Vernacular Texts in Northern Jesuit College Library Collections

• In Event: Jesuit Libraries in Italy, Northern Europe, and the Americas

Abstract

The Jesuits opened colleges throughout Catholic Europe starting in the 1540s, and many of those foundations supported some kind of library. Scholars have explored the Society of Jesus' many statements on teaching and training in significant detail, but have not paid the same attention to the creation and maintenance of libraries, which provided the basis for the spiritual and intellectual life of both teachers and students. I plan to discuss the vernacular collection of several European Jesuit libraries, focusing on collections in modern Belgium and Italy. Since the colleges were meant to serve not just students, but also resident Jesuit brothers and priests, books in local languages could help the teachers and staff establish themselves as part of the cultural life of a given city, particularly as the Society often moved its members from post to post.

Author

• Kathleen M. Comerford, Georgia Southern University