“The books of the Pope. Pius VII Chiaramonti in the mirror of his library”.

At the conclusion of the initiatives organized on the occasion of the bicentenary of the death of Pope Pius VII Chiaramonti (1823-2023), the Malatestiana Library offers an exhibition focused on his personal book collection. The collection, purchased in 1941 by the Italian State, is preserved in the Sala Pïana, located in front of the Nuti Library. Kept in ancient wardrobes and wooden plutei, the papal library presents its treasures on this occasion. The exhibition, entitled “The books of the Pope. Pius VII Chiaramonti in the mirror of his library” will be inaugurated on Saturday 27 April at 11:00 and offers to visitors a journey through refined bindings, precious manuscripts, rare printed editions and curiosities. The exhibition will be an opportunity to admire not only the evocative environments that house the pontifical collection, but also to see rare and precious texts up close: sumptuous bindings, valuable illuminated manuscripts, printed texts ranging from archeology to science, from fine arts to cartography, without forgetting bibliographic rarities and other curiosities. From the manuscripts of the 12th century to the typographical masterpieces of the early 19th century, the route will lead the visitor through the Enlightenment culture in which the Cesena pontiff was trained.

The exhibition will be open to the public until June 30th on Mondays, from 2.00pm to 7.00pm, from Tuesday to Sunday and on holidays, from 10.00am to 7.00pm, with the last visit at 6.00pm. The exhibition is part of the visit to the Ancient Malatestiana Library. For information and reservations you can contact 0547 610892 or write an email to [email protected]. The other exhibitions dedicated to Pope Chiaramonti are “The narrated Pope” set up at the Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte, “The Pope’s vestments” in the Church of Santa Cristina and “The gifts of the Pope” in the Hall of Palazzo Ghini

Special visits. The Malatestiana Library organizes some special momentswith free admission, aimed at citizens and curated by the librarians of the Ancient Section, with in-depth information on the materials on display. Friday 3 May, at 5.30pm, “The fine arts. Texts on archaeology, art history and architecture in the collections of the Pïana library”; Saturday 11 May, at 11:00 am, “Ingenuity in motion. Science and technology in the age of Enlightenment through the books of the Pïana library”; Tuesday 14 May, at 5.30pm (within the initiative How many stories in history organized by the Cultural Heritage Sector of the Emilia-Romagna region in collaboration with ANAI – Italian National Archives Association) “Journey through papers and documents to get to know Pope Chiaramonti, Prince and Pontiff”; Tuesday 21 May, at 9pm, “Books and more. Curiosities from the library of Pope Pius VII”; Saturday 8 June, at 11:00, “Magnificent ornaments. Decorations and illustrations in the books of the Pïana Library”.

The Library of Pope Pius VII Chiaramonti. The Pïana currently consists of over 5000 printed volumes, of which 26 incunabula and 32 from the sixteenth century, and 105 manuscripts (59 medieval and 46 modern). Its volumes span a chronological span that goes from the beginning of the 12th century to the first decades of the 19th century and includes, in terms of content, numerous branches of knowledge. This variety derives from the ways in which the library was formed. In fact, the volumes collected by Pius VII because they were linked to his personal scientific, literary, artistic and religious interests were joined by the printed volumes coming from the collection of the cardinal librarian Francesco Saverio de Zelada, purchased by Chiaramonti at the beginning of the nineteenth century, as well as those that were offered over time as a gift to the pontiff: among these the forty manuscripts donated in 1814 by the marquis Giovanni Giacomo Lepri to Pius VII on the occasion of the pontiff’s return to Rome, to contribute to the reconstitution of the papal library, from which many books had been stolen by the French troops during the Napoleonic occupation.