The medieval library of Notre-Dame de Paris

The medieval library of Notre-Dame de Paris

On April 15 and 16, 2019, we watched in horror as a serious fire ravaged Notre-Dame de Paris. For nearly fifteen hours, the flames destroyed the spire, the roof structure, and a large part of the vaults of the transept and the nave. Thanks to significant public and private resources, the restoration of the entire monument was begun, and from December 2024 the public has been able to rediscover this important monument in all its splendour.  We watched the fire in Caen, where we were visiting library friends, and it proved to be our last visit to France before Covid and the death of my wife in 2024, but we followed the progress of the rebuilding on television documentaries. 

It was not until March 2025 that I was able to return to Paris, just in time to see the exhibition Feuilleter Notre-Dame de Paris: chefs d'œuvre de la bibliothèque médiévale at the Musée de Cluny. As part of the Dans les collections de la BnF initiative, the Bibliothèque nationale de France partnered with the Musée de Cluny to present a selection of the most precious manuscripts from these collections on the occasion of the reopening of the restored Notre-Dame to worship and the public, alongside an exhibition Faire parler les pierres: sculptures médiévales de Notre-Dame, displaying sculptures recovered from various sites across Paris, which was also held in the same museum. The exhibition of manuscripts was open from 19 November 2024 until 16 March 2025. 

The exhibition was the result of extensive work carried out on the manuscripts and archives of Notre-Dame. Begun 20 years ago, the scientific description of the manuscripts preserved at the BnF was recently intensified, thanks to the Notre-Dame de Paris et son cloître research program, funded by the Agence nationale de la recherche from 2020 to 2024. This program, which has interesting  parallels to Exeter's long-term programme to restore and record the cloisters and chapter house, enabled the BnF to digitize numerous manuscripts from Notre-Dame and to create in Gallica, the digital library of the BnF and its partners, a portal highlighting heritage resources on the cathedral. Links to Gallica are included in the catalogue of the exhibition below and normally lead to colour facsimiles of the complete manuscript. 

For several centuries, the BnF has been collecting and preserving France's written and artistic heritage. Their exceptionally rich and diverse collections cover all fields of knowledge and artistic heritage: richly illuminated manuscripts, but also photographs and prints, maps and plans, coins and medals, masterpieces of antiquity, precious books, audio-visual treasures, costumes, music scores and much besides. I learned that, on its historic site on Rue Richelieu in Paris, the BnF opened the Oval Room in September 2023, a reading room open to all and a museum to present a selection of its rich heritage, which also belongs to the whole nation. It is a site for me to seek out on my next visit to Paris. 

The medieval library: a reflection of the history of Notre-Dame de Paris.

The history of Notre-Dame de Paris is not only that of the famous building. It is also the history of the books, manuscripts and printed works used for worship or study. Notre-Dame once had a chapter library which was open from the thirteenth century onwards to poor students of the Faculty of Theology, but this was not the only place where books were conserved: many liturgical works were kept in the choir, chapels and treasury, while others were stored in the choristers' house. Bishops, canons and priests had their own libraries in their houses in the canons' close. At the end of the Ancien Régime, the library hosted a rich collection of 10 to 12,000 volumes, including 350 medieval and modern manuscripts.

This heritage collection of books is exceptionally well preserved: in 1756 to finance work to rebuild the old sacristy, the cathedral chapter sold 301 of its most precious manuscripts to the King's Library, only keeping books of worship which later joined the Arsenal and Mazarine libraries during the Revolution. The selection of medieval manuscripts in the exhibition mostly come from the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and highlights an aspect of the spiritual, intellectual and artistic renown of Notre-Dame and the men who wrote its history.

The exhibition was organised at the Musée de Cluny by the BnF as part of the Dans les collections de la BnF series with the participation of the National Archives. It is part of the Musée de Cluny's cultural season dedicated to the re-opening of Notre-Dame with the exhibition Faire parler les pierres: sculptures medievales de Notre-Dame in the frigidarium of the Roman baths.

