The Old Cathedral Library & Museum
Indiana's First Library
General Library Information
Hours
The Old Cathedral Library & Museum is open from Memorial Day
through Labor Day, Monday through Saturday, from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Families and
groups wishing to see the Museum outside of the regular hours and/or dates
should contact the library at 812-882-7016, or the Vincennes and Knox County
Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-886-6443 or, if outside of the toll-free
calling area, 1-812-886-0400.
Location
The Old Cathedral Library & Museum is located at the rear of
the courtyard behind the Old Cathedral, at 205 Church St.
Admission
Admission to the museum is $1.00 for adults, and 50 cents for
children aged 12 and under. Those desiring admission to the library for reading
and/or research purposes should contact the library for policies and
procedures regarding reading room access.
A Brief History
The Old Cathedral Library is the oldest library in the
state of Indiana, and contains between ten and twelve thousand rare volumes. The
oldest document in the collection is a Papal Bull issued by Pope John XXII,
dated 1319. The oldest book is a 13th century illuminated manuscript volume on
vellum of the
Officium Sanctae Mariae, while the oldest book printed using movable
type is Michael de Carcano's Sermonarium
triplicatum, printed in Venice in 1476. Roughly 60% of the titles are in
French, 25% are in Latin, and the remaining 15% are in other languages.
The Officium Sanctae Mariae
showing illuminations.
It was first organized as a library in 1794 by
Rev. Benedict Joseph Flaget, pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Vincennes. In
addition to his books, the library continued to receive volumes from many
well-known missionaries, priests, and others who were visitors to or residents
of Vincennes, and includes books bearing the signatures or marginal writings of
Rev. Jean François Rivet, Rev. John Leo Champomier, Rev. Stephen Theodore Badin,
Francis Vigo, William Seton, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, among others. The bulk
of the present library, though -- some six to eight thousand volumes -- are from
the personal collection -- and many bear the signature -- of the Rt. Rev. Simon Gabriel
Bruté, first Bishop of the former Diocese of Vincennes.
Manuscripts in the collection include:
- The original church records, the earliest being a marriage recorded by
Rev. Sebastian Meurin in 1749
- A document, dated May 1st, 1779 signed by Leonard Helm promoting François
Godare to Lt. Col. after the retaking of Fort Sackville
- A sermon by Rev. Samuel Stillman, a Baptist minister, dated May 26th,
1779, possibly sent to Bruté by Josiah Bartlett, a signer of the Declaration
of Independence
- A German hand-written prayer book, c. 1776, and found in Bishop Bruté's
desk after his death.
Sermonarium Triplicatum, printed in 1476, among the library's
incunables.
Right Reverend Simon Bruté, first Bishop of Vincennes
Simon Gabriel
Bruté de Remur was a remarkable person by any measure. Born to a family of high
position, his mother's first husband had been printer to French royalty. When
his own father died while he was still a child, his mother supported the family
by reviving her first husband's printing business, and young Simon spent many
hours working as a compositor and typesetter in the family business. It was here
that he probably developed his life-long love of fine printing, fine binding,
and books in general.
He made his mark as a scholar, having graduated first in his class of 1100
from the School of Medicine in Paris in 1803. He was offered a position in
Napoleon's "First Dispensary," but turned it down, deciding instead to enter
Seminary and study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1808 and was offered
service in the "Emperor's Chapel," but again refused, instead joining the
Sulpicians and was sent to the seminary at Rennes to teach.
Reverend Bruté came to the United States in 1810, at the urging of the Right
Reverend Benedict Joseph Flaget, then Bishop of Bardstown, Kentucky. Bruté taught
philosophy at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland until 1812, at which
time he was transferred to Mt. St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland, a petit
seminaire that purposed to prepare young men for the study of theology
preparatory to their entering the grande seminary. He taught philosophy
there as well, and served as Vice President. It was at Mt. St. Mary's that he
met Elizabeth Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity, and, being her confessor
during this period, established a warm and deep, life-long friendship with her.
One of Mother Seton's two personal Bibles -- the one that she held at her death
-- came to Bishop Bruté, and remains in the collection to this day.
The Rev. Bruté served as President of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore from
1815 to 1818. At that time he was asked to return to Mt. St. Mary's in order to
improve that institution's status from a preparatory school to a college and
seminary.
Then, on May 6th, 1834, he was appointed Bishop of Vincennes. He received the
bulls from Pope Gregory XVI on July 22nd, left Emmitsburg on September 15th, was
consecrated in St. Louis on October 28th, and installed in Vincennes as first
bishop on November 5th, 1834. He had been here for nearly a year before his
books were floated down the Ohio River on a flatboat, then hauled overland by
wagon to Vincennes.
Information on the library building
You may be interested in these other libraries in the Vincennes area:
Or perhaps you are interested in links to other Catholic library resources in
the what's known as the Old Northwest Territory:
This document was created on July 12th, 1996, by Stephen
Cochran.
It was last modified on 5/11/04.
We would appreciate any comments you might have at The Catholic Diocese of Evansville.