João Paulo II University Library celebrates the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luís de Camões

This exhibition dedicated to the renowned Portuguese poet serves a dual purpose: celebrate his vast body of work and its cultural impact, and also make some of his special collections known to the academic community.

Among the documents selected for this exhibition is a manuscript by Manuel Severim de Faria, possibly dating from the late 16th or early 17th century, which is part of the Library's special funds - the Reis Brasil Fund - and is a very important source of information, due to the significant contribution it makes to the biographical study of the Poet.

Manuel Severim de Faria (1583-1655) was a Portuguese priest, canon of the cathedral of Évora, with the ecclesiastical functions of chantry. As a man of humanities and a scholar, he published several works, including biographies of João de Barros, Diogo de Couto and Luís de Camões. With regard to the life of Camões, Manuel Severim de Faria wrote a manuscript entitled "Vida de Luis de Camões, Príncipe dos Poetas" (Life of Luis de Camões, Prince of Poets), which is in the custody of BUJPII and will be on display at this exhibition. According to Reis Brasil, who studied the manuscript, it is one of the most "legendary monuments erected to the memory of the most excellent poet in all of Lusitania, the super-epic among all epics." (Reis Brasil, A Vida de Camões, p. 18).

In addition, there will be Camões works belonging to other BUJPII Special Old Book Funds, with editions from the 17th to the 19th century, namely the Martins de Carvalho Fund, the Göerres Scientific Society Fund, the António Sardinha Fund and the Eduardo Coelho Fund.

The celebrations of the 5th centenary of Camões are also taking place in other libraries of the UCP Library Network: in the Paraíso Library, of the Porto Regional Centre with the exhibition “Camoniana: the presence of Camões in the estate of Maestro Manuel Ivo Cruz”, and in the D. José Pedro da Silva Library, of the Viseu Regional Centre with another exhibition entitled “Commemoration of the 5th Centenary of the Birth of Luís de Camões”.