The Archbishop of Milan, Monsignor Mario Delpini, has appointed Professor Andrea Canova as the new president of the Congregation of the Conservators of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
Professor Andrea Canova takes office today, October 20, 2025, succeeding Professor Lorenzo Ornaghi, and will serve a five-year term.
The Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which is set to close 2025 with over 400,000 visitors, confirms its role as a cultural reference point in Milan and internationally.
Born in Mantua in 1967, Canova has been president of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the Università Cattolica del S. Cuore since 2022. He is a full member of the Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana of Mantua and a corresponding resident member of the Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere of Milan. He is a member of the board of directors of the Matteo Maria Boiardo Study Center in Scandiano; of the scientific committee for the edition of the Works of Matteo Maria Boiardo; of the scientific committee of the journals “StEFI. Studi di erudizione e di filologia italiana” and “L’Ellisse. Studi storici di letteratura italiana”; of the scientific council of the series “Biblioteca italiana testi e studi (BITeS)” (Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, Rome); and co-editor of the “Nuova rivista di letteratura italiana.” He directs the series “Classici della letteratura” (Literary Classics) for the Morcelliana-Scholè publishing house. Since 2021, he has directed the Documentation and Research Center “Raccolte Storiche dell’Università Cattolica di Brescia.”
In addition to numerous articles in scientific journals, he has published annotated editions of the Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo by Antonio Pigafetta, Padua, 1999 (recently translated into Spanish: Pamplona 2023), of the anonymous chivalric novel Falconetto (Mantua, 2001), of Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo (Milan, 2011) and the volume Dispersioni. Cultura letteraria a Mantova tra Medio Evo e Umanesimo, Milan, 2017.
“It is a great honor to take on this role in an institution to which my scholarly journey owes so much. The legacy of memory and beauty preserved by the Ambrosiana must continue to be one of the beating hearts of a Milan capable of transmitting culture and welcoming women and men united by a desire for knowledge. This vocation, which dates directly back to its founder, Cardinal Federico Borromeo, becomes even more important in times like ours, which see the return of painful and unresolved divisions from past experiences.
In undertaking this task, I know I can count on the invaluable support of the renewed Congregation of Conservators and of the entire Ambrosiana. My profound gratitude goes to His Excellency Monsignor Mario Delpini and the College of Doctors who chose me, and to Professor Lorenzo Ornaghi, my former Rector at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, who preceded me in the position.” comments Andrea Canova.
The Congregation of Conservators of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana has been re-elected for a new five-year term, and along with the appointment of the President, a new member of the Congregation of Conservators was appointed: Gianandrea Perco.
The Congregation of Conservators includes: Federico Borromeo, Mario Romano Negri, Antonella Occhino, Giovanni Raimondi, and Monsignor Marco Maria Navoni, Prefect. The Secretary General of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana is Antonello Grimaldi.
From 18.00 to 19.30 (last admission) entrance to the Art Gallery and Crypt at the special price of €3.00
