two-metre walls, bats inside, and gold on the shelves
The Biblioteca Joanina was completed in 1728, commissioned by D. João V (the monarch of Brazilian gold, grand projects, and the name that became synonymous with the Baroque in Portugal). It stands in the Paço das Escolas, at the top of the Universidade de Coimbra, and is the best-known piece of the complex. It served as the University's active library from 1777 to the first half of the 20th century, and today functions as a museum space within the university heritage visit circuit. Inside, around 60,000 volumes from the 16th to the 18th century.
The Piso Nobre is what you'll see first and what justifies the ticket. Three rooms in a row, separated by arches topped with shields, with gilded and polychrome oak shelving on two levels (gallery with staircase above). The first room has gilded carving against a black background, the second against red, the third against green. The painted wood imitates marble, and the overall effect is what makes the room one of the three or four most spectacular Baroque interiors in Portugal. The central tables are in tropical woods with inlay, and the portrait of D. João V by Domenico Duprà dominates the central room.
The exterior walls are 2.11 metres thick. The building was designed as a strongbox for the books, with serious thermal insulation. The oak shelving isn't just decoration: the wood is dense, hard, and has a scent that keeps insects away. And there's another detail that sets this library apart from all others: two colonies of bats have lived here for more than two and a half centuries. They go out at night, eat the insects that would eat the books, and return before dawn. At the end of each day, staff cover the tables with leather cloths to protect them from droppings. The solution is as old as the building.
what you'll find
- three Baroque rooms with gilded carving against black, red and green backgrounds
- 60,000 volumes from the 16th to 18th centuries, still available for research
- walls 2.11 metres thick, designed as a book strongbox
- two bat colonies living inside, part of the preservation system
