The University of Dayton Libraries are gradually digitizing selected rare works — some of which are the only extant copy — to make them available to readers and researchers worldwide.
The rare materials, contained in three repositories — University Archives and Special Collections; the U.S. Catholic Special Collection; and the Marian Library — number in the tens of thousands; as such, the digitization process will be gradual and selective, using criteria including visual interest; unique characteristic such as annotations; fragility; current curricular connections; and scholarly appeal.
To arrange a visit to the University of Dayton Libraries to see the materials in person, contact the repository (or repositories) noted in the records:
- Marian Library: marianlibrary@udayton.edu
- University Archives and Special Collections: archives@udayton.edu
- U.S. Catholic Special Collection: uscatholiccollection@udayton.edu
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Album of thirty-two drawings depicting the Buddhist divinity of mercy
Tani Buncho
32 drawings on paper that are folded into book form. Images are of a female, either alone or with another person. If present, the other person is smaller than that of the main female. The cover has Japanese characters on a gray and black background. In poor condition with loose binding and some worming throughout. The creator is Tani Buncho, a Japanese painter who was born in 1763 and died in 1840 or 1841 in what is now Tokyo. The main female figure depicts Kannon, the goddess of mercy, who personifies compassion. Kannon is the most popular and beloved bodhisattva in Japan. Kannon is the Japanese adaptation of the Chinese goddess Guanyin, who herself was an adaptation of the Indian bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Kannon is not a Buddha, but a Bodhisattva, a being who is able to achieve Nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings. According to an article by Maria Reis-Habito in Marian Studies, when Christianity was banned in Japan during the Tokugawa Era (~1615-1867) many Christians, "preserved their Christian beliefs by adopting statues of the Buddhist deity of compassion, Kannon, as substitutes for the images of the Blessed Virgin. Their devotional life centered around Maria Kannon, or 'Mary in Buddhist Guise.'" The complete article can be found at https://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_studies/vol47/iss1/8.
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Dāwit (Psalter)
This book is a collection of Psalms, Canticles, Song of Songs and other devotional materials called a Psalter and is intended for use in personal or public worship. The text of this Psalter was written on parchment from approximately 1790 to 1800 BCE and six full-page paintings were added in the early 20th Century. The six paintings represent: Madonna and Child; Saint George and the dragon; the Crucifixion; Jesus (possibly raising Jairus’ daughter); the Last Supper; and the Ascension of Jesus.
The front and back covers are created from tooled leather and wooden boards.
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Antiphonary
Dominicans
Illuminated manuscript
484 pages
Dominican collection of antiphons for the Divine Office from the First Vespers of Christmas through the 4th Sunday after Epiphany, along with the feasts of St. Agnes (Jan. 21), St. Vincent (Jan. 22), and St. Gabriel the Archangel. Possibly from a Spanish monastery; possibly 15th century.
Plainsong notation on five-line staves.
Vellum pages. Front and back cover are decorated with colored parchment covered by bosses.
Title supplied by cataloger.
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Oraisons
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.
The first French prayer is the prayer of St. Ambrose. The page is illuminated with a miniature (35 x 37 mm.) representing St. Ambrose in his episcopal robes, in color and in gold, against a background of celestial blue with gold stars. The page is completely framed in a border of scrolled green, blue and red florets, highlighted on a background of gold, in a large border of filiform arabesques with gilt florets.
Eleven other pages are framed by illuminated motifs on the lateral margins; the motifs encircle parts of the upper and lower margins and highlight 37 illuminated initials.
It contains some interesting variations in the text of “Ave verum.” In the given, or standard, Latin text a plural pronoun is used ("Esto nobis praegustatum..." (“Be for us a foretaste [of heaven]). In this book, the Latin and the French translation make the pronoun singular ("Esto michi [=mihi] praegustatum..." - Be for me a foretaste). This version also has a different final line, where again the singular pronoun is used. The Latin word "peccatrici" would seem to indicate the person for whom the book was made, its initial intended user, was a woman.
The Latin prayer is St. Anselm's "O bone Jesu ..."
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The Ballad of Barnaby
W. H. Auden
This opera is based on the legend of The Juggler of Our Lady. It was composed in 1969 for performance by students at Wykeham Rise School in Washington, Connecticut. The narration in this liturgical drama was written by W. H. Auden (1907-1973), a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, primarily known for his poetry.
Cover artwork is by Edward Gorey.
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Juggler of Our Lady: A Storyboard
Lester Novros
The artwork photographed in this storyboard is believed to have been used in the creation of film “The Juggler of Our Lady,” animated by Les Novros and produced by Cavalcade Pictures in 1957. The film was submitted as a possible nominee for the 1958 Oscars and was shown at the Stratford International Film Festival in 1960, and, but no copy of the film is known to exist.
