The halls of knowledge

The interior of the Teresiana Library has
an austere appearance, ideal for who wishes to spend hours reading and
studying.

The library is enriched by several
shelves, wood work designed to hold the most important books of the collection.
The Teresiana has always hosted some of the most important artistic and
scientific collections.

Tresiana's first room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

The great halls

These rooms were under the supervision of the Jesuits until the suppression of the religious order in 1773. Here the large public library began to take shape and was called after the long-lived Empress. The building also housed the Museo dell’Antichità, with its prestigious collections belonging to the Gonzaga family, before it was transferred in the halls of Palazzo Ducale. The connection to the nearby Accademia, where today the Bibiena Theatre still stands, is very strong. Nearby is also the State Archives building, erected in 1883. When the university was moved to Pavia by the Austrians, this building continued to embody the desire to create a cultural centre, a real fortress where the Library and the Classical Lyceum would continue to live on and flourish until this day. Here we can take a glimpse of the central part of the Library, the so called Prima Sala Teresiana.

Tresiana's first room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

The wide rectangular space, illuminated by four windows on each side, is characterized by two series of shelved where the most precious volumes are kept. The material used is walnut wood for the more visible parts, poplar wood for the structural parts.

Tresiana's first room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

The Library, restored and reopened to the visitors in 2014, houses an extraordinary collection of books. More than 400,000 volumes among which 15,000 incunabula and more than 1,300 manuscripts. The incunabula section is one of the most significant and rich in Italy. To be more precise, it is composed of 1,265 volumes, for a total of 1,083 different editions. Twenty-four titles are the only copies in Italy, among which five are the only copies in the whole world. There are also illuminated copies and prestigious woodcut editions.

Tresiana's first room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

Teresiana's second room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

The shelves of the second hall were put in place only in 1818.

Teresiana's second room (1780) by Paolo PozzoBiblioteca Teresiana

Knowledge and globes

The manuscript section of the library, made up of 1,381 volumes (among which 535 are Medieval) is outstanding. The codes of the religious orders of the whole district were moved here, following the suppression of various orders during the Habsurg Empire and the Napoleonic period. Also, the section houses 385 precious codes from the San Benedetto in Polirone Abbey, a monastery founded and patronized by the Canossa (Tedaldo di Canossa, 1007). The scriptorium of Polirone was a place of creation already at the time, and production here continued for centuries despite the periods of crisis.Not much is left of the collection of codices belonging to the Gonzaga family, though the ones kept here are remarkable; also interesting are the works which once belonged to other noble families from Mantua. In addition, the collection of the library also includes a series of letters from various periods and some important works, such as the autograph manuscript of Confessioni di un Italiano, by Ippolito Nievo (Padova 1831, Tyrrhenian Sea 1861).

Earth globe (1693) by Vincenzo Maria CoronelliBiblioteca Teresiana

The Franciscan Coronelli was a geographer and cartographer. He is the author of the book Libro dei Globi di misure differenti. The first pair of Globes by Coronelli kept in the Teresiana Library are appreciated above all for the dimensions, one metre in diameter. The globe of the earth was designed following precise cartographic measurements, and is embellished by small animals both real and imaginary, and by scenes depicting people travelling through the different inhabited areas.

Earth globe (1693) by Vincenzo Maria CoronelliBiblioteca Teresiana

Celestial globe (1693) by Vincenzo Maria CoronelliBiblioteca Teresiana

In the representation of the celestial globe, Coronelli inserted the eighty-three constellations, including the twelve zodiacal signs. Although the provenance of the globes cannot be determined with certainty – they were surely created in Venice – they were probably part of the Gonzaga Collection.

Earth globe (1695) by Matteo GreuterBiblioteca Teresiana

Matteo Greuter is the author of four globes, kept in the Teresiana Library, two globes of the earth and two celestial globes. Greuter is best known for having created a large map of Italy. The globes allowed him to insert additional representations, here we find a series of figures that are very refined and have a strong pictorial quality.

Globes (1632) by Matteo GreuterBiblioteca Teresiana

The Image captures the overall harmony between the drywall globes mounted on wood structures and the fascinating halls of the Library.

Celestial globe (1696) by Vincenzo Maria CoronelliBiblioteca Teresiana

The second pair of globes by Coronelli is smaller than the first. Nothing however is lost in the descriptions and lines that form constellations and trace continents. Both globes are placed on an interesting wooden structure, which of course is Atlas, who is bending under the weight of the sphere he is condemned to bear.

Mantua's civic museum (1898) by Vindizio Nodari PesentiBiblioteca Teresiana

A significant painting

Vindizio Nodari Pesenti is one of the most representative artists of the period that goes from the end of nineteenth century to the early twentieth century in Mantua. He was a pupil of his uncle Domenico Pesenti, also a painter. The long career of Pesenti reflects the influences of academicism, realism, divisionism and Italian post-Impressionism.  

Mantua's civic museum (1898) by Vindizio Nodari PesentiBiblioteca Teresiana

This painting depicts the surroundings as they appeared at the time of the erection of the Teresian Library. In the background, looking through the open window, it is possible to identify the contour of the great dome of the church of Sant'Andrea, the town's landmark. Instead of books and work tables, the subject of the painting is the important collection of ancient works in marble, later moved to the Palazzo Ducale, property of the city. The absence of visitors and the vertical harmony of the work, today rightly kept in the halls of the library, create a sense of immersion and of wonder.

