Marciana National Library

The Biblioteca Marciana, also known as the Biblioteca di San Marco or Biblioteca Sansoviana, is considered not only the most important library in Venice but also one of the largest libraries in Italy. It owes its origin to Cardinal Bessarione who donated his collection of codices, manuscripts and printed works to the lagoon city in the mid 15th century.

Over time this collection was expanded through bequests and donations but also thanks to works from Byzantium and the active trade that the Serenissima had. Today, the Library holds not only more than one million printed volumes but also maps and historical atlases. Its Monumental Rooms can also be discovered thanks to a guided tour that allows you to admire the elegant decorations, coffered ceilings and numerous statues.

Visit the Marciana National Library

The Marciana National Library today is located in the Library Building in St. Mark’s Square and the adjoining Mint Building. Inside it holds numerous books and volumes on various subjects with special focus on classical philology, literature and the history of the city of Venice. In particular, its library holdings consist of over one million printed volumes and more than 13,000 manuscripts. The most important works in the Marciana are the two most illustrious codices of the Iliad: Homerus Venetus A (10th century) and Homerus Venetus B (11th century). But that is not all. There is also a manuscript of Pliny’s Naturalis historia, copied for Giovanni Pico della Mirandola in 1481, Cicero’s Epistulae ad familiares, also copied in 1481, and the ‘Breviario Grimani’, an important Flemish Miniature codex donated by Cardinal Grimani in the 16th century. In addition to these are the collections of maps and historical atlases such as Fra Mauro’s mappa mundi (1459) and Jacopo de’ Barbari’s map of the city of Venice from the 16th century.

Currently, the Library is open to all scholars upon registration and obtaining a magnetic card, but not all rooms are accessible. Its interior can also be visited through guided tours that lead to the rooms of greatest artistic interest. The tour begins at the imposing entrance portal, which is adorned with two caryatids made by Alessandro Vittoria in the mid-16th century. You then enter a grand staircase with two flights of stairs and vaulted ceilings decorated with stucco and paintings by Battista Franco and Battista del Moro. On the first floor is the Vestibule or Antisala, whose ceiling contains the painting ‘Wisdom’ by Titian.

Continuing on is the Sala della Libreria, built specifically to house Cardinal Bessarione’s collection. Here in the ceiling you can admire twenty-one roundels by important artists such as Andrea Schiavone, Paolo Veronese, Battista Zelotti and Giulio Licinio. On the walls, on the other hand, there are depictions of famous philosophers by Paolo Veronese, Jacopo Tintoretto and others. In the centre of the room are two globes by Vincenzo Coronelli: a terrestrial globe and a celestial globe from the 17th century. The area once used for the Procurators’ Redoubts, on the other hand, is now used for exhibitions and events.

History of the Marciana National Library

The history of the Marciana Library is linked to some of Venice’s most important figures. The idea of creating a library to collect and make available his collection of works had already occurred to Francesco Petrarch in the mid 14th century. Unfortunately, however, the poet was unable to complete any project. So a few years later Bishop Bessarione, a well-known humanist and philosopher, decided to donate his collection, which consisted of 746 codices, in Greek and Latin, and 250 manuscripts, to the Venetian Republic. This was to be displayed in a Public Library that was to be open to scholars and lovers of literature.

Jacopo Sansovino was commissioned to build this Libreria and began work in 1537, but it was later completed by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi. In 1560, the Libreria di San Marco was opened for the first time. In the large hall there were wooden benches for reading and consulting manuscripts, while the cupboards held the most valuable codices. Over time, the Library was enriched with other donations also thanks to a local law that required printers to deposit a copy of each published book here. In addition, the trade that Venice had with the East meant that the library was enriched with ancient Greek volumes, attracting numerous scholars interested in classical studies to the city.

With the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte, the library was stripped of over 200 valuable manuscripts that were taken to France, but Venice managed to get most of them back. Also during Napoleonic rule, however, the Library was enriched with documents and manuscripts from religious institutions and monasteries that had been suppressed by the French government. Over the years, the Marciana Library has not only undergone several expansions to gather more and more books collected here, but also internal renovations of the desks and reading areas.

Entrance Tickets for the Marciana Library

The Library can be discovered through guided tours that allow access to the Monumental Rooms. For the visit it is necessary to be in possession of the single ticket for the Museums of St. Mark’s Square (also valid for the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Doge’s Palace).

Entrance to the Marciana Library with the Venice Museum Pass

Alternatively, admission is also included in the Venice Museum Pass, which allows you to visit 10 museums in the city, including the Doge’s Palace and Correr Museum.

Opening Hours

The Marciana National Library is open every day from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, with last admission at 4.00 pm.

How to reach the Marciana National Library

It is easy to reach the Marciana Library, which is located in St. Mark’s Square, either on foot or by using public transport. Those who want to reach the site on foot should follow the signs for ‘Piazza San Marco’ which can be reached from Venice Santa Lucia Railway Station or from Piazzale Roma by walking for about 30-40 minutes.

Those who prefer to take the vaporetto, on the other hand, can use lines no. 5.1, no. 4.1, no. 2 or no. 1 to the ‘San Marco’ or ‘San Zaccaria’ stops. From the airport, you can use the ‘Ali laguna’ shuttle in the direction of San Zaccaria and/or San Marco Giardinetti.

Please note: sometimes the Marciana Library in maps may be marked as Biblioteca di San Marco, Libreria Marciana, Libreria Sansoviniana, Libreria Vecchia or Libreria di San Marco.