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BaitoneAlpino Suggests: Bibiloteca Capitolare di Verona

The Capitular Library of Verona, also known by its Latin names Scriptorium ecclesiae Veronensis and Schola ecclesiae Veronensis, is located within the architectural complex of Verona Cathedral and is considered the oldest library in the world still in operation. Founded in the 5th century, it was where texts were composed on parchment for the instruction of future priests. Over the centuries, the Capitular Library acquired a significant number of manuscripts and also became a space for study, consultation, and conservation. Given the sheer volume of documents, it began lending some of them to the ancient parish churches in the Verona area. Unfortunately, however, the Capitular Library was submerged by the Adige River flood of 1882, during which mud ruined over 11,000 parchments. The Allied air raid of January 4, 1945, at the end of World War II, also destroyed the main hall. Fortunately, on this occasion, librarian Giuseppe Turrini, who had already worked on the restoration of the parchments damaged by the flood, had moved the manuscripts and incunabula to a safe place, while the less valuable volumes that had remained in the library, buried under the rubble, were mostly recovered. He was also responsible for the reconstruction of the library building, which was inaugurated on September 28, 1948.