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Collection
The Old Library collection consists of almost 8,000 volumes comprised of printed books and manuscripts, written or published between the 15th and 19th centuries.
It is one of the few surviving libraries of the many colleges, convents and monasteries which were situated in the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve area of Paris until the end of the 18th century.
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Content and history
If the Old Library room has been fantastically well preserved, the original library collection was entirely lost during the French Revolution.
In 1805, Napoleon issued a Consular Decree consolidating the former Irish, English and Scots foundations and colleges in Paris into the Irish College. Books came to the Collège des Irlandais from these suppressed seminaries, and the new collection was then completed with books from the “dépôts littéraires parisiens”.
This Old Library collection is now a closed collection. It consists of almost 8,000 volumes comprising printed books and manuscripts, half of which were written or published between the 15th and 18th centuries. The main themes of the collection are theology, history, geography, philosophy and music. Further historical details.
In 1805, Napoleon issued a Consular Decree consolidating the former Irish, English and Scots foundations and colleges in Paris into the Irish College. Books came to the Collège des Irlandais from these suppressed seminaries, and the new collection was then completed with books from the “dépôts littéraires parisiens”.
This Old Library collection is now a closed collection. It consists of almost 8,000 volumes comprising printed books and manuscripts, half of which were written or published between the 15th and 18th centuries. The main themes of the collection are theology, history, geography, philosophy and music. Further historical details.
Volumes with decorations
A number of books in the collection contain different types of decorations such as engravings, frontispieces, illustrations, lithographs, maps, photographs, plates, portraits or other decorations.
Click on each of the terms above to see the list of relevant books.
Restoration
The collection was catalogued for the first time in the 1970s by Monsieur Maurice Caillet, former Inspector General of Libraries, to whom we are greatly indebted. Two distinct periods were identified: works from prior to 1812, mainly in Latin, and works dating from later than 1812, in English and French. His typed catalogue was of immeasurable assistance in the development of a complete online catalogue.
A major preservation project was undertaken from 2006 to 2012 involving dusting of all the books, restoration of more than 2,000 bindings and the improvement of environmental conditions.
More recently, 200 books (manuscripts or printed books) have been digitized and are available to all online, free of charge. Each year, the CCI works with international scholars on old books exhibitions, on site and online.
