Book and archival heritage

The library and archival heritage of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana has developed over time through donations, bequests, acquisitions, and the transfer of collections from religious institutions and Venetian magistracies. From the sixteenth century onwards, the introduction of legal deposit requirements significantly contributed to the growth of the collections, further strengthened over the centuries by public funding and subsequent legislative measures. Today, the Library serves as a legal deposit institution for publications issued in the province of Venice and continues to expand its collections through a coherent acquisition policy covering both historical and modern materials.

Fra’ Mauro’s World Map, dating from around 1450, is one of the most precious—and best-known—artefacts preserved in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice.

Created by the Camaldolese monk Fra’ Mauro, who lived and worked for many years at the monastery on the island of San Michele in Venice, it may be regarded—on account of its craftsmanship, its monumental scale and, above all, the circumstances of its creation and its geographical content—as one of the most important works of Venetian cartography from the transitional period between the medieval conception of the world and the new knowledge brought about by voyages of exploration and navigation.

The Grimani Breviary (approx. 280 × 195 mm) is one of the most elaborate manuscripts produced in the Low Countries around the second decade of the sixteenth century.
It contains a large number of highly refined miniatures (50 full-page and 18 smaller historiated miniatures), and all 832 folios are decorated. The imagery is rich in invention and at times reveals unexpected iconography.
The numerous miniatures rank among the finest works in the oeuvres of the artists involved in its production.