Incunábulos
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Municipal Library of Porto
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Rua de D. João IV 17, 4049-017 Porto
Contact information: phone number
00351 225193480
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
bmp@cm-porto.pt
Reference number
INC.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Incunabula
Title (official language of the state)
Incunábulos
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Biblioteca Pública Municipal do Porto
Date(s)
1470/1500
Language(s)
heb
lat
por
Extent
c. 250 books
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
This collection contains books printed before 1500. Among them, there is a Hebrew incunabulum printed in Lisbon: Abudarham (David Abudarham), Perush ha-berakhot ve-ha-tefillot (INC 88). This Seder Tefillot (order of daily prayers) was originally written in Seville and clandestinely printed in the printing house of Elieser Toledano, the only Jewish printer in Lisbon in the 15th century. The year of printing is not consensual: some date the book from 1489 (Amzalak, 1922; Azevedo, 1953), others from 1495 (Carvalho, 1904). It is a 199-folio volume printed in two columns with Sephardic characters. The Biblioteca Pública do Porto acquired it in 1869 for 30 pounds.
Archival history
This collection gathers books that belonged to the original collection of the Biblioteca Pública do Porto (see Administrative/Biographical History) and acquisitions made over the years, such as the above-mentioned Sefer Tefillot, purchased in 1869. It is the third biggest collection of incunabula in Portugal, only surpassed by the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal and Biblioteca Pública de Évora’s collections.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Real Biblioteca Pública da Cidade do Porto (Royal Public Library of the City of Porto) was founded in 1833. It was headquartered in the Hospício de Santo António de Vale da Piedade (1834-1831) and in the Paço Episcopal (1836-1841) before moving to the former Convento de Santo António da Cidade in 1841, which had been donated to the municipality of Porto two years before.
After the Liberal Wars and the dissolution of the male religious orders in 1834, the Real Biblioteca received libraries belonging to monasteries, such as the Convento de Santa Cruz de Coimbra. In addition, it also incorporated private collections of some individuals connected to the conservative absolutist faction (the “Miguelistas”), such as bishop D. João de Magalhães e Avelar.
The decree that founded the Real Biblioteca also stipulated that it should receive every book printed in Portugal from then on, a privilege shared with the Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa (National Library of Lisbon).
Diogo de Góis Lara de Andrade and Alexandre Herculano were the first librarians of the Real Biblioteca Pública do Porto and were responsible for the first organisation and cataloguing of its collections. After the 1840s, internal and external stability provided conditions for the development of the library under the directions of Antero Albano da Silveiro Pinto (1844-1885) and Eduardo Allen (1885-1899). The building was extended after the demolition of the church of the former convent of Santo António, the management of the bibliographic and documental fonds was improved, and the library’s collection increased with new acquisitions and donations.
During the 19th century, the Real Biblioteca do Porto was organised in 4 sections: the “Gabinete de Manuscritos” (Department of Manuscripts), the “Oficina de Encadernações” (Bookbinding Workshop), the secretariat and the “Serviço de Leitura Nocturna” (Service of Night Reading), created in 1884 to give the working class access to the library. The Department of Manuscripts had the goal of cataloguing the 1,200 manuscript volumes that were part of the library’s collection. The library’s direction also endeavoured to print catalogues of its collections. From 1879 to 1896, the catalogue of printed books was published in fascicles. Afterwards, from 1897 onwards, the manuscripts’ catalogue was published. It was followed by the publication of catalogues organised by specialised fields and catalogues of periodicals and incunabula. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a renewed effort to transcribe and publish some manuscripts from the library’s collection. The “Collecção de Manuscritos Inéditos” (Collection of Unpublished Manuscripts) was an endeavour of the amanuensis José Maria Augusto da Costa and the librarian Sampaio Bruno, and it was published until 1923.
After the implementation of the Portuguese Republic, the library changed its designation to Biblioteca Pública do Porto, and it was awarded a statute of autonomy. The Law of Separation of State and Church (1911) led to the incorporation of the registry of the Cabido do Porto (later, in 1933, transferred to the Arquivo Distrital do Porto) and other collections from ecclesiastical institutions. The ever-growing volume of the library’s collection forced a new reorganisation of its services and structures in the 1920s. Among several changes, a section of manuscripts and restricted books was created. In 1947, the library’s organic units were restructured again. At present, the manuscripts, rare printed books, maps, iconography, and other special collections can be consulted in the “Sala de Colecções Especiais Eugénio de Andrade” (Special Collections Room Eugénio de Andrade) on the first floor of the building.
After the Liberal Wars and the dissolution of the male religious orders in 1834, the Real Biblioteca received libraries belonging to monasteries, such as the Convento de Santa Cruz de Coimbra. In addition, it also incorporated private collections of some individuals connected to the conservative absolutist faction (the “Miguelistas”), such as bishop D. João de Magalhães e Avelar.
The decree that founded the Real Biblioteca also stipulated that it should receive every book printed in Portugal from then on, a privilege shared with the Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa (National Library of Lisbon).
Diogo de Góis Lara de Andrade and Alexandre Herculano were the first librarians of the Real Biblioteca Pública do Porto and were responsible for the first organisation and cataloguing of its collections. After the 1840s, internal and external stability provided conditions for the development of the library under the directions of Antero Albano da Silveiro Pinto (1844-1885) and Eduardo Allen (1885-1899). The building was extended after the demolition of the church of the former convent of Santo António, the management of the bibliographic and documental fonds was improved, and the library’s collection increased with new acquisitions and donations.
During the 19th century, the Real Biblioteca do Porto was organised in 4 sections: the “Gabinete de Manuscritos” (Department of Manuscripts), the “Oficina de Encadernações” (Bookbinding Workshop), the secretariat and the “Serviço de Leitura Nocturna” (Service of Night Reading), created in 1884 to give the working class access to the library. The Department of Manuscripts had the goal of cataloguing the 1,200 manuscript volumes that were part of the library’s collection. The library’s direction also endeavoured to print catalogues of its collections. From 1879 to 1896, the catalogue of printed books was published in fascicles. Afterwards, from 1897 onwards, the manuscripts’ catalogue was published. It was followed by the publication of catalogues organised by specialised fields and catalogues of periodicals and incunabula. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a renewed effort to transcribe and publish some manuscripts from the library’s collection. The “Collecção de Manuscritos Inéditos” (Collection of Unpublished Manuscripts) was an endeavour of the amanuensis José Maria Augusto da Costa and the librarian Sampaio Bruno, and it was published until 1923.
After the implementation of the Portuguese Republic, the library changed its designation to Biblioteca Pública do Porto, and it was awarded a statute of autonomy. The Law of Separation of State and Church (1911) led to the incorporation of the registry of the Cabido do Porto (later, in 1933, transferred to the Arquivo Distrital do Porto) and other collections from ecclesiastical institutions. The ever-growing volume of the library’s collection forced a new reorganisation of its services and structures in the 1920s. Among several changes, a section of manuscripts and restricted books was created. In 1947, the library’s organic units were restructured again. At present, the manuscripts, rare printed books, maps, iconography, and other special collections can be consulted in the “Sala de Colecções Especiais Eugénio de Andrade” (Special Collections Room Eugénio de Andrade) on the first floor of the building.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are arranged sequentially.
Access, restrictions
The access to the documents in poor condition of conservation could be limited for safeguarding and preserving the institution's documentary heritage.
Finding aids
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of copies
Another copy of Abudarham’s Sefer Tefillot is in the incunabula collection of the Universitäts Bibliothek Frankfurt am Main (Inc. hebr. 61).
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Bibliography
Linked resources
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