Nineteenth and twentieth century primary sources

Although the collection of primary sources from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries may be less impressive than the other special collections in the Ruusbroec Institute Library, its value for the study of the history of religious life in the early days of the Belgian kingdom until the Second World War should not be underestimated. The items in this collection - both textual and visual sources - give valuable information on a great diversity of subjects, such as: stigmatics, the influence of the medieval mystical tradition in modern times, the foundation of new religious orders, the revival of fraternities and the promotion of the cult of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Family, and the Holy Communion.

Examples of items in this collection are:

  • manuals
  • brochures of places of pilgrimage
  • books on Marian apparitions
  • books on canonisation of Saints
  • books on Popes or local priests
  • prayers
  • litanies

Books from this collection can be found in the online catalogue of the University of Antwerp. To order an item from this collection, please click on the 'document request' button in the appropriate window of the online catalogue. For other items, please fill in this form.