Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library, Research library at Saint Louis University, United States
The Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library is a research library at Saint Louis University that holds over 40,000 manuscripts dating from the 4th to 17th centuries in microfilm and digital formats. The collection spans religious and scholarly texts important to researchers across multiple academic fields.
The library was founded in 1953 through Knights of Columbus support, building on a massive microfilming project that captured twelve million manuscript pages between 1951 and 1957. This initial effort established the foundation for the institution as it exists today.
The collection includes manuscripts in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Coptic, Ethiopic, and various Western European languages, reflecting the breadth of medieval scholarship. Visitors can see how these diverse texts represent different religious traditions and knowledge systems that shaped European intellectual history.
Researchers can visit the library Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., though prior appointment is required by email or phone. Planning ahead allows you to access specific materials and understand any special requests needed for your research.
This institution holds the only collection outside Vatican City containing microfilms of more than 37,000 works from the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana. This rare gathering of materials makes it an invaluable destination for scholars wishing to study medieval and early texts without traveling to Rome.
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