The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-30
+. RARE TREASURES
OLD LIBRARY AT. VINcENNEs,
lind, HOLDS PRICELESS
DOCUMENTS.

The old Cathedral at Vincennes,
Ind, and the library and museum in
connection with it contain valuable
historical treasures which are too lit
tie known to scholars Of our day.
These treasures are of special and
surprising interest to the people of
the middle western states.
The Cathedral itself, no longer the
seat of Bishops see, the see having
been transferred to Indianapolis years
ago, is impressive largely because of
it's simple dignity. In inches on it's
front stand three marble statues, one
of them representing Jeane dare, the
Maid of. Orleans. III the crypt be-
meath the Cathedral four of the early
French bishops of Vincennes are bur-
led and in the old churchyard, looking
out over the wide river, lie hundreds
of the French pioneers of the region.
Between the church and the bishops
residence stands the plain building of
| the library and museum. Among the
almost forgotten priests of the old
church is Father Pierre Gibault, who
was of great assistance to Colonel
Clark in his capture, both of Kaskas-
| kia and Nincennes. 1t was he who
persuaded the French residents to give
! their allegiance to the cause of the
Americans. His old Mass book,
printed in 1868, is one of the treasures
of the Cathedral library.
The library contains more than
10000 books and pamphlets, of which
nearly half were published before
1900. The oldest four books bear the
| dates of 1476, 1477, 1889 and 1889.
There are also wonderful hand illu-
mined and decorated missals and vel
lum manuscripts, on which patient
monks, dead now for 400 years, lavish
ed their careful art.
There are letters from the early
French missionaries who were at
work among the Indians of the west
as early as 1908 and the records of
the Vincennes parish, running back in
unbroken series as far as 1749.
Other records ON loose sheets of paper
and signed by the early French mis-
sionaries carry the story on to 1860.
Among the documents is the origi-
nal patent, engrossed on great sheet
Of parchment, and signed by King
Louis XIV of France granting to GER
tain faithful subjects and servants
most of the country now comprised in
three or four states of the union.
On other shelves are dictionaries
and Biographies published as long ago
as 1886, containing maps made by the
early French explorers of the Missis-
sippi valley which shows the queer
and incorrect ideas some of them had
of the strange new continent they had
discovered. Here also are the orig
inal. accounts of voyages made by
Champlain in 1919 and by Father Hen
ly early dates.
On the walls, one learns, hang orig
inal paintings by Guido REM and other
masters.
Until the last few years the authori-
ties of the Cathedral, even, have not
seemed to value very highly the treas
ures which they inherited. The roof
of the library building was long inse-
cure and leaky and hard rains beat
into the room and damaged many of
the books and manuscripts.
| 1t is also unfortunately true that for
years the collections have been de-
spoiled by visitors, who carried away
tprieeless Did manuscripts and. books
as casual souvenirs fofy theft calls.
Now, however, the building has been
put in good order and the most preci-
ous of the historic and artistic relics
have been locked away in glass cases.