Prayer at Notre-Dame.

Notre-Dame's central role in religious life and church liturgy is evidenced by the quantity of lavish liturgical manuscripts that have come down to us. Intended for celebrating services in the choir, chapels or other buildings under the responsibility of Notre-Dame, the manuscripts formed one of the most richly furnished collections of books in the cathedral's possession, although many of them have disappeared over the course of history or as a result of donations, exchanges, confiscations or thefts. New copies are still being discovered today, such as the winter part of a Parisian missal from the mid-13th century (no. 24) and two recent acquisitions by the BnF (nos. 27 and 33). The chapter had authority over matters of worship and was in charge of producing liturgical books, which it commissioned from professional scribes working in Paris and some were made in the workshop responsible for building maintenance. Legacies from bishops or canons were also a rich source of additions.

Liturgical books at Notre-Dame were stored in different places depending on their status and use: the treasury for the most valuable books that were reserved for important ceremonies, and the choir and chapels for the books that were used regularly. However, there were considerable movements between these different storage locations and the library itself, with some liturgical books travelling from the treasury, choir or chapels to the library and vice versa, as need be.

The luxurious copies presented here are a valuable testimony of the liturgical customs of the church of Paris and their dissemination in the Middle Ages. They also provide information on the different places of worship in which these books were used and the people who owned them, such as bishop Gerard de Montaigu whose wealth can be measured by the magnificence of his chapel of liturgical books (nos. 28-32).

Reading and studying at Notre-Dame.

As in most religious establishments, Notre-Dame's library is divided between scholarly and liturgical books. The first category was traditionally structured around biblical works and works by the Church Fathers, theologians and scholastic authors. It also contained books on law and ecclesiastical history and works by classical authors. One of the most remarkable things about Notre-Dame was the large proportion of theological works it houses, owing to the fact that it housed a theological school which owed its first success in large part to the fame of successive students: William of Champeaux (around 1100), Peter Abelard (1113-1117), Peter Lombard (1145-1159) and his own student Peter Comestor (1159-1178/9). This prosperity coincided with the first foundations of the new cathedral building, laid by Maurice de Sully in 1163. Although the cathedral school began to be overshadowed by the University of Paris which received its royal charter in 1200, Notre-Dame's library continued to grow thanks to the canons' close connections with the university where some of them worked as masters of theology.

During the later centuries of the Middle Ages, the library opened up to secular culture and new ideas though generous donations by members of Notre-Dame's chapter, a place where important figures, networks and influences encountered each other. Also geographically close to the royal court, it was a fertile intellectual and political breeding ground. The presence in the library of works by the humanist Jean Gerson, who was a canon at Notre-Dame, manuscripts by ancient authors bequeathed by Bishop Jean Courtecuisse and an authentic abridged copy of the rehabilitation trial of Joan of Arc made for Bishop Guillaume Chartier (no. 18) are a remarkable echo of this period.

A table of important dates in the library's history

4th century. First cathedral on the Ile de la Cite 

1113-1117. Peter Abelard leads the cathedral school of Notre-Dame. 

1145-1159. Peter Lombard leads the cathedral school of Notre-Dame. 

1163. Start of the construction of the gothic cathedral under bishop Maurice de Sully. 

1182. Consecration of the high altar. 

1215. The Chancellor is designated as being responsible for the cathedral's books. 

13th century. First inventories of the books in the library. 

1343. First inventory of the treasury. 

1401-1402. Construction of a library outside the church. 

1402. Gift of books by bishop Pierre d'Orgemont. 

1405 & 1412. successive removals of books from the interior of the church. 

