Laurenziana, Bibliotheca

Library in Florence, opened in 1571. It was built to house the valuable collection of books and manuscripts founded by Cosimo de' Medici and enlarged by other members of the Medici family in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Among the library's 10,000 manuscripts are some of the most important surviving classical texts, including a 5th-century copy of works by the Roman poet Virgil, and the oldest-known complete Latin Bible, the 8th-century Codex Amiatinus.

The library building was designed by Michelangelo for Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) in 1523 in the cloisters of the church of San Lorenzo and includes such features as a carved ceiling, mosaic floor, and carved benches all made to Michelangelo's designs. The library's staircase was completed by Bartolommeo Ammanati and Giorgio Vasari in 1559.

In 1808 the Medici library at the convent of San Marco was combined with the Laurenziana to form the present Bibliotheca Medicea Laurenziana.