Biblioteca comunale e Archivio storico di Gallipoli

Gallipoli's municipal library and historical archive occupy the former Oratorio dell'Immacolata dei Nobili, an eighteenth-century building with an ornate interior.

Why it matters

The institution preserves books, manuscripts and municipal records that document Gallipoli's religious, civic and commercial history. Its collections include materials from suppressed monasteries and records of the port's role in the oil trade.

What to notice

The former oratory has stuccoes and reliefs associated with the workshop of Mauro Manieri, with a double-ramp staircase leading to the library rooms. The collections include the city's 'Libri Rossi' of privileges and diplomas, manuscripts, incunabula and the series known as 'La voce degli olii', recording oil prices between 1789 and 1821. The historical archive occupies the church of Sant'Angelo below.

Context and history

The public library began with a donation by canon Carmine Fontò in 1823 and expanded through later bequests and material from suppressed religious houses. It moved to the former oratory in 1987. The historical archive preserves municipal documentation from the early nineteenth century onward, while older documents are held by the State Archive of Lecce.