Vatican Library facts for kids
The Vatican Library is a very old and important library. It belongs to the Holy See, which is the main government of the Catholic Church, led by the Pope. Its official name is the Vatican Apostolic Library (Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana). It was officially started in 1475.
This library has a huge collection of books and documents. It holds over 75,000 old, handwritten books called codices. There are also more than 150,000 other handwritten papers, known as manuscripts. Plus, it has over 8,300 incunables, which are books printed very early, before the year 1501. In total, the library has more than 2 million books and manuscripts!
The Vatican Library is not just a place to store books. It also has a special school for people who want to become librarians. There's also a workshop where experts carefully fix and restore very old texts. They also create perfect copies, called facsimiles, of these ancient documents.
Contents
A Treasure of Knowledge
The Vatican Library is known worldwide for its amazing collection. It has some of the most important historical, scientific, and religious texts ever created. These documents help us learn about the past and understand how knowledge has grown over centuries.
What's Inside the Library?
The library's collection includes many different types of items. You can find ancient Bibles, old maps, and beautiful artworks. Many of these items are unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Among its most valuable items are the incunables, which are very rare books printed in the early days of printing. The manuscripts are also incredibly special because they are handwritten. Some of them are decorated with amazing illustrations.
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Apostólica Vaticana para niños
Images for kids
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Ancient Roman sculpture, perhaps of Saint Hippolytus of Rome, found in 1551.
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A Bookcase inside the Vatican Library.
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A small painting from a Syriac Gospel book, made around 1220.
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The Abyss of Hell, a colored drawing by Sandro Botticelli (1480s).
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The Sistine Hall of the Vatican Library.
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A Golden Rose stored in the Vatican Library.
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Ceiling fresco of the Sistine Hall.
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Gospel of Matthew in Persian, the first Persian manuscript to join the library.
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A manuscript page with music by Jacques Barbireau.
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Mappamondo Borgiano, also called "Tavola di Velletri" (1430).
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The month of May from the Chronography of 354.
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An illustration from the legend of Saint Emerich of Hungary, around 1335.
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Battle between David and Goliath, from the Book of Psalms, around 1059.
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Ivory panels from the back cover of Codex Aureus of Lorsch.
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