The Library on the Middle Floor

The building of the Joanine Library consists of three floors, which house nearly 56,000 works dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, written in multiple languages. For security reasons, the most important works are now kept in the vault of the General Library. The Main Floor, located at the level of the University Courtyard, is the most famous, given its grandeur and brilliance, which contrast with the austerity of the Middle Floor. On the latter, it is possible to appreciate in detail the arcades and two large square pillars. It is also worth noting the great thickness of the walls (the outer ones are 2.11m thick), which contributes to a greater stability of the interior temperature. In the upper half of the room, one can still recognise the marks engraved in the stones by the workers, which functioned as proof of the service rendered.

The Middle Floor served as support to the academic prison guards and, in the 19th century, it may have been used as housing by teachers and students. More recently, it was occupied by librarians dedicated to the Old Book, meanwhile transferred to the building of the General Library of the University of Coimbra, in front of the Faculty of Arts, to allow the opening of the whole building of the Joanine Library to tourists. Thus, since the end of 2010, the Middle Floor has been accessible to the public, and is equipped with low shelves that house almost 12,500 volumes, along more than five hundred metres of shelving. This floor also hosts temporary exhibitions. The interior connection to the Main Floor, by means of a staircase, was only built at the end of the 19th century.