Antonio Magnani (1743-1811)

Antonio Magnani, born in 1743 in Bologna, came from an aristocratic family based in that city.  He became a Jesuit and was professor of rhetoric and humanities at Verona and Bologna.  From 1785 to 1800 he was also librarian of the Institute of Sciences in Bologna. 

He had a great love of books and built a personal library of over 25,000 volumes including many manuscripts, early printed books and fine or rare editions.  He was able to profit from the dispersal of the libraries of many religious orders during the French occupation of Italy by the Napoleonic armies.  On his death in 1811, his will bequeathed his library to the city of Bologna.  For many years the “Biblioteca Magnani” remained largely distinct from the city’s other collections.  From 1814 it was housed in the former Convent of the Dominicans.  In 1838, it moved to the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, along with various other historic collections acquired from religious orders suppressed during the Napoleonic period.