The Communal Sperellian Library derives its name from the Bishop of Gubbio, Alessandro Sperelli (1589 - 1672) who, in 1666, donated his library with about 7000 volumes to the city, with the desire of increasing the cultural level among the population , especially the younger citizens, of the city of Gubbio.
Our library is therefore one of the first public libraries. It was immediately organized and the canon Pier Francesco Tondi was the first librarian.

A few years later (1684) with the death of Vincenzo Armanni, an expert in storical and literary research work in our city, his whole patrimony of books and documents was destined to the library.
In the middle of the 1800's, the great number of volumes (about 9000) needed an accurate filing, of which Francesco Tondi took charge, drafting two indexes: one for the subject, and one for the author.
In the meantime other famous eugubinians, during the 19th century, left their collections of books to the Sperellian library. As in the case of Luigi Ranghiasci, Luigi Bonfatti, Alessandro Mantovani, Pietro and Oderigi Lucarelli.
In the beginning of the 1900 the manuscripts of Armanni, Bonfatti and Lucarelli were sent to the Storical archives of the Commune, so presently in the Library there are only printed books.
In 1974 the Sperellian library left its old seat (Palazzo del Commune) and was transferred to the monumental complex of the ex convent of Santo Spirito.
In the sector of antique works, there were many theological and religious works coming from libraries of the Bishop Sperelli and from collections of religios institutions which were closed, but there are not even greek or latin texts missing, which proves the large humanistic culture which was present in Gubbio during the period of Montefeltro.
The presence of medical texts is also very remarkable, especially from the period 1500, when Gubbio saw professionists like Girolamo Accoromboni growing professionally, who was also personal physician of two popes (Leone X, Clemente VII) and Baldo Angelo Abati, physician of Francesco Maria II Della Rovere. The bibliographical patrimony of 1600 and successive centuries is very remarkable, and therefore the Sperellian library now contains 55 000 volumes. At the library it is possible to consult texts, read them and borrow modern texts.

Address: Via Cairoli, 1
Tel. 075/9272298
e-mail: comune.gubbio.biblio@infoservice.it