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Virginal Veils
Catalog published by George J. Phillipp & Sons Ecclesiastical Goods, 1933, offering girls' veils for weddings, confirmations, and other religious ceremonies. Catalog also includes diadems, armbands, and boys' boutonnieres. Illustrations include black-and-white and tinted photographs. Descriptions include fabric, sizing, and price information. 28 pages.
Text from last page: "Virginal Veils have assumed the leadership enjoyed by all products of distinction. Charming styles are combined with practical wearing features. In effecting new lowered prices there is no deviation from our recognized policy of quality. The merit of our products is reflected in nation-wide distribution."
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Litanie della Madonna: illustrate per la prima Volta da quando l'arte fu ispirata dalla fede cristiana
Ezio Anichini
These 46 beautiful art nouveau illustrations represent the 46 verses of the Litany of Loreto. These were created by the Italian artist/illustrator Ezio Anichini (1886-1948), one of the primary cover artists for Scena Illustrata, a popular and enduring magazine of Italian society and culture. Scena Illustrata published this book, prefaced with the accolades of many Church officials. The Litany of Loreto was named for the shrine at the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto, where it has been recited since the mid-sixteenth century.
The Marian Library is one of the only libraries in the world to hold this book. A Marian Library Newsletter article by John A. Shaffer, who collects the work of Ezio Anichini, provides additional information about the book and the artist.
1 portfolio ([3] p., [46] leaves of plates) : chiefly ill. ; 21 cm
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Weihnachtsabend. Chinese
Christoph von Schmid
Translated from the French by Ch. Ming, S.J. Originally written in German.
Traditional Chinese script.
Edition: Di yi ci pai yin.
Series: Xiao shuo; di si ce.
Bavarian priest Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854) believed the best way to teach children the stories of the Bible and the substance of Christian life was through stories similar to fables or fairytales. He was an educational reformer with a catechetical philosophy influenced by Jesuit theologian J. M. Sailer.
His stories were popular during his lifetime and continue to be published. They have been translated into most European languages, as well as Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese. This edition was published in 1915.
Translations of von Schmid’s stories were adapted to their audience. The first story in this collection is about a young boy living in poverty. In the original German, the story begins on Weihnachtsabend (Christmas Eve). A blond 8-year-old orphan named Anton gets lost in a snowy forest that is quickly becoming dark. When he becomes tired, he kneels and begins to pray. He then hears singing voices, which lead him to a forester’s cottage. The Chinese version begins in winter, with a young boy named An Fu, who is begging. As time passes, he becomes so unbearably cold he is unable to say another word. He lies down in the snow and at last people take pity on him.
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Le Jongleur de Notre Dame (The Juggler of Our Lady)
Anatole France
This is a limited edition of the french-language version of The Juggler of Our Lady by Anatole France (1844-1924). The story was adapted from a medieval poem by the Nobel-winning writer in 1890 and published as a book in 1906. The manuscript includes illustrations and calligraphy by Henri Malteste (1881-1961) or “Malateste.
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Les mystères sataniques de Lourdes à travers les âges
Léopold Goursat
xi, 116, 124 pages
Published by Arthur Savaète.
Clugnet Collection
Contents: En quoi consista l'acte matériel du péché originel: le naturalisme charnel -- Glorification séculaire du péché originel sous la forme des Pierres obscènes: adoration de la chair -- La Pierre-Vénus de Lourdes: tête du Serpent immonde – Revanche triomphale de l’Immaculée Conception à Lourdes – Opprtunité de ce triomphe à l’heure de la résurrection du culte de la chair.
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Tractatus de conceptione sanctae Mariae
Eadmer
The title translates to: Treatise on the conception of Saint Mary / Eadmer; formerly attributed to St. Anselm, now published for the first time in its entirety to the credit of the codex, with the addition of certain contemporary documents by Herb. Thurston and Th. Slater. This book is an edited German edition of a manuscript by Eadmer of Canterbury OSB (c.1060-c.1124), a monk of Christ Church. This edition was published in 1904 in Freiburg, Germany by Herder Publishers.
The manuscript by Eadmer is used in scholarship about the development of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in the Medieval period.
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Wild Flowers from Palestine
Harvey Bartlett Greene
48 unnumbered pages
Seventeen specimens of pressed flowers from Palestine, [mounted], with description and Scripture reference. This book catalogs a variety of plants that grow naturally in and around sites sacred to Christianity. Introduction by Hon. Selah Merrill, D.D., LL.D, U.S. Consul at Jerusalem. Inscribed “Mamma Smith Oct 23, 1899." Rose of Sharon is missing from this copy.
