San Giorgio
in Poggiale

The Library’s patrimony comprises 100,000 books, of which about 60,000 form part of archives, acquisitions, bequests or donations. It largely consists of volumes about local art and history.
In alphabetical order, the archives are Ambrosini, Boschetto, Castagnetti, Grazia, Puzzarini, Sassoli, and Silvani. At the end of the 1980s, an additional historical nucleus of antique and modern texts, formed around 1837 (the date of establishment of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna), was added to the Collection.

The newspaper and periodical Collection includes various titles dating from the end of the XVIII century to the present day: from the 18^th-century Gazzetta di Bologna and the 19^th-century Il caffè di Petronio right up to current-day newspapers and periodicals.

The photo archive contains about 60,000 items, organised into different archives. The history of the photographic archive began in the first half of the last century when the Curator of the Collections of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna realised the importance of acquiring documents that could testify to the urban transformation of Bologna after the enactment of the city planning act in 1889. The acquisition of Pietro Poppi’s archive, composed of approximately 3,000 photo plates, dates back to 1940.
The other archives, in alphabetical order, are the Fantini, Fototecnica Bolognese, Leonotti, Mengoli, Michelini, and Romagnoli.

Public Services (by appointment):

• Consultation of books, periodicals, and other materials
• Reproduction of parts of some works
• Loan service

Via Nazario Sauro 20/2, Bologna

The Library is accessible for consultation only by reservation by writing an email to biblioteca@genusbononiae.it.
For any information please call +39 051 19936338 (Mon-Fri, 9.00am-1.00pm and 2.30am-4.00pm)

The Church of San Giorgio in Poggiale, of ancient Longobard origin, was planned and realised from 1589 to 1633 by the architect Tommaso Martelli and then transferred to the priests of the Servite Order until 1798. The name of the Library derives from the street in which it is located (today, Via Nazario Sauro), known as Via del Poggiale until 1919.
In 1797, following the Napoleonic suppressions, the Church was assigned as a subsidiary to the Chapel of Saints Gregorio and Siro.
In 1882, the church was given to the Jesuits, who remained there until the structure was partially destroyed during an aerial bombardment on 25 September 1943. After being deconsecrated and deprived of its artwork, the Church was set to be demolished between 1959 and 1962.

Acquired by the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, it underwent careful restoration and was reopened to the public in 2009 as a library housing the extensive literary heritage of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna.

San Giorgio in Poggiale hosts significant contemporary works of art, including Campo dei Fiori and the monumental Delocazione, both by Claudio Parmiggiani, and Piero Pizzi Cannella’s Cattedrale cycle.

Curated by architect Michele De Lucchi, the library also serves as a venue for exhibitions and cultural events, in addition to being open to the public by appointment for material consultation and lending services.