000 works of art. Its holdings include the Codex Vaticanus, the oldest complete manuscript of the Bible, the original records of Galileo's trial and an autograph manuscript of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The current building, commissioned by Sixtus V from Domenico Fontana around 1587, is still in use and has 42 kilometres of shelving. For visitors, the library has a Permanent Exhibition Hall, accessible and visitable from outside without interfering with the work of scholars, and it organises temporary displays such as the one dedicated to water, open until May 2027. Access to the reading rooms is reserved for accredited researchers, so the tourist visit focuses on the exhibition spaces.

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Source: vaticanlibrary.va