Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Milan, Italy

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose agents scoured Western Europe and even Greece and Syria for books and manuscripts. Some major acquisitions of complete libraries were the manuscripts of the Benedictine monastery of Bobbio (1606) and the library of the Paduan Vincenzo Pinelli, whose more than 800 manuscripts filled 70 cases when they were sent to Milan and included the famous Iliad, the Ilia Picta.

Among the 30,000 manuscripts, which range from Greek and Latin to Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopian, Turkish and Persian, is the Muratorian fragment, of ca 170 A.D., the earliest example of a Biblical canon and an original copy of De divina proportione by Luca Pacioli. Among Christian and Islamic Arabic manuscripts are treatises on medicine, a unique 11th-century diwan of poets, and the oldest copy of the Kitab Sibawahaihi.

Artwork at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana includes da Vinci's Portrait of a Musician, Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, and Raphael's cartoon of The School of Athens.

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Address

Piazza Pio XI 2, Milan, Italy
See all sites in Milan

Details

Founded: 1609
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Italy

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Lukas (6 months ago)
Very impressive, breathtaking building interiors and major art pieces. I highly recommend for any hour along cultural retreat in the heart of Milano away from the noise and hectic crowds
Paul B (7 months ago)
This ticket was bought as part of the Duomo package, I am so pleased I chose this rather than the basic option. Overall the museum is very impressive and well laid out. It was founded in 1607 and consists of 24 rooms, where you can see some of the greatest masterpieces of all time, such as the Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci, The Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio, the cartoon for the School of Athens by Raphael, the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Madonna of the Pavilion by Sandro Botticelli and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel. It also has numerous paintings from famous artist from 17th to 20th century. In other rooms you can see a series curiosities, like the gloves that Napoleon wore at Waterloo, the armillary spheres from the Settala Collection, or the showcase containing a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair. At the end of the tour you can see the largest collection of sketches by Leonardo da Vinci as this is where the Codex Atlanticus is located.
Isidora Vulic (7 months ago)
Impressive gallery. There is a special room dedicated to Raphael’s School of Athens, where you can see the whole history of the cartoon and learn more about the picture itself. It’s not busy and it’s close to Duomo. Amazing experience, one of the best museums in Milan!
Razvan S (7 months ago)
Notoriously known for holding numerous da Vinci’s codices, some of which are on display, it also offers a generous number of work of arts from famous painters like Tizian, Brueghel, Botticelli. Unfortunately Caravaggio’s art was on loan when we visited. There is a nice clip of Raphael’s School of Athens debunking the logic and the composition of the fresco which is on the Vatican walls. We enjoyed the ambiance and the chic atmosphere. Got the ticket as part of a bundle with Duomo and it’s worth it.
Andrew Rice (8 months ago)
Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bruegel (also gloves from Trafalgar worn by Napoleon)—this is one of the best and most impressive collections anywhere in the world. There’s even a crypt. Go at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Plenty of room for viewing, and crowds are sparse.
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