fine Coimbra University Library, Portugal

facade of Joanine Library, University of Coimbra

established 1717

Wiki

One of the primary functions of libraries was to protect books from the physical effects of climate, theft, vandalism, and bugs. And the role of library historians is about art history, buildings, science, technology, culture, religion and education. Thank you Dr J Campbell.

I chose the Biblioteca Joanina, a baroque library in Coimbra University Portugal, because it was considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. It was named to honour the founder, Portugal’s King João V aka John V, who began building in 1717 until 1728. This remarkable library of early C18th Europe was registered as a National Monument. The Coimbra Uni Library was the best example of Portuguese Baroque and one of the richest European libraries. The Library functioned as the Uni Library until mid C20th.

King John V's portrait

wiki

The Noble Floor consisted of 3 halls filled with shelves & verandas richly ornamented with carvings & gold paintings. Note the black background in 1st hall, red background in 2nd hall and green background in 3rd hall. The 3 halls were connected by archways decorated with crests while the wooden lining was painted to resemble marble and the ceiling figures were carefully chosen. The walls were lined with 2 storeys of gilded multi-coloured oak shelves and 6 embossed tables made from precious, tropical woods were placed in the halls.

The Middle Floor supported the guards who watched over the academic prison (closed 1834) and operated as a deposit for the books read on the Noble Floor. Prior to its inclusion in the Uni's tourist route (Nov 2010), this space was used to preserve ancient books: cleaning, restoration & cataloguing. In C19th, the floor may have also have been used as home for the academic community. Initially there was no easy access between the intermediate and the noble floors because the 2 floors of the Library were built late in C19th. Little effort was taken to create a rich space on this floor; the finishings were simple stones.

The books represented the best of printed material across Europe so the building was a vault designed to preserve them perfectly eg exterior walls were 2.11 ms thick. In addition to moisture and temperature, books were also affected by insects that feed on paper. To prevent this, the shelves were made from dense, durable oak, with an odour to keep insects away. For c2.5 centuries, 2 colonies of bats lived in the library for pest control. But the presence of these mammals required additional precaution: each evening the tables were covered with leather towels. This procedure, common in temples and palaces, still prevents the damage caused by animals' waste now.

This extensive care was due to the rarity of the documents; the collections date from C16th-18ths, whose majority represent the best works from Europe then i.e c60,000 books dating C16th-C18th i.e medicine, history, geography, humanities, science, civil & canon law, theology & philosophy. It’s also home to precious historical documents.

baroque library Coimbra Uni

Unesco World Heritage Site,

Dreamstime

Like other respected European universities, Uni of Coimbra governed itself and had its own legislation. This privilege protected the academic staff and students from living with common criminals. This remained until 1834 when the privilege was revoked. The academic prison which had been located elsewhere, operated here atop the former the Royal Palace prison. What we see now is a prison of medieval origin with narrow cells.

Reforms were carried out by Marquis of Pombal, adding communal cells, visiting rooms and a prayer room, all visible from the centre space. More recently the ground floor operated as a book deposit, following the end of the Uni colleges mostly moved from the lower City. In some cases the libraries that served those colleges were moved here and to the intermediate floor.

The art design of the library was characterised by its international origin which emphasised the Portuguese Empire’s global reach. Chinoiserie motifs painted on exotic South American wood were entirely done by Portuguese artists, except for the monumental portrait of King John V of Portugal by Domenico Duprà in 1725. This portrait dominates the Noble Floor. Over the entrance door, see the national coat of arms. Inside there were 3 great rooms divided by decorated arches, with the same style as the portal & entirely executed by Portuguese artists. The walls have by 2 storeyed shelves, in gilded or painted exotic woods (esp Brazilian). Painted ceilings were by the Lisbon artists Simões Ribeiro & Vicente Nunes while Manuel da Silva did the chinoiserie shelves. Gaspar Ferreira was an artist was endowed with special skill for ornamental art.

All the bibliographic works were in a preserved condition, due to the building being a perfect vault with a stable environment all year. The building was seen as a library house constructed with exterior walls c2.11 ms thick. The vault door was made of teak, maintaining the space at a constant c19°C. To maintain this stable environment the humidity hovers c60%, conditioning the wood interior. As well as humidity and temperature, the stacks were affected by another enemy: insects that survive on paper. They was repelled by oak wood, that as well as its density, elicited an odour that was repellent to these insects.

King João V was recognised for his extensive patronage of culture, science and the arts, and this library was one of his best legacies. Having in its origins the old statutory requirement of the provision of a public library at the Uni, its construction took place between 1717-28. In its architecture as well as in its sumptuous decoration, many artists would collaborate and interact well to convert it into an excellent uni library. The splendour is intact!

Between the rector's request, which was behind the origins of the Uni's new library, and the King's response, a subtle change occurred in 1716. While the Uni representative was referring to the organisation of a room suitable for the library, the monarch favoured finding a place in the Uni Courtyard. Contrary to expectations, royal grace significantly expanded the School's ambition.

The Uni facilities had occupied the former Royal Palace, so a new location was chosen, making use of the ruined remains of the C14th palatine prison in D. João I’s reign. Late in the C18th it was used as rental houses, while the public rooms opened onto the courtyard which were extended.

Bronze artists, coppersmiths, glaziers and craftsmen were working together in their various trades. Established in Lisbon, Italian Francesco Realdino was hired in 1725 to create 6 sumptuous precious wood reading tables, master-pieces of C18th carpentry. The Minerva stairs dated back to 1724 and the project was largely completed in 1728. Documentation of the architectural plans for the Uni library led to a conflict between the works, designed in 1] a regional baroque style VS 2] Lisbon royal artists. Plus the King wanted to build a new library VS the Uni's request to renovate an existing facility.

map of Portugal, Porto in north, Coimbra in centre, Lisbon further south

The king worked in 1699-1702 on the sculptural decoration of the new classroom wing. It was the task of French sculptor Claude de Laprade, working in Lisbon since early C18th where he worked in stone or wooden sculpture, & altar-pieces. The Library's work combined both national and international trends. 3 years after the work was completed, the Uni commissioned gilded bronze numbers, now seen on the shelves to place all Uni books in designated places: Room 1: Maths-Medicine; Room 2: Laws-Canons; Room 3: Arts-Theology. Realising it was impossible to distribute them freely, they created large catalogues!

Credit to  Dr J Campbell: The Library: World History 2013