Music and Culture

The St. Francis Library is located in the great hall on the southern side of the Basilica of the same name and forms the western side of the cloister known as the “Cloister of the Dead”. It was built in the 13th century as the convent’s “old” refectory and, in the following century, was frescoed by Francesco da Rimini with scenes from the life of Christ and of Saint Francis.

After the ecclesiastical suppressions of the Napoleonic era, the refectory became part of the customs house and was used as a salt warehouse. This use, together with centuries of neglect, caused severe damage to the paintings, of which only a few fragments remain today, displayed in the Basilica’s transept. After the 20th-century restoration, the space was granted for use to the Franciscan religious community, and we moved here the library collection rebuilt after a further confiscation following the 1866 suppression (this time under the Kingdom of Italy). The collection was formed through the transfer of the small libraries of several convents in the region, as well as through donations and purchases on the antiquarian market. It currently holds 221 manuscripts, 32 incunabula, 224 sixteenth-century editions, and about 40,000 items including volumes, pamphlets, journal issues and so-called “grey literature”.

Over the years, the collection has specialized in Franciscan studies, art and music. The music section is centered on a group of original scores by the composer, theorist and teacher Father Giambattista Martini (1706–1784), as well as by his pupil—his successor as choirmaster of the San Francesco musical chapel and heir—Father Stanislao Mattei (1750–1825), and others, for a total of about 3,000 handwritten scores, 800 of which are autograph manuscripts. Recently, the holdings have been enriched with the works of Father Albino Varotti (1925–2018). The Library also preserves the archive of the “Fabbriceria di San Francesco” which, under the guidance of Alfonso Rubbiani (1948–1913), oversaw the restoration of the church itself from 1880 to 1932.

A 13th-century panel Crucifix, attributed to the so-called “Master of the Franciscan Crucifixes” (or “Master of the Blue Crucifix”), is also displayed in the hall. It originally belonged to the Church of San Francesco, later entered the state-owned collections, and is now on deposit here from the National Art Gallery of Bologna. Since 2021, the Library has also hosted the Officina San Francesco Bologna, which promotes activities in the fields of art and architecture, literature and philosophy, music, and the history of Franciscanism.

Available in the online catalogue:

• 16th-century editions, largely recorded in Edit16 (https://edit16.iccu.sbn.it/en-US/);
• Manuscripts and musical editions, largely included in SBN (https://opac.sbn.it/en-US/);
• Musical manuscripts, largely recorded in RISM (https://rism.info/).

Available in print catalogues (manuscripts and early printed editions):

• Biblioteca di San Francesco dei Frati Minori Conventuali, edited by Mario Fanti, Florence, L. S. Olschki, 1990, 135 pp. (Inventari dei manoscritti delle biblioteche d’Italia. Opera fondata dal prof. Giuseppe Mazzantini, 106);
• La Biblioteca del Convento di San Francesco di Bologna. Incunaboli e cinquecentine. Catalogo, edited by Gino Zanotti, entries by Zita Zanardi, Bologna, A. Forni, 2007, 271 pp.

Available in print catalogues (music collection):

• Biblioteca del Convento di S. Francesco di Bologna. Catalogo del fondo musicale, edited by Gino Zanotti, 2 vols., Bologna, Forni, 1970 (Bibliotheca musica Bononiensis. Sez. 6, 3): vol. 1: Le edizioni, 324 pp.; vol. 2: I manoscritti, 394 pp.;
• Biblioteca del Convento di S. Francesco di Bologna. Catalogo del fondo musicale. Appendice. Manoscritti-edizioni, edited by Mariarosa Pollastri, Bologna, Forni, 1984, 124 pp. (Bibliotheca musica Bononiensis. Sez. 1, 20);
• Biblioteca del Convento di S. Francesco di Bologna. Catalogo musicale Fondo Nuovo (FN). Manoscritti, edizioni, edited by Mariarosa Pollastri, Bologna, A. Forni, 2006, 172 pp. (Bibliotheca musica Bononiensis. Sez. 1, 24).