GVA Biblioteca Valenciana Nicolau Primitiu

The former Monastery San Miguel de Los Reyes is now a library. Although it's located quite a way from the centre, it may well be one of your favourite impressions of Valencia. It is a spectacular complex in Renaissance style, where you can wonder between the tranquil arches of the inner yard. The church in the centre is the second highest (41 m) in Valencia after the Cathedral, with amazing interior of coloured alabaster. Normally, you can only view the outside and walk around the yard of the South wing. By having a guided tour you can also view the North wing, the church and the crypt.

Guided tours
The only way to see the whole of monastery is by guided tour. At other times you are allowed only to the exterior and the inner yard of the South wing.
Guided tours: Sat and Sun at 12.00 and 13.00. Duration 45 min, free of charge. No reservation needed, just wait at the entrance to the South wing. For a minimum of 5 persons a tour can also booked for a Tuesday, at 10am, 11am and 12pm.

History
The monastery as we know it was built in 1546 by Fernando of Aragon (whose tomb is inside) for the monasterial orden of Santo Geronimo. There was a smaller monastery of XIII century on this site before, in turn built on the ruins of a Moorish mosque of XI century. Some of those remains can be viewed in the North wing (accessible with a guided tour only). The monastery kept functioning until 1879, when it was converted into a prison. During the Franco regime it became a political prison. These days it is a conservation library (not the one where you come to borrow books, but where valuable historic documents are kept and restored).

Digitalization
In order to provide a wide diffusion for the rich Valencian bibliographical heritage, in 2002, our Generalitat, through the Biblioteca Valenciana, started a digitalization project called Biblioteca Valenciana Digital (BIVALDI). From incunabula to manuscripts, from books of local customs and manners to Valencian literary classics, from historical monographs to regional law treatises, the digitalization of all these works and their inclusion in BIVALDI allows free and optimum access to readers from all over the world. BIVALDI also has transcriptions, translations, bibliographies, special studies on the digitalized works and their printers, author biographies, etc.