by The Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library — part of Special Collections in the Saint Louis University Libraries — announces the opening of the exhibition Rex Christianissimus: Books, Art, and Architecture in the Time of Saint Louis, curated by Susan L’Engle, Ph.D. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, this exhibition explores key elements that have made King Louis IX of France (1214–70) a memorable figure, one worthy of admiration and veneration even to his contemporaries and from 1297 as a saint. Focusing on the material culture of Louis’s unique historical context, displays will include manuscript facsimiles, replicas of reliquaries, and reproductions of manuscript illuminations. The three major themes of the exhibit explore the king’s virtues most admired by his contemporaries: his personal piety, his patronage of religious and cultural institutions, and his zeal for the grand enterprise of the crusades to the Holy Land.
The exhibition is free and open to the public and will be on display October 1-December 19 in the West Pine entrance lobby of Pius XII Memorial Library. An opening reception and gallery talk by Dr. Susan L’Engle, Assistant Director of the Vatican Film Library, will take place on Friday, October 10, at 3:00 p.m. Call 314-977-3090 for more information.
Saint Louis University Libraries Special Collections — Rare Books and the Vatican Film Library — houses the rare book and medieval manuscript collections of the University Libraries and provides a laboratory for learning and research that enables students, faculty, and visiting scholars to engage directly with unique, rare, and original materials. Visit Special Collections in Pius XII Memorial Library or online or follow our blog.