Teresiana Library (1780)Biblioteca Teresiana

A priceless heritage

The study room, where manuscripts and rare books are kept, is illuminated by a large window that also gives light to the corridor. The restoration of the rooms was carried out with particular attention to the furniture, which, in addition to being functional for consultation, is designed so as to not create a contrast with the older pieces still in place. The Teresian Library, a public library since 1881, today has been granted museum status. 

Teresiana Library (1780)Biblioteca Teresiana

Entrance (1763) by Alfonso TorreggianiBiblioteca Teresiana

The modern entrance of the Library gives access to a large hall on the ground floor, which is located just below the corridor.

Ancient TextsBiblioteca Teresiana

History and legends

The Teresian Library also houses a vast collection of historical findings, many of paramount importance. Among the personal archives it is worth mentioning the one belonging to the diplomat and traveller Giuseppe Acerbi (Castel Goffredo 1773, Castel Goffredo 1846), which includes Egyptian artefacts, and the collection of the researcher and art historian Ercolano Marani (Castellucchio 1914, Mantova 1994). The collection also includes items dating to the Italian Risorgimento; legal documents; literary works composed in dialect; the fund of Francesco and Ettore Campogalliani – Francesco was a great puppeteer who lived between the nineteenth and twentieth century, while Ettore was a composer and one of the best singing teachers of his time. In addition to medical sciences, also natural sciences occupy an important position in the collection thanks to the fund of the naturalist Enrico Paglia (Mantua 1834, Mantua 1889).

Teresiana Library (1780)Biblioteca Teresiana

Jewish background

The precious library of the thriving local Jewish community is also kept in the Teresian Library. It is a valuable legacy comprising 160 manuscripts, the oldest dating to the fourteenth century, and 1,549 printed works. Mantua was in fact the most important city for the study of Jewish culture, where Kabbalistic schools flourished, together with Jewish theatre and poetry, despite recurring persecutions. In the twentieth century Vittore Colorni, an important scholar and discipline expert, donated his personal library to the Teresiana. 

Teresiana Library (1780)Biblioteca Teresiana

The contour of the co-cathedral of Sant'Andrea, designed by Leon Battista Alberti (Genoa 1404, Rome 1472), appears in the large central window that illuminates the corridor.

Hall of seven hundred's frescoes (1760) by Siro BaroniBiblioteca Teresiana

The frescoes room

This room on the second floor of the Teresian library, towards the end of the corridor on the left, was very probably used for religious purposes, as attested by the frescoes that decorate it. Perhaps this was the so-called Oratorio delle Scuole inferiori The frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ, have been attributed by Stefano L'Occaso, although it is not possible to prove this with certainty, to the late Baroque painter Siro Baroni, who lived and worked in Mantua, and whose works can be admired in the churches of Santa Barbara and Sant'Orsola.

Pilgrims in Emmaus (1760) by Siro BaroniBiblioteca Teresiana

The key feature of the frescoes of this room is the relatively small dimension of the figures, traced with a skilful and graceful stroke; behind them the landscape and an impressive blue sky. Everything in the fresco is blue except these figures that are painted with more intense colours: the frescoes are a vivid depiction of some scenes of the life of Christ.

Christ Baptism (1760) by Siro BaroniBiblioteca Teresiana

Christ keeps his eyes closed and is bending to receive the holy water from John the Baptist who is pouring it over his head.

Pietro and Andrea's call (1760) by Siro BaroniBiblioteca Teresiana

The protagonists of this scene have a bewildered look on them, they are almost intimidated by a very solemn Christ who summons them to preaching and martyrdom.

Hall of Views, girls reading (1901)Biblioteca Teresiana

La Sala delle Vedute

The so-called Sala delle vedute is on the ground floor, at the end of the great entrance hall. Opened after restoration in 2014, it has become a conference room; it was maybe the first reading room of the popular library. The frescoes decorating it depict two couples of young girls carrying books, and four dancers. Also, and this is where the name of the hall comes from, on the wall are ten scenes of the city of Mantua, with its monuments and buildings appearing in the distance. The style of the decoration is decidedly Liberty, and the delicate combination of different colours conveys a sense of lightness. 

Credits: Story

Ideato e promosso da / Founded and Promoted by:
Mattia Palazzi (Sindaco del Comune di Mantova)
con Lorenza Baroncelli (Assessore alla rigenerazione urbana e del territorio, marketing urbano, progetti e relazioni internazionali del Comune di Mantova)

Coordinamento Scientifico / Scientific Coordinator:
Sebastiano Sali

Curatore testi e immagini / Superintendent texts and images:
Giovanni Pasetti

Foto di / Photo by:
Gian Maria Pontiroli

Redazione/ Editors:
Erica Beccalossi
Sara Crimella
Carlotta Depalmas
Veronica Zirelli

In collaborazione con / In collaboration with:
Biblioteca Teresiana

Un ringraziamento speciale a / A special thanks to:
Cesare Guerra
Pasquale Di Viesti
Emma Catherine Gainsforth

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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