Yann Sordet, director of the Mazarine Library and the Library of the Institut de France, stated that the Mazarine Library – founded in the 17th century by Cardinal Mazarin, minister of King Louis XIV of France – is the oldest public library in the country, housing 600,000 works.
Known as France’s oldest public library, the Mazarine Library was first established in the 17th century on the right bank of Paris, the capital.
It was later moved to the left bank of the city, and today it is one of four libraries belonging to the Institut de France.
Designed as a gallery, the library stands out with its dark green and mustard yellow colors. In the central section of the gallery-like space, there are long study tables matching the building’s color scheme.
The library, whose walls are entirely lined with books from floor to ceiling, also features numerous columns and busts that draw attention.
To reach the books on the upper levels, there are long, narrow ladders used by library staff, as well as staircases accessed through hidden sections.
Sordet spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) about the history, architectural features and collections of the Mazarine Library.
Speaking about the library, Sordet said: “It is the oldest public library in France and still open to the public today.”
He noted that Cardinal Mazarin founded the library in the 17th century, initially opening it to the public on the right bank of Paris, and emphasized Mazarin’s important diplomatic and cultural role in France under King Louis XIV.
Sordet highlighted that Cardinal Mazarin developed one of the most important libraries in Western Europe at the time, consisting of around 50,000 works in the 17th century. “When he wrote his will, he very clearly stated that he wanted this library to remain open to the public,” he said.
Sordet added that today the library contains 600,000 works, which readers can access on-site, but the books are not loaned out.
He emphasized that rare works are occasionally lent abroad, to countries such as the U.S. and Italy, only for exhibitions, adding: “Here we have a significant number of extremely rare books, including many of which we preserve the only known copy in the world.”
Sordet explained that at the time of its founding, the library held works in different languages – including French, Italian, Persian, Arabic, Armenian and Hebrew – and covered various fields of knowledge. “The library left by Cardinal Mazarin in the 17th century was truly an encyclopedic and universal library,” he said.
He noted that the library’s areas of specialization narrowed in the 19th and 20th centuries. “Today, it is primarily a library specializing in French history and European history from the late Middle Ages to the 18th century,” he said.
Sordet also pointed out that people visit the Mazarine Library not only for research but also to discover it. “The Mazarine Library is also famous for its decor and architecture. Therefore, it is also a historical building that can be explored,” he said.
Emphasizing the architectural importance of the library, Sordet said: “When this library was founded in the 17th century, it was the first library in France designed in a gallery style.”
He explained that the library is structured as a large gallery, with the central section reserved for readers and the surrounding areas used for storing books. He also noted the impressive sequence of columns along the walls.
He added that in medieval France, books were typically placed on lecterns at the center of libraries and that the Mazarine Library’s design represented a completely new approach for 17th-century France.
Sordet also noted that a copy of the Gutenberg Bible was first identified in the Mazarine Library in the 18th century. “For this reason, the Gutenberg Bible was called the Mazarin Bible in the 18th and 19th centuries, because the first identified copy was preserved here,” he said.
