We were heading to the far side of the campus to visit Biblioteca Joanina.
What is Biblioteca Joanina?
Biblioteca Joanina is an 18th century Baroque library that was commissioned by King John V of Portugal during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. It contains numerous volumes of priceless and historical documents including first editions.
The entrance to another time and space
We walked up to the library’s massive wooden door. Wooden doors with a Baroque finish with carved details and sculptures. It was framed by tall columns and topped with the National Coat of Arms of Portugal. Walking past the doors was like walking to another time and space.
The three levels of the library
It was interesting to know that the library was built on top of a prison. The prison now forms part of the library’s lower floor (the academic prison). More interesting was the fact that it was used as a private lockup for misbehaving students and faculty until 1834!
The middle floor (the featured photograph) has rugged stone arches marked with the initials of the stonemasons. The mark was used to indicate completion of the job. The middle floor was initially used to house the guards. Now, it functions as an exhibit space, book deposit, and specialized restoration and preservation of ancient texts.
The upper floor became known as the Noble Floor. It was divided into three separate, color themed rooms. Each one richly decorated with gilded oak, vibrant lacquer, and ceiling frescoes. It also contains the rarest and most valuable books.
The preservation of the books
The books can only be handled with special permission. Time has made the books delicate and priceless. The following ways to preserve the book were explained to us: 1) meticulous handling, 2) humidity control, and 3) insect control.
Insect control was the most interesting since it involved the use of bats. A large bat colony has been allowed to roost in the library. At night, the bats devour insects that can cause harm to the books. All surfaces had to be covered at night with leather mantles to protect against bat guano. In the morning, all the mantles and bat guano had to be removed and cleaned.
Random photographs of our travels. Memories found and captured in a photograph.
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Bats in a Baroque library? Fascinating and a bit eerie at the same time. I don’t think I’ll be borrowing any books from there! 🦇📖
It was fascinating when they told us about the bats. Of course, we started looking around immediately but it was in the middle of the day.
We also can’t borrow the books. It needs special written permission stating why the books need to be borrowed. Plus, gloves and masks are required when examining the manuscripts. Sigh!
The rules seem more horror than the bats. :))
🤗