Special Collections Sharing Warehouse

Facsimile reproduction of the 12th century manuscript, limited edition.

Illustrations are upside down with respect to the written text so that as the deacon read the scroll they were right side up for parishioners.

Available from the Marian Library .

(1946-1972)

For more than 25 years the Pflaum Publishing Company of Dayton, Ohio, published the Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact, a Catholic comic book. Most of the stories promoted themes of faith, family, and patriotism and related to sports, school and saints. (Illustration from April 1949 cover.)

Available in the U.S. Catholic Special Collection by appointment.

Facsimile.

The manuscript was produced in the years around 700 on the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne off the northeast coast of Northumbria, England, by the monastic community founded there by St. Aiden. It was stolen by Vikings, who stripped off the jeweled cover and threw away the parchment. Fortunately the pages were recovered with minimal damage. It remained with the monks as they fled Holy Island and eventually settled at Durham.

Available in Marian Library Rare Books by appointment.

Early 15th Century

Prayers calligraphed in gothic on thin vellum and bound in vellum. Contains 15 communion prayers, 14 in French, 1 in Latin, and 1 hymn, “Ave verum corpus natum,” in both languages.

In one prayer the Latin declension implies the owner of the book was a woman.

Online. Also available in University Archives and Special Collections, Albert Emanuel Hall, by appointment.

Presentation of Jesus Christ
Salve Regina

Three exquisite medieval manuscript pages are full of color and highlighted with gold..

Available in Marian Library Rare Books by appointment.

Not all papal bulls have consequences across the world. This one, promulgated by Clement VII, is specifically for a man from Modena, Italy, named Julius Ceasar Columbus. It says that he exempted from the spiritual jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop.

Available in University Archives and Special Collections, Albert Emanuel Hall, by appointment.

A relic is a remnant of a saint, venerated by Catholics as a way to bring one closer to the saint. In most cases, these relics are a part of the saint's body; items belonging to saints and pieces of cloth pressed against a saint's bones are also considered relics. Relics are usually contained in cases called reliquaries. (Illustration: Relic of Saint Dominic)

See photos of some reliquaries online. Made available by U.S. Catholic Special Collection.

This printed amulet asserts itself as the "certain, true, correct length and width of Our Lady" although at six feet long and about two and a half inches wide, it may not be entirely accurate.

Paper amulets like these, known as holy lengths, could be placed on or wrapped around a body for healing and protection, such as during pregnancy. There are also accounts of holy lengths accompanying the dead at burial.

Available in the Marian Library by appointment.

Early 20th century

A beautiful manuscript on parchment paper features calligraphy and bold paintings.

Online. Available in the Marian Library, by appointment.

Facsimile.

Melke' is a literary genre peculiar to the classical Ethiopic language Ge'ez. It aims to describe and praise the virtues of the Trinity, the Savior, the Virgin Mary, the archangels, and the most venerated saints. The hymn is part of matins in the Orthodox liturgy of the Ethiopian Church, always sung, and also recited by monks and pious laypersons privately.

The original manuscript was created between the 17th and early 18th century, probably by a monk in the region of Gondar.

Available in Marian Library Rare Books by appointment.

By Jeanne de Jeumont (1916)

This beautiful early 20th century book was created as a gift for a friend. Filled with calligraphed prayers and litanies, the pages are decorated with watercolors of dragons, angels, flowers, statues, and this, on the final page; perhaps a self portrait? The cathedral of Tournai can be seen through the window.

Available from the Marian Library.

(1505)

A 500-year-old Latin edition of Scala paradisi by Saint John Climacus, this treatise is about how ascetic virtues can bring a person closer to religious perfection.

Available in University Archives and Special Collections, Albert Emanuel Hall, by appointment.

Mamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum God is the first Bible printed in what is now the United States and in a Native American language. John Eliot, a Cambridge scholar, Christian missionary, translator and linguist, learned the Wôpanâak dialect of the tribes of colonial New England with the assistance of several native speakers. His New Testament translation was printed in 1661. Two years later, he completed the Old Testament in Wôpanâak. His translations documented a language that didn’t exist in written form before his translation.

Online and available in University Archives and Special Collections, Albert Emanuel Hall, by appointment.

(early 19th century)

A charming accordian-style book of detailed drawings of 31 habits worn by nuns from various orders. Printed in Italy.

Available from the Marian Library.