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Notice historique sur Notre-Dame des Oliviers, depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours par un enfant de Murat ou documents pour servir à l'histoire de cette ville.
Jean Baptiste
This book tells of the history of the Auvergne region of France, and more specifically about the region around the town of Murat from the 1st Century CE through 1878. This history focuses on connections between Auvergne and Mary as well as the region's devotion to Mary. One chapter focuses on the history and description of the first church built in Murat (Saint-Martin), another on the church that replaced it, (Notre-Dame des Oliviers). There is also a chapter devoted to the statue called Notre-Dame des Oliviers (Our Lady of Olives). The tradition of the statue is that it was brought back from Palestine from a crusade by Saint Louis. This statue is said to have been the only object to survive a devastating fire in 1493, and has subsequently protected the town of Murat from lightning among other miracles. Included in the text are references to and quotations from historical documents, charters and benedictions. Published in Saint-Flour, France by the publisher A. Passenaud, this book has 95 pages and is 18 centimeters tall.
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Two Months in Italy: A Travel Journal
Mrs. E. A. Bean
353 pages
Travel journal kept by Mrs. E. A. Bean during her two-month trip through Italy, including Florence, Pisa, Rome, Bologna, Lucca and other cities. Mrs. Bean visited several sites of Marian devotion. The travel journal also includes drawings and images of art and architecture.
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Canticle et choix de prière : manuscript.
Unknown
A manuscript collection of Catholic hymns and prayers in French, including Cantique de la Ste. Vierge; Les sept psaumes de la pénitence; Cantique pour la fête du très saint sacrement; Les litanies de Sacré Coeur des Jésus; Les litanies de St. Francois de Sales; Cantique sur la vie et le vertu de Sant Nicolas; Joyeaux au temps du Pâques; and others. Plainsong notation on four of first five pages.
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Partus III continens 51 breves antiphonas
Cajetan Kolberer
Marian music score in four separate part books titled Vox Prima, Vox Secunda, Vox Tertia, Basso Continuo. In mensural notation.
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Historica notitia della miracolosa imagine della Madonna Santissima della Consolata: venerata nella Chiesa di S. Andrea de'MM. RR. monaci di S. Bernardo dell'Ordine cisterciense di Torino
D. Domenico Arcourt
220 pages; frontispiece engraving of Our Lady of Consolation icon in Turin
Clugnet Collection.
“[D]ata in luce dal molto reuerendo padre D. Domenico Arcourt, priore de'sudetti monaci, e consultore del Sant'Ufficio; consecrata alle glorie dell'istessa regina consolatrice, sotto li fortunati auspicj dell'altezza serenissima di Vittorio Amedeo Filippo Giuseppe, prencipe di Piemonte”—from title page.
The ancient icon of Our Lady of Consolation at the Santuario della Consolata in Turin, believed to be miraculous, has been drawing pilgrims for centuries. It was placed in a chapel in the fifth-century Chiesa di Sant’Andrea, becoming an important shrine of Marian devotion. In the tenth century, a monastery was built adjacent to the shrine in which many different religious orders have lived. This history was written by a Trappist priest, the prior of the monastery in the early eighteenth century.
Bound in vellum.
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Vita seraphicae virginis s. Mariae Magdalenae de Pazzis, florentinae ordinis B.V. Mariae de Monte Carmelo regularis observantiae iconibus expressa.
Abraham van Diepenbeek
This folio contains a series of engravings created to celebrate the life and miracles of a Florentine Carmelite nun, Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, on the occasion of her canonization in 1669. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi was canonized on April 28, 1669, and was one of only five women canonized in the 17th century performed in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Suite of 49 numbered engravings and a title page made after drawings by van Diepenbeeck and engraved by Frederik Bouttats Jr., Gaspard Bouttats, Martin Bouché, Davit Clouwet, Pieter van Lisebetten and Adriaen Lommelin.
