History
The Casanatense owes its birth to Cardinal Girolamo Casanate (1620-1700) who, in addition to a bequest of money, entrusted his book collection to the Dominicans of the Convent of S. Maria sopra Minerva in Rome in his will.
Bibliographic Collection
The Library possesses about 400,000 volumes, of which about 60,000 are still contained in the ancient Monumental Hall. Within this library holdings are over 120,000 ancient printed books and more than 6,000 manuscripts.
Catalogues
The Casanatense Library has participated in the SBN Index since 1991. All of its holdings published since that date, and the previous material included in the Index over time are therefore traceable in the OPAC.
Minerva Access
The Casanatense Library adopts the Minerva Access computer system, which is able to quickly and efficiently provide booking, consultation, and loan services for the material it holds.
Digital Shelves
Thanks to the subscription to OCLC’s CONTENTdm product it is possible to access the digital collections of the Library from any device, in compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Support the Library
Through an Art Bonus donation, you can choose which of the Library’s projects to support: the restoration of precious volumes, heritage enhancement and promotion activities, or the concert season.
Public Notices
Events & Exhibitions
Editorials
Events & Exhibitions
Editorials
Creatures of the Imagination in Casanatense
by Massimiliano Albanese 16 June – 18 September 2026Imaginary creatures in book illustration.From ancient books to modern fantasy. Fictional creatures have inhabited the pages of books for centuries. The exhibition draws on a wide selection...
