From the Onofri collection to the National Library
In 1826 the Regency of the Republic expressed the desire to nurture a love of study among young people, formally proposing the establishment of a public library. The idea matured slowly: only in 1839 did the Sovereign Princely Council resolve to acquire the considerable book collection belonging to the Onofri family, placing it in Palazzo Valloni, where the library of the Valloni family itself, long unused, was already located.
The aim of the acquisition was twofold: to unite and order a scattered library heritage, making it available to local scholars, and to form a stable nucleus destined to grow through subsequent donations. In the first decade of the twentieth century, collections of great importance arrived: the Communal Library of Bologna, the collections of the Broccoli family of Naples and the Nardi family of Bologna, the collection of Monsignor Renato Paolini, the scientific publications of Achille Tellini, particularly valuable for natural history.
Those who ordered the collection
The prestige of the Library grew thanks to the systematic work of three figures: Federico Gozi, Pietro Franciosi and Onofrio Fattori. To the latter was entrusted the first official role of "Curator of the Library", a role he carried out with broad operational scope. Fattori integrated into the collection not only books, but also memorabilia, autographs of illustrious personalities, prints, documents, ephemeral material. In 1954 Professor Pietro Zama of Faenza was called in to reorder the heritage after the war damage.
A wound to the heritage
On 26 June 1944 Palazzo Valloni was hit by the Second World War bombings. The raid, part of the Allied bombings on Sammarinese territory described on the page World Wars and Fascism, struck the Library, causing significant damage to the structure and the collection. In the post-war period Professor Pietro Zama led the work of recovery, cataloguing and restoration of the surviving materials, allowing the Library to reopen to the public with full functionality.
«Every volume saved from the rubble carried in its tears and stains another story: that of the war that had not even spared the books.»
Manuscripts, incunabula, sixteenth-century books
Beyond the modern and contemporary publications and the Italian and foreign periodicals, the Library holds manuscript works including important letters and correspondence. The manuscripts are gathered in extensive collections of local content: historical, documentary, literary, ecclesiastical, musical. Among the autographs preserved are testimonies of personalities who had relationships with the Republic over the centuries. A particularly valuable section consists of incunabula (printed books of the fifteenth century) and sixteenth-century books (books printed between 1501 and 1600), rare pieces that document the birth of European typographic printing.
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Sammarinese Bibliography | Volumes on the history, economy, culture and institutions of the Republic |
| Periodicals room | Italian and foreign newspapers and periodicals from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries |
| Documentation Centre | Institutional acts, ministerial publications, official documentation |
| Ancient Collections | Incunabula, sixteenth-century books, pre-1830 manuscripts |
| Pietro Franciosi Collection | Personal collection of the Sammarinese curator and historian |
| Photographic archive | Images of local history, urban planning, persons and events |
How to consult
The Library offers open-shelf consultation rooms, an Internet station with free connection, and a reference service provided by specialised staff. Access is free for on-site consultation; lending is reserved for registered users according to the regulations published by the Cultural Institutes. For guided visits to the ancient collections and manuscript heritage, advance booking is possible through the Library Heritage Secretariat.
The State Library integrates into the cultural circuit of the historic centre together with the State Museum and the Public Palace. Its location in Palazzo Valloni makes it one of the most significant historic buildings of the UNESCO historic centre, a few steps from the circle of the main monuments.