Mateu’s passion

With its seasoned wooden bookshelves that line the long walls from ceiling to floor, with the spines of tens of thousands of vintage books and manuscripts in multiple rows and with its subtle, low-level lighting, the feeling that the visitor gets when entering the Peralada Castle Library is above all one of warmth.

The library also exudes the weight of history that goes back to before the mid 19th century when the Rocabertí family took on the challenge of restoring the old Carmel convent, which had previously been abandoned during the years of the Spanish confiscation. Thus the origins of today’s library were laid and it initially stocked the family’s private book collection.

Yet the person who can take most credit for turning the library into what it is today was Miquel Mateu, a passionate collector who dedicated himself body and soul to collecting history books, literature, early pamphlets and manuscripts, and also a rich bibliography of books about the local areas of Girona and Empordà.

Nevertheless, the book collection that has become the jewel in the crown of the castle’s library is the Cervantes archive, which boasts more than 5,000 volumes, and includes both works written by Cervantes himself and books about the great Spanish writer. It is a unique collection that provides a genuine treasure trove for Cervantes scholars.

The library also contains rare and curious tomes from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the one chosen by Inés Padrosa, the Peralada Castle librarian, who has dedicated 40 years in the service of this temple of books in the heart of the Empordà region.

Feature Culture and heritage

History of the Successors of Alexander the Great

Year: 1570

Printer: Appresso Francesco Ziletti, Venice