Episcopal Seminary's library of Prato

Presentation of the library

The Library was set up with the Seminary in 1682 to support the teaching of theology, philosophy and humanism of its students and it was enriched over time by many library legacies. In the 19th century, in the main period of flowering of the productive activity, it is, together with the College Cicognini, the focus of the city’s cultural life. The many ancient books (of '500, '600 and '700) make the library of particular historical interest, especially for the most important sectors in relation to their field of specialization, such as Church Science (Theology, Patrologia, History, Lives of the Saints), Philosophy, Greek and Latin Classics, local History. It has a rich collection of ancient vocabularies and lexicons. In addition to the book heritage, the library contains thousands of glass slides for magic lanterns, mostly coloured by hand, from the beginning of the century, rich of historic-artistic cards.

Funds

Section of Prato: 2.000 volumes, with a dense presence of typographies of Prato of the 19th century.
In addition there are also 250 local miscellanies, each consisting of a variable number from 5 to 30 documents.
Of particular interest is the collection of synods of Prato, Florence and Pistoia.

Resources

Number of owned books:

• 40.000, of which Incunabula and Cinquecentine (books printed in the 16th century) :3.100,
  • Sec. XV: 2,
  • Sec. XVI: 218,
  • Sec. XVII: 355, Sec. XVIII: 2525.
• Number of current periodicals:
  • 28, of which 1 daily ; about 3.500 slides b/w and colours of the early 20th century.

Service

• Information and counseling for specialized literature;
• Interlibrary loan;
• Consultation of printed material.