Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/335

 VATICAN

291

VATICAN

icreasing, especially those for the first- two cate- jries — Latini and Gracci.

aticani Latini 11,150

Or;Eci 2,330

" Hcbraioi 599

" Syraici 472

Arabici 935

Turcici 80

" Persiani 83

Coptici 93

" ^Ethiopici 77

" Slavi 23

" Ruraanici 1

" Georgiani 2

" Armeni 14

" Indian! 39

" Sinici 20

" Samaritani 3

urghesiani 381

otai d'Orange 377

alatini Latini 2,017

Gncci.. 432

rbinates Latini 1,767

Gneci. 165

Hebraici 128

eginse Latini 2,103

" Grsci 190

" Pii II GrKci 55

ttoboniani Latini 3,394

Gra?ci 472

apponiani 288

arberini Latini 10,000

Gra;ci 590

" Orientales 160

orgiani Latini 760

" Graeci 26

" Syriaci 169

Coptici 132

" Hebraici 18

" Arabici 276

" Persiani 21

" Turcici 77

" Armeni 90

" Indiani 31

" Tonsinici 22

" Sinici 521

Illyrici 22

" ^thiopici 33

" Georgiani 16

" Hibernici 2

" Islandici 1

Slavi 1

The total of the collections reaches 40,658 manu- ■rii)ts, to which must be added between 8000 and 1,000 manuscripts in the two Barberini archives, and iU awaiting detailed examination and arrangement, here are, therefore, in the Vatican Library some 50,- )0 manuscripts; the first sixteen sections are the Dove-mentioned open collections; the others are all osed. The collection of Manuscripta Zeladiana was \'en to Toledo, while the printed books of the same )llection remained in the Vatican Library. The odices Vatican! in various languages are traceable to le old collections of the library of the fifteenth cen- iry or to the growth of the library; to this collection !^w departments have been pi'adually added. (2) Printed Books. — Noexact caleulationof thenum- iT of printed books has been yet undertaken. Esti- lates conscientiously made yield the following figures: ibliotheca Leonina (consultation librarv) 60-70,0f)0 " Barberini (closed ilepartment) 2.5-30,000

" Palatina (closed department) 10-12,000

" Zeladiana (closed department) 4- 5,000

" Mai (closed department) 2.5-.30,00

rima Raccolta (closed department) 10-11,000

accolla Generale 200,000

The total of printed books is thus in round numbers 350,000, which may be said to constitute a very considerable library. The Consultation Library ia, as its name suggests, composed of works which imme- diately promote or facilitate the study of the manu- scripts. The Prima Kaccolta is the collection of books which was formed in the Vatican between 1620 and 1630; in the Raccolta Generale are gathered all the works (arranged according to the various branches of knowledge) which have been secured li\ the Vati- can at any period or will hereafter be secured, pro- vided that they do not specially pertain to the Con- sultation Library. The name of the other collections are quickly explained : Barberini, because it emanated from the princely house of that name; Palatina, because it came to Rome from the Heidelberg library of the Elector Palatine (Palatinus elector) ; Zeladiana, because it belonged to the effects of Cardinal Zelada; Mai, part of the effects of Cardinal Mai. Among all these books are found a larger percentage of rarities than is usual in comprehensive hbraries.

(3) The Accommodation of the Manuscripts and Books. — The manuscripts are accommodated in their old, low-sized, painted wooden cases, which are dis- tributed along the walls of the halls of the hbrary. When removed from the cases, the greatest care is necessary lest anything should be lost. As there are various ways in which damage might be done to the manuscripts, the library administration has prevailed on the Prefect of the Apostolic Palaces to establish eight fire-proof magazines into which they may be transferred. For these magazines have been utilized a portion of the old reading room, the room of the cardinal librarian, and two other rooms. This alteration was made possible only by the removal of the Vatican Printing Office into new quarters (see below, section XV). As the halls of the printing office lay below the old reading-room, and right beside the rooms in which the Bibliotheca Barberini has been accommodated, these halls were easily annexed to the library. Tlie new reading-room was then established on the ground floor, and fitted with a water-power elevator for the transferring of manuscripts from the magazines situated immediately overhead; this afforded greater security and convenience, the manu- scripts being more promptly procured. All these innovations were of great importance for the promo- tion of studies. The reading-room is convenient to the Consultation Library, and contains almost twice as many desks as the old reading-room.

.\11 the work in the new magazines was completed at the beginning of 1912, and the transference of the manuscripts begun. The two Barberini Archives now stand on the third floor of the new magazines. In consequence of this recon.st ruction work, the printed books will be arranged as follows: Among the smaller rooms of the former printing office is a cabinet for the Prefect of the Library, a hall for the Biblio- theca Mai, and other rooms in which the Heidelberg books (Palatini) and port ions of the Raccolta Generale are to be accommodated. Two halls will be dev'oted to the Biblioteca Barberini, a book collection of very high value. In the hall of the Consultation Library with its two antechambers will be placed, in addition to the Consultation Library proper, the Autori Classic! and the two departments of biography and history (the Collezioni Generali). To the old presses for the manuscripts in the state-halls of the librarj', now vacated, will be transferred the collections on canon and civil law, the works on art and its history, and the remainder of the Raccolta Generale, in .so far as it is not accommodated in the old printing offices.

(4) Inventories and Catalogues, which are es.sen- tial for the guidance of the reader, are available for both manuscriiits and printed books. They are either in manuscrijit or printed. Those for the manuscripts consist of 170 volumes of manuscript and 17 volumes