A former convent of the Dominicans, now a library, has been reopened and is the depository of a collection of documents of immense historical value.
Newsroom (22/08/2022 6:15 PM, Gaudium Press) The Dominican library in Colmar, France, has reopened its doors after four years of restoration.
The 14th-century medieval building was primarily a convent of the Dominicans. During the French Revolution, the building became a police station, and finally, after the Second World War, it became a library.
The library of the Dominicans’ convent is the depository of writings that tell the history of the French region of Alsace.
The library is in the former convent of the Dominicans of Colmar and houses the second largest collection of incunabula in France. Of the 400,000 documents owned by the library, 2,300 are incunabula.
Incunabula are printed works dating from the beginning of the printing press, before the year 1500.
In this way, the library of the Colmar Dominicans is second only to the National Library of France in the number of incunabula in the country.
Among the most noteworthy works is a copy of the Bible by the printer Johannes Mentel from 1460, thus one of the first books printed in Europe.
The library also holds a collection of 1,800 manuscripts, the oldest dating back to the 8th century; there are also 35,000 books from the 16th to the 18th centuries, 21,000 prints and old drawings, and 40,000 “Alsatian” documents since they are ancient or contemporary documents about the French region.
The library can be visited by the public and some works can even be borrowed. The most recent ones, of course.
Only researchers and scholars can request permission to consult the oldest works in the library.
However, the library offers a permanent exhibition of about 100 works drawn from various collections for the public to enjoy. (FM)
Compiled by Dominic Joseph
