Explore the collection from Our Lady’s College
In the 1990s, the collection of Our Lady’s College (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwecollege) travelled across Antwerp: from the Frankrijklei to the university library at the Hof van Liere. In the 70s, a large part of the Jesuit college was sold to the Ruusbroecgenootschap and to the UFSIA. In 1998, the rest of the books printed before 1830 and some more recent preciosa was moved there under the leadership of head librarian Ludo Simons. Recorded in a ‘licentieverhandeling ‘ (a master’s thesis), we now know this:
“In 1998, the books belonging to the Jesuit community in the Frankrijklei were brought to enrich the collection of the University Library of Antwerp. The collection is relatively extensive, and very varied in content, with both printed books from the 19th and 20th century as well as older printed books. This last group contains documents printed before 1800. The incunables and post-incunables of this college were not sold to the UFSIA, but were housed in the Ruusbroecgenootschap library, where they remain property of the Flemish Jesuit Provence. The acquired whole was moved to the university library at the end of 1998, split based on period-related criteria and permanently kept in the depository of the Special Collections.” (our translation).