More than 9000 works that shape the way we think
Library of Humanistic Studies
How it all began
The begin of a great history
In 2008, the Bank acquired from the family of professor José Vitorino de Pina Martins (1920-2010) he's private library. Over decades of intense academic labor at home and abroad, Professor Pina Martins brought together one of Portugal's most important bibliographical collections. Professionally he promoted the study of the Renaissance's book and its texts.
The Collection in numbers
Included in this library are about 1100 rare books from which stands out the 8 incunabula, the 90 works printed by the humanist Aldo Manuzio and his successors, the 600 titles printed in the 16th century. The remaining bibliography of about 8600 volumes serves as a support for the study of classical texts and their themes.
About the Works
By the hand of great thinkers
It includes a collection of writings, formulated by great thinkers and authors as Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Poliziano, Marsilio Ficino, Erasmus of Rotterdam and Sir Thomas More. Regarding Portuguese Humanism, the focus is on the issues related to the Discoveries, which are reflected in the works of Luis de Camões, André de Resende, Damião de Góis, Luís António Verney, Francisco de Sá de Miranda and Bernardim Ribeiro.
Manuscripts and iconography
Noteworthy are the manuscripts of royal letters from kings Afonso V (1432-1481) and Manuel I (1469-1521), the inventories of the House of Tapada, built in 1540 by Francisco de Sá de Miranda (1481-1558), and even the archival funds of scholars Francisco Marques de Sousa Viterbo (1845-1910) and Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcelos (1851-1925).
Main characteristics
Humanism and Renaissance in focus
A collection of bibliographic works that cover Humanism and Renaissance topics, in particular the History of Book, its materiality, reading habits, circulation of ideas and values, formulated by some of the great European thinkers.
The Library of Humanistic Studies assumes itself as a proper place for study, researchers' meetings and a place to sharing love stories regarding rare books.
Partnerships to share the heritage
The Library of Humanistic Studies is now deposit at the Faculdade de Letras of the Lisbon University (FLUL). This protocol allows the complete collection of the Library of Humanistic Studies of Pina Martins to be the subject of study and investigation.
