Bibilothèque Mazarine

Cardinal Mazarin (1602-61), who took over after Cardinal Richelieu, more or less governed France during the young years of Louis XIV. The future “Sun King” was only five, when his dad, Louis XIII died in 1643 and Mazarin became the co-ruler alongside the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria.

Mazarin was a great collector. He also created a personal library, more based on a wish for knowledge and the spreading of knowledge than for anything else. His first collection was dispersed when he for a while had to leave Paris for political reasons (“La Fronde”), but on his return he immediately began a second one – of course helped by librarians. Already during his lifetime it was made available to “public” (scholars) and at his death it was bequeathed to the “Collège des Quatre-Nations” (College of the Four Nations), which he had wished to create. The name referred to his desire to open a college for students from the territories (the nations) which recently had come under French rule through the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

 

The college (with Louis le Vau as architect) was built facing the Louvre. The construction work started the year after Mazarin’s death, in 1662, and the building stood ready in 1688. Before that, in 1682, the Mazarin library had been transferred to the eastern wing of the building, using elements from his own library, in addition to all the books and other items.  A few years after the Revolution the building was given to the “Institut de France”, grouping five academies, the most well-known of course being the “Académie Française”. The library became really public, the oldest public one in France. It contained already some 60 thousand volumes (today ten times more), several thousands of the first printed books (second half of the 15^th century), including one of the 48 surviving original Gutenberg Bibles.

So today, the “Bibiliothèque Mazarine” is still there, open to public, and it still occupies the eastern wing of the building, the rest being occupied by the academies.

Mazarin’s tomb is under the cupola of the building, originally a chapel, but today especially known as the place where the Academies hold their public meetings.

On my way to the library, I crossed the Louvre, a warm day, when some people were happy to let their feet be freshened by the water in the basin, surrounding the Pyramid. I stopped listening to some very talented musicians, including two young opera singers.

Reaching the “Pont des Arts”, with the "Institut" and the library in the background, I could notice that there are more padlocks than ever.

Once in the inside court, you have two facing facades, one being the “Institut de France”, the other one the “Bibliotheca a Fundatore Mazarinea”.

The entrance stairs, as they look today, were added during the 19^th century. You can find the bust of Mazarin.

You may notice the pieces of green cloth, put there to protect against dust.

 

Some “details” include a beautiful early 18th century clock, perfectly working, Over one of the doors, you can see the arms of the Cardinal, of course with the cardinal hat, the “galero” on top...

...and some nice golden ceiling lamps. The little angel holding a chess tower indicates that they once belonged to Madame de Pompadour.