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The Malatesta's Library
keeps fascinating visitors and students who come
to visit it, today like yesterday. A masterpiece
among the humanistic libraries, it is the unique
in Italy for the preservation and integrity of
its structure and furniture. Built, after five
years of works, in 1454 by the architect Matteo
Nuti on conception of Novello Malatesta. The main entrance is a beautiful Renaissance portal on which stands out the symbol of the Malatesta family: an elephant with an elegant scroll on which an inscription in ancient Latin ironically says: "the Indian elephant doesn’t fear mosquitoes". |
The Nuti Hall has a church plan with a nave and double aisles. The nave has a vaulted roof and a big rose-window, with a beautiful play of lights and colours; on the double aisles tall columns and capitals, decorated with Malatesta's symbols, makes a frame to the 29 desks in each sides. The desks are originals of the 15th century as well as the little chains that tie the ancient codes. The little venetian style windows radiate on the desks the correct light for reading and studying. In the lobby a showcase preserves the silver mace that Pope Pio VI gave to the town in 1790. In front the Nuti’s room there is the large room (once the monks’ dormitory) that is now used as Library.
| The Library, that belonged to Pio VII (Pope Chiaramonti), keeps 5057 books and about 60 codes which the most precious are in the showcases. Two series of choral books from the Cathedral and from Osservanza Church are very notable .The Malatesta's Library preserves altogether 340 priceless manuscripts in ancient Latin, Greek and Hebrew (most of them preciously illuminated). |  |
Among the amanuenses who worked in the Library of Cesena we remember: Jacopo from Pergola, Francesco from Figline, Giovanni from Epinal. In order to confirm the humanistic ideals of Malatesata Novello, it’s interesting to notice that this Library was, from its birth, a Public Library directed not only by the monks, who were the guardians, but also by the Public Administration in order to guarantee a real public use and a preservation of it. The awareness of having such precious fortune of studies, codes and miniatures, brought the Pope to excommunicated any thief with a bull in 1466.
