It was founded in 1448 by Pope Nicholas V as the public library of the city of Rome. The initial collection contained 350 Greek, Latin, and Hebrew volumes. The collection has grown rapidly throughout history and today the library contains 75.000 manuscripts and more than 1.1 million printed books, including 8500 incunabula. In addition, 150.000 items are stored in the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives.
The Vatican Library is a scholarly library for history, law, philosophy, science, and theology. Its collections can be used by anyone who confirms their qualifications and justifies the purpose of requesting access to the collection. The Vatican Library is headed by the Librarian of the Holy Roman Church. His office is traditionally combined with that of the Archivist of the Holy Roman Church.
