Notre-Dame's Library of Medieval Manuscripts on Display

The history of the recently restored Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris defined has been shaped by books, manuscripts and prints which were used for worship or study and are now on display until March 16, 2025, at the Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge in Paris.

Holdings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) collections have been minded for the exhibition Feuilleter Notre-Dame. Chefs-d’œuvre de la bibliothèque médiévale (Leafing through Notre-Dame. Masterpieces
of the Medieval Library) exhibition, organised in collaboration with the BnF.

Since 1756 most of Notre-Dame’s medieval manuscripts, around 300 documents, have been stored at the BnF. The Musée de Cluny exhibition reveals the richness of this collection through a curated selection of around 40 documents. In addition to precious medieval manuscripts from the Department of Manuscripts and the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris (part of the BnF), it features two illuminated pages from the Musée de Cluny’s collections, five chapter
registers documenting the cathedral’s book management, three manuscripts and a map on loan from the Archives nationales, as well as an illuminated manuscript from the Archives historiques de l’Archevêché.

Structured around the themes of library management, text books, witnesses to worship and the future of the medieval library in modern times, it offers a snapshot of the cathedral’s rich intellectual, artistic and religious life during the Middle Ages.

The first section examines the history and management of the library, providing visitors an insight into the structure and organisation of a cathedral library in the medieval period. Among the items on display for the first time is a missal from around 1400. The Notre-Dame library was one of the very first public libraries in Paris and open to underprivileged theology students. Its content reflects the canons’ areas of interest. As some were masters of theology at the University of Paris, the library collection consists of text books (works about theology, church history, canon and civil law as well as the works of classic authors) and biblical and liturgical books. A handful of pristine copies used for religious services offer valuable evidence of Parisian liturgical practices and their dissemination during the Middle Ages.

The library saw its collection of medieval manuscripts flourish under the Old Regime thanks to the generosity of Claude Joly, one of the cathedral cantors. Several highlights from his personal collection are on display in the final section, including:

• History of the Franks by Grégoire de Tours which dates back to the Merovingian period
• a Carolingian gospel book from Reims
• the earliest known exemplar of Christine de Pisan’s The Book of the City of Ladies