UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE

Kapellenplatz 35
47623 Kevelaer

Tel.: +49 2832 93380

E-Mail:
Internet: www.wallfahrt-kevelaer.de/index.php

Bibliothekssigel: Kv 1 = Y9083

Contact:
Dr. Rainer Killich
Use after telephone or written registration

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The Priest's House in Kevelaer, one of Germany's most important pilgrimage sites, houses a remarkable old library whose focus is on theological literature of the 17th century.

Inventory history:

The library is mentioned for the first time in connection with the new building of the branch of the Oratorians erected in 1696 - 1704, to whom the care of the place of pilgrimage Kevelaer had been entrusted in 1646. The history of the Oratorian Library is thus closely linked to the pilgrimage site of Kevelaer.
Thanks to the important role the library played for the Oratorian General Studies in Kevelaer, the collection was continuously built up; bequests and donations of individual Oratorians further enriched the collection.
The abolition of the Oratorian branch in 1802/03 meant a deep cut for the stock of the library. For many years it was not increased, but at least it was kept relatively carefully. Since World War II, attempts have been made to supplement the existing focus on pilgrimage literature through antiquarian sources.

Extent of holdings:

In addition to two dozen mostly modern manuscripts and just as many incunabula, the Oratorian Library consists of nearly 4000 prints published until the abolition of the Oratorian branch in 1802/03. In addition, there are 400 volumes mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries from the chaplaincy of Keeken (near Kleve), which have been kept in Kevelaer since 1969.
The collection is dominated by literature on all branches of theology and its peripheral areas (philosophy, history). In addition, there is a large collection of Neo-Latin poetry and individual works from practically all disciplines.

The emphasis is clearly on 17th century literature, which certainly comprises more than half of the entire collection, then on Dutch and northern French prints, including numerous in Dutch and French. Of particular interest is the influence of the priestly community of the Oratorians, who came to Kevelaer from Mechelen, on the contents. It is reflected not only in numerous collections of sermons or moral-theological interpretations written by Oratorians, but especially clearly in the controversial writings between Jansenists and Jesuits in France and Belgium. And since the Mechelen Oratorians were associated with the Jansenists, a very rigid devotional movement centered in the Cistercian monastery of Port-Royal outside Paris, dominated by the Arnauld family, it is also only logical that they were not only involved in long disputes with the Louvain Jesuits, but also paid special attention to dogmatics and moral theology. These emphases are also clearly reflected in the Oratorian library.

Collection cataloguing and use:

With support from the German Research Foundation, cataloging of the library was begun in 1990. Since mid-1992, it has been continued solely with state funds and has since been completed. The books are listed in the North Rhine-Westphalian Union Catalog; in addition, the medieval manuscripts have been reported to the Rhineland Manuscript Census and the incunabula to the Union Catalog of Cradle Prints.
The volumes are available for use on site. In individual cases, they are also taken for use to a more centrally located, larger library, preferably to the University and City Library of Cologne.

Literature:

Feldmann, Reinhard ; Kerkhoff, P. Radbert: Bibliothek des Oratorium Kevelaeriense. In: Handbuch der historischen Buchbestände in Deutschland. Bd. 4, 1993, S. 30 - 32