The National Library of Chile () is the
national library of
Chile. It is located on the
Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins in
Santiago, in a building completed in 1925, though its history reaches to the early nineteenth century before it was relocated to its current home.
History
The Biblioteca Nacional is, together with the
Instituto Nacional and a small number of institutions, one of the first institutions created by the newly formed Republic of Chile in the
Patria Vieja
Patria Vieja (, ) refers to a time period in the History of Chile occurring between the First Junta of the Government (September 18, 1810) and the Disaster of Rancagua (October 1, 1814). In this period, Chilean measures were taken for the impri ...
period. In the newspaper ''
El Monitor Araucano
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...
'', a ''Proclama de Fundación'' ("Proclamation of Foundation") of the Biblioteca Nacional was published on August 19, 1813. With this vision, a call was made to all the citizens to submit their books for the formation of one great public library.
As with other republican institutions, the library was closed after the
Disaster of Rancagua, in which the national troops were defeated by the army of the ''
realistas''. With the victorious
Battle of Chacabuco, it was reopened and supported by the government, and started to receive important collections. The
Supreme Director of Chile
The Supreme Director of Chile was the head of state and government of Chile following the independence from Spain in 1810, until 1826. Several List of Government Juntas of Chile, juntas also ruled the country during this period.
List
;Political pa ...
,
Bernardo O'Higgins, named professor
Manuel de Salas
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
as the first director of the Biblioteca Nacional. In 1822 Friar
Camilo Henríquez
Friar José Camilo Henríquez González (; July 29, 1769 in Valdivia, Chile – March 16, 1825 in Santiago de Chile) was a priest, author, politician, and is considered an intellectual antecedent to and founding father of the Republic of Chile ...
(director of the ''
Aurora de Chile
The ''Aurora de Chile'' (English: ''Dawn of Chile'') was the first periodical in Chilean history and mostly dealt with politics and political philosophy. It was in print from Thursday, February 13, 1812, to Thursday, April 1, 1813, at which point i ...
'' newspaper) was named as the second head librarian.
Since its creation, the library had been a dependency of the
Universidad de San Felipe
The Royal University of San Felipe ( es, Real Universidad de San Felipe) was a university created by King Philip V in 1738, in territory which was then part of the Kingdom of Spain. It was officially founded in Santiago in 1747 and began teachin ...
and its successor, the
Universidad de Chile, until it gained autonomy in 1852. In 1913, upon its 100th anniversary, the Biblioteca Nacional acquired the ''Monasterio de Santa Clara'', located on the Alameda de las Delicias on present-day
Cerro Santa Lucía. At the creation in 1929, the library was made into a dependency of the ''
Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos''.
Location
Since 1925, Biblioteca Nacional has been situated in the centre of
Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...
. It was formerly located in the square where now stands the ''Teatro Municipal de Santiago'' (
Municipal Theater of Santiago
The Teatro Municipal, National Opera of Chile is the most important stage theatre and opera house in Santiago, Chile.
History and overview
The Chilean government ceded a significant parcel of land in downtown Santiago to the municipality, in 184 ...
).
Construction of the present building began in 1913. It was commissioned as one of the commemorative public works in honour of the first
centenary
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at ...
of the independence of Chile. The building boasts an imposing façade of columns and arches, of very pronounced French
neoclassical influence. The library shares its building with the
Archivo Nacional de Chile
The ''National Archives of Chile'' (Spanish: ) is a public organization of the Chilean state, created in 1927 with the goal to "''collect and conserve the archives of the Departments of State and all the documents and manucsrpits related to the ...
(the National Archive). Adjoining the building is the
Santa Lucía metro station, and to the east is
Cerro Santa Lucía.
The interior, spread out over two main levels and a basement, has been embellished and decorated with carved marble staircases, sculptures and paintings from some of the country's classic artists, such as
Alfredo Helsby
Alfredo Helsby Hazell (22 July 1862, Valparaíso – 24 July 1933, Santiago de Chile) was a Chilean landscape painter of English ancestry. He was also an avid promoter of what is now known as alternative medicine.
Biography
He was the son of T ...
and
Arturo Gordon Arturo is a Spanish and Italian variant of the name Arthur.
People
* Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1985), American-born Salvadoran footballer
* Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1959), Mexican footballer
*Arthuro Henrique Bernhardt (b. 1982), B ...
.
Collections
The Biblioteca Nacional has an extensive and valuable collection of books and manuscripts. Several of these were acquired from or donated by their owners, making up an important national historical treasure. The most important collections include:
See also
*
List of national libraries
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
*
Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts
The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts ( es, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes or ), located in Santiago, Chile, is one of the major centers for Chilean art and for broader South American art. Established in 1880 (making it the oldest in South Am ...
*
*
Biblioteca de Santiago
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Library buildings completed in 1925
Buildings and structures in Santiago
Libraries in Chile
Chile
Tourist attractions in Santiago, Chile
Education in Santiago, Chile
World Digital Library partners
National Monuments of Chile
Deposit libraries