The Virtual Carmelite Museum (https://carmelites.info/museum/) has provided translated captions for a selection of the engravings, including:
Plate 4: Discovered by Her Parents While She Spends the Night Praying in Ecstasy
Plate 5: Visit to the Prisoners and Giving Her Food to the Poor and the Prisoners
Plate 13: The Blessed Virgin Mary with Carmelite St. Angelo and St. Ignatious appear to her, revealing the marvels of purity and that of humanity
Plate 14: In the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Augustine and St. Catherine of Siena, with a second ring she marries Our Lord Jesus Christ
Plate 15: In the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Carmelite St. Angelo, St. Augustine, and St. Catherine of Siena, she receives the crown of thorns from Our Lord
Plate 17: After suffering the pains of the Passion of Jesus Christ, St. Augustine writes on her heart “The Word was made flesh”
Plate 18: While meditating on the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, she receives the Sacred Stigmata through fire
Plate 21: She thinks of cooling the heart from the excessiveness of the love of God with an abundant sprinkling of water
Plate 23: Reciting the Divine Office with Carmelite St. Angelo and St. Augustine
Plate 28: Jesus Christ gives her the instruments used during his passion as a unique remedy against temptations.
Plate 33: While in ecstasy to Cardinal de’ Medici, Archbishop of Florence, she predicts his election as pope.
Plate 45: After death, turning away from a young man who wanted to see her closeup
Plate 48: Canonization by Pope Clement IX on April 18, 1669
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Leaf from a 1663 Eliot Indian Bible: Jeremiah XL, XLII-XLIII
This is the first Bible printed in what is now the United States and is 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.
Title supplied by cataloger.
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Book of Hours (Use of Rouen)
Master of the Ango Hours, active 1515-1531
Illuminated manuscript by the Master of the Ango Hours, approximately 1520-1530.
145 vellum leaves, 20 lines per page, ruled in red; written in brown ink with red rubrics. Includes 14 large miniatures with gold borders; 20 smaller miniatures throughout. Binding is late sixteenth or early seventeenth French red morocco with gilt tooling.
Contents: Calendar -- Sequence of the Gospels -- Passion sequence -- Obsecro te, O intemerata and other prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary -- Hours of the Virgin (Use of Rouen) in the mixed form with the Hours of the cross and the Hours of the Holy Spirit -- Seven penitential psalms and litany -- Office of the dead (Use of Rouen and Avranches) -- Memorials to the saints -- Stabat mater and other prayers.
Description by Les Enluminures, Ltd., bookseller, notes "The two girls in Renaissance costume attending St. Elizabeth in the miniature on leaf 38v may be the [original] owner's daughters."
Titled supplied by cataloger.
This manuscript was donated to the Marian Library by Stuart and Mimi Rose.
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Heures a l'usage de Rouen
Catholic Church
112 leaves. 19 woodcut and metal-cut full-page illustrations; borders illustrating religious and secular subjects with captions in French. Initials and line endings in gold on red or blue background.
Antoine Vérard, publisher; Chambolle-Duru, binder.
The letters Ro at the bottom of pages in some sections denotes the Use of Rouen, a variation specific to that region.
See Hilary Maddocks, “A book of hours by Anthoine Vérard in the University of Melbourne Library,” University of Melbourne Collections 16 (June 2015):15-24 about a similar copy in the University of Melbourne Library, providing background on the publisher, artists, and book trade in early 16th century Paris.
Books of hours were a popular form of private devotion for lay people. Some, which were richly illustrated and illuminated, were luxury items and a symbol of status. The books followed the monastic tradition of reciting the Divine Liturgy in eight sessions throughout the day. Many prayers, litanies of saints, and calendars were standard texts, but its central text was the Hours of the Virgin, also known as the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Title supplied by cataloger. Imprint and date from H. Bibliographie der Livres d'Heures (2. Aufl.).
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Vellum leaf from a medieval manuscript connected to Otto Ege
Catholic Church
Manuscript leaf on vellum: 175 mm x 132 mm (112 mm x 69 mm)
18 lines of black gothic script with red and blue initials, rivers-style pen flourishing in red.
Leaf from a devotional manuscript containing a psalter, broken up and sold by Otto Ege and his wife Louise, with his label identifying it as number 43 from his collection. Ege sold other leaves from this manuscript as leaf 43 in his Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts portfolios. This leaf contains Psalms 9:37 through 11:5 (Septuagint numbering).
Identified by Ege’s label as a from a book of hours, although most of the 30+ known leaves from this manuscript contain psalms with Dutch rubrics for recitation according to Bridgettine use, with leaves at University of Vermont and Boston University containing text from the Bridgettine liturgy.
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Annunciation: manuscript leaf from a book of hours
Catholic Church
Manuscript leaf on vellum: 166 x 110 mm, color illustrations, illuminations
Annunciation miniature from Matins, the first hour of the Office of the Virgin. From a book of hours produced in the mid-15th century. Floral border on shell gold surrounds miniature of Gabriel kneeling before Mary on recto; floral border on left side of verso outlined in red next to 16 lines of gothic script in black ink with illuminated initials and line-fillers.