1416. Second inventory of the treasury. 

1423. Bequest of the Bishop Jean Courtecuisse. 

1429. The books of the chapter are chained in the library. 

1438. Third inventory of the treasury. 

1445. Receipt of the liturgical books of Gérard de Montaigu.

1458. The books from the chancery are chained in the library. 

1465.  Inauguration of a new building for the library in the canons' close.

16th-18th centuries. A series of inventories of the treasury is drawn up. 

1680. Bequest of Claude Joly and library opened to public. 

1681. Final installation of the library in a house at the entrance to the cloisters. 

18th century. Creation of new bindings and addition of ex-libris to the books. 

1733-1734. Catalogue of books by the canon librarian Victor Armand-Guichon. 

1755. New catalogue of books by the canon librarian Jean-Baptiste Antoine Malherbe. 

1756. Sale of 301 manuscripts from the Chapter Library to the King's Library, except for the liturgical manuscripts. These were catalogued by Etienne Barbazan. 

1789. Nationalisation of the property of the clergy. The liturgical manuscripts remaining at Notre-Dame are seized. 

1804. The choir books are returned to the chapter of Notre-Dame.  

1810. The liturgical manuscripts are returned to the chapter of Notre-Dame by the Mazarine Library.  

Feuilleter Notre-Dame de Paris

catalogue of exhibits with links to digital copies in Gallica

1. - Detailed plan of the Quartier de la cite, l'isle du palais, l'isle notre-dame and l'isle louviers with details of seigneries and fiefs. Paris, 17th century. AN (Archives nationales) Cartes et plans, N/III/Seine/247/1

2. - Agostino Patrizi Piccolomini, Pontificale Romanum. Vol. 1. Paris, c.1523-1525. BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France), Manuscrits, Latin 1226 (1). Gallica, accessed March 2025.

2a. - Vol. 2. Paris, c.1523-1525. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 1226 (2). Gallica, accessed March 2025. 

In Renaissance style, this remarkable view of the west front of Notre-Dame serves to illustrate the consecration of a church. Originally written by Piccolomini in 1484, this French copy was decorated about 1523/5, probably by the Antwerp painter and illuminator Noel Bellemare who at that time occupied a house on the Notre-Dame bridge over the Seine.

3. - Psalter, glossed. Paris, c.1140/1150. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17213. Gallica, accessed March 2025. 

With ex-libris of Notre-Dame: Istud psalterium est beate Marie Parisiensis. Quicumque illud celaverit vel cancellario Parisiensis non redidert vel istum titulum deleverit anathema sit. This psalter belongs to Notre-Dame de Paris. Whosoever hides it, does not return it to the Chancellor of Paris or destroys this item shall be put under a curse. The medieval manuscripts of Exeter Cathedral Library bear similar curses, some of them in Old English.

4. - Pastoral of the chapter of Notre-Dame de Paris. Paris, 1237/1238. AN, Moyen age et Ancien regime, LL//77

5. - Notre-Dame de Paris.  Cartulary, known as the Livre noir du chapitre de Notre-Dame de Paris. Paris, 1120/1230. AN, Moyen age et Ancien régime, LL//78

6. - Notre-Dame de Paris.  Register of chapter deliberations. Paris, 28 August 1393. Decision concerning the building of a library at the cost of the fabric with responsibility being allocated to the sous-chanter Jean Freron. AN, Moyen age et Ancien régime, LL//108A

7. - Notre-Dame de Paris.  Register of chapter deliberations. Paris,  30 October 1402. Gift of books by Pierre d'Orgremont. AN, Moyen age et Ancien régime, LL//1098

8. - Notre-Dame de Paris.  Register of chapter deliberations.  Paris,  22 July 1409. Inventory of about thirty books kept in the choir and apse of the cathedral. AN, Moyen age et Ancien régime, LL//110

9. - Notre-Dame de Paris.  Register of chapter deliberations. Paris, 19 November 1470. Bequest of books of Nicholas de Lyre by Guillaume Evrard. AN, Moyen age et Ancien régime, LL//121

10. - Eglise de Paris. Necrology and obits. Paris, c.1250 with later additions. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 5185 CC. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

