The Royal Library – Secrets of 35 corvinas in the light of facsimiles, pictures, scripts and videos

The library of Hungarian King Matthias Hunyadi (1458-1490), known in its time as the Bibliotheca Corvina or Bibliotheca Augusta, was the first royal Renaissance-era library in Europe north of the Alps. The legendary richness and beauty of the library represented both the king’s power and the legitimacy of his reign.

Contained within the Bibliotheca Corvina were 2,000 volumes that represented the whole of knowledge and literature considered valuable at the time, from the perspective of a humanist. Included were works of classic authors, Church Fathers, and contemporary writers.  Its codices were acquired from Italy, mainly from Florence, or made in Buda. Volumes once belonging to Hungarian science lovers also made their way to the Royal Library.

This splendid collection was kept in a richly decorated library in the royal palace, near the chapel and throne-room. In keeping with their royal setting, volumes were bound in gilded leather or colored velvet, with King Matthias’s coat-of-arms painted on the covers of codices.

The Royal Library was destroyed during the Turkish conquests of 1526 and 1541.  During the occupation of Buda in 1541, part of the collection was taken to Istanbul. Only those volumes that were taken to Western Europe before the conquests now survive. There are currently 216 authentic corvinas known to exist, 53 of which can be found in Hungary. Thirty-five corvinas are kept in National Széchényi Library.

Visitors to the exhibition can develop an appreciation for the splendor and secrets of the original Royal Library through high-quality facsimiles of the 35 corvinas, photographs of the codices, and detailed captions.

Help us to display and preserve the original corvinas, Hungary’s National Treasure!

Please, consider a donation toward the purchase of climate-controlled display cases that would make it possible to safely display these important historical manuscripts at all times, for the benefit of all Hungarians and in support of our Cultural Heritage.

Yes, I would like to help National Széchényi Library preserve and display the corvinas!

Your kind donations are expected to be transferred to the following bank account number:
Bank: K&H Bank
SWIFT/BIC Code: OKHBHUHB
IBAN: HU88 1020-0823-2221-5673-0000-0000
Account Holder: Corvina Foundation
Thank you for your generous support of National Széchényi Library.

Venue: National Széchényi Library, H-1014 Budapest, Buda Castle "F" Building
The exhibition can be visited between June 6 and September 27, 2015
Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Admission is free!
Sponsored by the Corvina Foundation

You are very welcome at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on June 5, at 2 p.m., in the National Relic exhibition space on Floor 5.