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.

References:

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User Reviews

Nick Goryachev (14 months ago)
Definitely one of the best galleries. Must visit if you are in Milan. We visited many famous museums and galleries in Paris, Madrid and St Petersburg. People who organised lighting in this gallery did a wonderful job. Thanks to them you can enjoy artworks in full.

GG (14 months ago)
Very nice with thw crypt and art gallary. The workers were helpful and knew english. But the tickets for both duomo and ambrosiana online in advance to enter smooth

Bruno YUN (14 months ago)
The museum itself and the content was nice. It was a bit sad that most of the paintings or sculptures do not have English translations. The staff at the entrance was particularly not welcoming at all. The entrance price is also a bit expensive. There is also only one toilet which is at the entrance of the building.

Benjamín Villasana (17 months ago)
A "must to" for the people who visit Milan. The Pinacoteca has a variety of beautiful medieval and modern paintings and sculptures. At the end, you can visit also the Ambrosian library where the original daVinci's Codex Atlanticus is located. Very recommended.

محمد ناظري (18 months ago)
Among the best museums in Milan. A lots of ancient stuffs and some times you can smell the ancientness’s. The picture is great. Mostly about the Christianity related. The price is comparatively acceptable.

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