11. - Nicolas de Lyra. Postilla. Paris, c.1350. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17256. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

12. - Peter Lombard. Commentary on the epistles of St Paul. Paris c.1160/1180. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17246. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

13. - BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17476. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

14. - Jean Halgrin d'Abbeville. Sermons. Paris, 1225/1250. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 18186. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

15. - Papias. Rudimentum, or Latin dictionary. Paris, 1200/1225. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17162. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

16. - Terence. Comedies. Paris, 1400/1425. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17895. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

17. - Cicero. De amicitia. France? 13th century. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 18420. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

18. Account of the trial to rehabilitate Jeanne d'Arc. Abridged and authenticated copy made for Guillaume Chartier, bishop of Paris 1447-1472. Rouen?, 1456/1458. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17013. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

19. Jean Gerson. Opuscula. Paris, 1425/1450. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17489. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

20. Guillaume de Loris & Jean de Meun. Roman de la rose. France, 1300/1350. BNF, Manuscrits, Français 25524. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

21. Notre-Dame de Paris. Book of sermons by the bishops and canons of the cathedral. Paris, 13th-15th centuries for the contents, 16th century for the collection. AN, Musee AE/II/275 (LL//79).

This volume was gathered together in the 16th century from a series of documents on paper and parchment dating from the 13th to 15th centuries. It collects the texts of sermons that the priests and canons of Notre-Dame had to give when entering on their offices. The sermons had to be based on the gospels. 

22. Notre-Dame de Paris.  Ordinal. Paris, 1450/1475. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 16317. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

23. Bible. Belonging to Pierre d'Orgrement, bishop of Paris 1384-1409. Paris, 1225/1235. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 16759. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

24. Notre-Dame de Paris.  Missal. Winter part. Paris, c.1240/1250. From the workshop of La vie de Saint Denis. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 824. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

25. Notre-Dame de Paris. Epistolary. Paris, c. 1260. Archives historiques de l'archevêché de Paris, depot du chapitre de la cathedrale, 4-F-142.

26. Notre-Dame de Paris. Missal of the chapel of St Sebastian. Paris, c.1330/1340. BnF, Arsenal, reserve, ms. 607. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

27. Notre-Dame de Paris. Missal. Paris, c.1400. BnF, Manuscrits, NAL 3264. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

28. Pontifical. Paris, c.1400. Produced for Gérard de Montaigu. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 961 (1). Gallica, accessed March 2025.

29. Missal. Crucifixion between Virgin Mary and St John. Paris, 1409/1418. Leaf from a missal of Gérard de Montaigu. Musée de Cluny, Cl. 11316

30. Missal. God the Father in majesty surrounded by the four evangelists. Paris, 1409/1418. Leaf from a missal of Gérard de Montaigu. Musée de Cluny, Cl. 11315

31. Missal of Gérard de Montaigu. Summer part. Paris, 1409/1418. BnF, Arsenal, ms. 583. Institut de France, accessed March 2025.

32. Notre-Dame de Paris.  Register of chapter deliberations. Paris, 21-31 May 1445. Decision concerning the co AN, Moyen age et Ancien regime, LL//116

33. Notre-Dame de Paris. Ritual. Paris, 1525/1550. BnF, Manuscrits, NAL 3262. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

34. Gregory of Tours. Historia Francorum. Eastern France, 700/725. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17654. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

As this is the earliest item in the exhibition I copied the first folio from Gallica.

35. Bible. NT. Gospels. Known as Évangiles de Loisel. BnF, Manuscrits, Latin 17968. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

36. Guillaume de Loris & Jean de Meun. Roman de la rose. France, 1325/1350.  BnF, Manuscrits, Français 24391. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

37. - Christine de Pisan. La cité des dames. Paris, 1405. BnF, Manuscrits, Français 26293. Gallica, accessed March 2025.

This page last updated 14 March 2025