The Central Navy Library
The Central Library of the Navy is a bibliographic and documentary center for the study of themes related to the History of Discoveries and Expansion, Marine and Sea Affairs
Decretro de criação da Bilioteca da Marinha (1835)Biblioteca Central de Marinha
With a past of more than 180 years, the Central Navy Library is the worthy successor to the Navy Library created by Dom Maria II, by decree of January 7, 1835.
Its creation sought to remedy the transfer to Brazil of the Royal Academy of Marine Guards, who accompanied the departure of the court to Rio de Janeiro, in 1807, during the French invasions.
In 1845, by decree of the 19th of May, the Navy Library became annex and part of the Naval School, occupying the noble floor of the Navy Arsenal.
It was only in 1960, by decree-law nº 42 841, of February 10, that it became known as the Navy Central Library and operated, with its own regulations, as a dependent body of the Superintendence of the Navy Services, through the respective Deputy Admiral.
On July 8, 1982, it moved to its new premises, a building integrated into the east wing of the Jerónimos Monastery. Currently, the Central Library of the Navy is under the dependency of the Director of the Cultural Commission of the Navy.
Theatrum orbis terrarum (1584) by Abraham OrteliusBiblioteca Central de Marinha
The first librarian of the Navy Library, the captain of the Frigate Dom Gastão Fausto da Câmara, managed, with great commitment and dedication, to select its first contents, consisting of eight thousand volumes, coming from the General Deposit of S. Francisco da Cidade monastery
Almost all the works attributed to the Central Navy Library are mainly divided into the subjects of Geography, History, Theology, Philosophy, and classical Literature.
These are wonderful works from the workshops of the most famous printers in the European Christian world from the cradle of printing until the 18th century.
Biblioteca Central de Marinha - Ex-LibrisBiblioteca Central de Marinha
Over its more than 180 years, the Central Navy Library has in its collection the most significant works on the navy and the sea edited in the country and many of the most relevant foreign ones, currently with 60,000 titles and approximately 1,000 manuscripts.
Placa alusiva á travessia pela UnescoBiblioteca Central de Marinha
Among these works, it is important to mention important collections such as those of Almirante Gago Coutinho and Teixeira da Mota, Commanders Marques Esparteiro and Nunes Ribeiro, amongst others, which greatly enrich the vast heritage of the library.
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