Manoscritti
Item
Country
IT
Name of institution (English)
Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
ita
Contact information: postal address
Piazza Pio XI 2, 20123 Milan
Contact information: phone number
0039 02806921
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
direzione.biblioteca@ambrosiana.it
Reference number
Diverse reference numbers, related to the location of the manuscripts.
Title (English)
Manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
Manoscritti
Language of title
ita
Creator / accumulator
Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Date note
Predominantly 16th-18th centuries
Language(s)
ara
heb
ita
lat
Extent
c. 35,000 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Manoscritti collection of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana comprises about 35,000 manuscripts of several types and subjects in Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopian, among other languages. The Hebrew codices included in this collection were already the subject of catalogues composed by Carlo Bernheimer in the 1930s, and Aldo Luzzatto and Luisella Mortara Ottolenghi in the 1970s. Among these Hebrew manuscripts, there is a Bible containing the book of the Prophets with Rashi's commentary (C 149 inf.), probably copied in Seville in 1356. The copyist is identified as Hayyim, son of Jacob Nieto. According to an indication of ownership on fol. 1r, this manuscript had belonged to Samuel Abravanel, Isaac Abravanel's grandfather. A digital copy is available online.
Besides the Hebrew manuscripts, this collection also includes codices in other languages with information related to the Jewish communities of Italy. Some examples are the following:
R 122 sup.: 16th and 17th century volume including several documents related to the city of Padua, among them supplications of the Jews living the city's ghetto (fols. 111r-113v, 129).
R 130 inf.: Miscellaneous volume with documentation regarding Pope Paul IV, including the minute of a reply to an agent of the Great Turk regarding Jews matters.
R 102 sup.: Miscellaneous volume containing the statutes for the foundation of the Jewish ghetto in Verona in 1599 (fols. 376-381).
G 121 inf.: This codex includes a letter sent by João Micas, alias Joseph Nasi, to the Jewish merchants detained in Venice during the Cyprus war, dated from 1571. The letter was published in the appendix of Arbel (1995).
Besides the Hebrew manuscripts, this collection also includes codices in other languages with information related to the Jewish communities of Italy. Some examples are the following:
R 122 sup.: 16th and 17th century volume including several documents related to the city of Padua, among them supplications of the Jews living the city's ghetto (fols. 111r-113v, 129).
R 130 inf.: Miscellaneous volume with documentation regarding Pope Paul IV, including the minute of a reply to an agent of the Great Turk regarding Jews matters.
R 102 sup.: Miscellaneous volume containing the statutes for the foundation of the Jewish ghetto in Verona in 1599 (fols. 376-381).
G 121 inf.: This codex includes a letter sent by João Micas, alias Joseph Nasi, to the Jewish merchants detained in Venice during the Cyprus war, dated from 1571. The letter was published in the appendix of Arbel (1995).
Archival history
The history of the Manoscrotti collection of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana dates back to the foundation of the library in the early 17th century. Throughout the centuries, the collection increased with acquisitions and donations.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana was founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo on September 7, 1607, as a centre for study and culture. Its first reading room, the Sala Fredericiana, opened on December 8 1609. Thus, the Ambrosiana became one of the earliest libraries to grant access to all who could read and write.
Cardinal Federico Borromeo gave a multicultural character to the Ambrosiana by collecting books from cultures and faiths other than Christianity, especially Islam and Judaism. Through his intervention, other institutions came to flourish alongside the Ambrosiana, such as the Collegio dei Dottori (Board of Fellows) in 1607, the Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) in 1618, and the Accademia del Disegno (Academy of Drawing) in 1620.
Shortly after Cardinal Borromeo's death, the library acquired twelve manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci, including the famous Codex Atlanticus. Da Vinci codices and other valuable manuscripts were taken by the French during the Napoleonic occupation, and only a part of them returned after 1815.
The building was damaged in World War II, and some holdings were lost. However, the Ambrosiana was restored in 1952 and underwent major restorations in 1990–97.
At present, the Ambrosiana's collections number more than one million printed volumes, including thousands of incunabula and books dating from the 16th century; nearly 40,000 manuscripts in Italian, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and much else; 12,000 drawings, among them works by Raphael, Pisanello, Leonardo and other renowned masters; 22,000 engravings; and other unique rarities, such as old maps, musical manuscripts, parchments and papyri.
Cardinal Federico Borromeo gave a multicultural character to the Ambrosiana by collecting books from cultures and faiths other than Christianity, especially Islam and Judaism. Through his intervention, other institutions came to flourish alongside the Ambrosiana, such as the Collegio dei Dottori (Board of Fellows) in 1607, the Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) in 1618, and the Accademia del Disegno (Academy of Drawing) in 1620.
Shortly after Cardinal Borromeo's death, the library acquired twelve manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci, including the famous Codex Atlanticus. Da Vinci codices and other valuable manuscripts were taken by the French during the Napoleonic occupation, and only a part of them returned after 1815.
The building was damaged in World War II, and some holdings were lost. However, the Ambrosiana was restored in 1952 and underwent major restorations in 1990–97.
At present, the Ambrosiana's collections number more than one million printed volumes, including thousands of incunabula and books dating from the 16th century; nearly 40,000 manuscripts in Italian, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and much else; 12,000 drawings, among them works by Raphael, Pisanello, Leonardo and other renowned masters; 22,000 engravings; and other unique rarities, such as old maps, musical manuscripts, parchments and papyri.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Codices are arranged sequentially
Finding aids
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Biblioteca Ambrosiana | Collections (official language of the state) |