Introduction

The Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV) has opened the Alfonso López Quintás Reading Room, a new space in its library dedicated to housing the personal book collection of the Spanish philosopher and priest.

The inauguration was attended by Alfonso López Quintás, a philosopher and recipient of an honorary doctorate from UFV, who has donated his personal book collection to the university as part of his intellectual legacy. The room is part of the new UFV library, located within the Library & College Building, serving as a space for study but also as a resource center for researchers interested in 20th-century philosophical thought.

The value of a library built up over a lifetime

During the ceremony, López Quintás spoke about the origins and sentimental value of his collection, which consists of items he acquired during his studies in Germany. He recalled his time at the University of Munich and his connection to Romano Guardini, whose complete works are part of the donated collection. “When I told him I was committing myself for life to preserving his work, he replied, ‘Really?’ I answered, ‘Of course.’ Finally, he said to me, ‘Then I’ll give you all my works so you can publish them in Spain,’” the philosopher recalled.

The collection has been donated to the UFV with the aim of preserving and disseminating the key elements of his philosophical thought. It contains hundreds of volumes related to schools of thought such as personalism, dialogical philosophy, and contemporary hermeneutics, some of which include handwritten notes by the author himself.

IMG_9025-300x200 Alfonso López Quintás’s living legacy now has its own space at the Francisco de Vitoria University Library | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Alfonso López Quintás during his remarks at the opening ceremony for the hall named after him

The first space at UFV dedicated to an intellectual leader

This space is the first that UFV has dedicated to one of its intellectual leaders.

The university president, Daniel Sada, attended the event alongside faculty members, academic officials, and representatives from the López Quintás Foundation and the School of Thought and Creativity.

IMG_8982-300x200 Alfonso López Quintás’s living legacy now has its own space at the Francisco de Vitoria University Library | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Daniel Sada greets Alfonso López Quintás during the opening ceremony of the Alfonso López Quintás Gallery.

A legacy for the present and the future

Ignacio Pou, director of the López Quintás Institute at UFV, noted that this room represents a gesture of gratitude and commitment to an intellectual tradition focused on dialogue and universal values, and that it is already in use—“a space that is already active, where students spend many hours studying.” He also highlighted the role of the collection as a tool for revitalizing Christian and European culture.

IMG_9005baja-300x200 Alfonso López Quintás’s living legacy now has its own space at the Francisco de Vitoria University Library | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Ignacio Pou during his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Alfonso López Quintás Hall

Management and Access for the Academic Community

The UFV Library will be responsible for managing the collection in collaboration with the López Quintás Institute. The university has announced that these materials will be available for consultation and research, allowing for a deeper exploration of the work of one of the most influential thinkers in the UFV’s educational mission. The Alfonso López Quintás Reading Room has been conceived as an open space where the author’s intellectual legacy and the university’s educational mission will coexist. The UFV has thus reaffirmed its commitment to integrating the legacy of its teachers into the academic and cultural development of its students.