Plantin Polyglot on display
By Barry Wright
THE ORIHUELA diocese museum of sacred art is holding an exhibition of antique books, printed from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
Taking place to commemorate World Book Day, which was on April 23, the exhibition – called ‘temples of wisdom. Orihuela seminary’s collection from the antique library’ – is open until June 1 and contains 50 books, of which the central exhibit is a copy of the Plantin Polyglot.
The book was printed under the title Biblia Polyglotta by Christopher Plantin in Antwerp between 1568 and 1573, and is referred to by the museum as a ‘monumental work’, made up of eight volumes, which is considered to be the ‘great typographic work of the 16th century’. A total of 1,213 editions of the book were printed.
The book contains the biblical content of the Complutense Polyglot Bible, the wellknown work financed by Cardinal Cisneros, written in Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and Latin. The Antwerp edition includes the Syriac Peshitta version of the Christian
Greek scriptures or New Testament, and the Aramaic Targum of Jonathan.
The exhibition of books from ‘one of the most relevant’ collections in the Valencia region, contains tomes covering many subjects, including religion and theology, philosophy, medicine, mathematics, history, literature, science and art.
The library was founded with a large initial endowment during the ecclesiastical tenure of Bishop Juan Elías Gómez de Terán (1738–1758). Later, after the expulsion of the Jesuits, it was enhanced by obtaining books from other libraries in Orihuela and Alicante.
The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00-14.00 and 16.00-19.00, and in the morning only on Sundays.
General admission is €4. The museum is situated in Orihuela cathedral, which is located on Calle Ramón y Cajal, Orihuela.