In a new Taschen book, the Italian photographer Massimo Listri travels around the world to some of the oldest libraries, revealing a treasure trove of unique and imaginative architecture.

Central photo: Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Photograph: Massimo Listri/Taschen

Stiftsbibliothek Admont, Admont, Austria

 

The world’s largest monastery library was built in 1776 and is known for its Baroque architecture, art and manuscripts.

 

Biblioteca do Convento de Mafra, Mafra, Portugal

 

This library is 88 metres long and the bookshelves contain more than 36,000 leather-bound volumes

 

Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland

 

This is the largest library in Ireland and is the permanent home to the Book of Kells

 

Biblioteca Statale Oratoriana dei Girolamini, Naples, Italy

 

The oldest library in Naples which has been open to the public since 1566

 

Stiftsbibliothek Kremsmünster, Kremsmünster, Austria

 

This monastery library was built between 1680 and 1689 and contains about 160,000 volumes

 

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

This institution was founded in 1837 by a group of Portuguese immigrants to promote culture amongst the Portuguese community

 

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen, St Gallen, Switzerland

 

The oldest library in Switzerland is also one of the earliest and most important monastic libraries in the world

 

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, France

 

This library contains more than 2m documents and was the inspiration for the Boston Public Library

 

Rijksmuseum, Research Library, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

 

Established in 1885, it is the largest public art history research library in the Netherlands

 

Strahovská Knihovna, Prague, Czech Republic

 

The library boasts two grand baroque halls but visitors are unable to go inside them: it was found that fluctuations in humidity could affect the paintings

 

Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portugal

 

It is one of only two libraries in the world that houses bats to protect the books against insects

The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries is published by Taschen

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