Institución Colombina

"La Colombina" redirects here. Not to be confused withColombina.

For the Colombian multinational candy brand, seeColombina (candy brand).

Christopher Columbus's notes onThe Travels of Marco Poloare visible in the margins. The book is found in the Biblioteca Colombina.

Portal of the Institución Colombina (Seville)

TheInstitución Colombina,situated inSeville,Spain,is the modern-day administrative branch that comprises theBiblioteca Capitular,theBiblioteca Colombina,theCathedral Archives(el Archivo de la Catedral),Library of the Archbishopric(la Biblioteca del Arzobispado) and theGeneral Archive of the Archbishopric(el Archivo General del Arzobispado).TheBiblioteca Capitularand theBiblioteca Colombinaare private libraries and are not supported financially by theSpanish government,but by the Fundación Cristóbal Colón and the Institución Colombina.

Biblioteca Colombina

TheBiblioteca Colombinais situated on the east side of the Patio de los Naranjos. It was enriched by a bequest fromFernando Colón.The library containsincunabulaand rare works on the discovery of America. It contains manuscripts written byChristopher Columbushimself.

History of the Biblioteca Colombina

As an adult, Fernando was known as a scholar. He had a generous income from his father's New Worlddemesne,and used a sizable fraction of it to buy books, eventually amassing a personal library of over 15,000 volumes. This library was patronized by educated people in Spain and elsewhere, including the Dutch philosopherErasmus.

Apart from its size, the library was unique in several ways. First, Fernando personally noted each and every book that he or his associates acquired by listing the date of purchase, the location and how much was paid. Secondly, he sought to take advantage of a recent technological development by devoting the bulk of his purchases to printed books instead of manuscripts. As a result, the library acquired a sizable number (currently 1,194 titles) ofincunabula,books printed between 1453 and 1500. Third, he employed full-time librarians who, as the scholarKlaus Wagnernoted, were required to live on the premise in order to ensure that their top priority would be the library itself. After his father's death, Fernando inherited Columbus' personal library, and what remains of these volumes contains much valuable information on Columbus, his interests, and his explorations.

Provisions were made in his will to ensure that the library would be maintained after his death, specifically that the collection would not be sold and that more books would be purchased. Despite this precaution, the ownership of the library was contested for several decades after Fernando's death until it passed into the hands of theCathedral in Seville,Spain.

During this time of disputed ownership, the size of the library was reduced to about 7,000 titles. However the library, renamed the Biblioteca Colombina, has been well maintained by the Cathedral and today it is accessible for consultation by scholars, students and bibliophiles alike.

Biblioteca Capitular

The Biblioteca Capitular was founded after Seville was conquered in 1248 byFernando III of Castile.Alfonso donated part of his personal library to the cathedral; this was the start of this library.

External links

• Institución Colombina(in Spanish)
• About The Biblioteca Colombina y Capitular of Seville