Passing N°5 rue des Irlandais, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, it's hard to imagine what lies behind this historic building. Yet this is where the Centre culturel irlandais took up residence in 2002. For the record, the cultural establishment is located within the Collège des Irlandais, a former residence housing a large Irish community of priests, seminarians and lay students.
Since its inauguration, the Centre culturel irlandais has been dedicated to introducing Parisians and Ile-de-France residents to the country's rich culture through exhibitions, concerts, cinema and Gaelic language courses.
Center culturel irlandais: the institution that promotes Irish culture in Paris
Exhibitions, concerts, screenings, debates... Throughout the year, the Centre culturel irlandais opens its doors to all for a cultural immersion on the Emerald Isle. Let's take a closer look at this cultural institution, housed since 2002 in the Collège des Irlandais building in the heart of Paris's Latin Quarter. [Read more]
But the sublime Parisian building also hides many other treasures, including a fascinating heritage library. Hidden behind a locked door, it dates back to 1775, when the Collège des Irlandais building opened as a seminary.
We had the opportunity to push open the doors of this magnificent library. We entered through the administrative offices, located above the Chapel. Yes, the Irish Cultural Centre also houses an astonishing chapel. Once inside the heritage library, we can't help but marvel at the beauty of this place, incredibly well preserved over all these years. " Of all the libraries that populated the many colleges, convents and monasteries of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève until the end of the 18th century, this is one of the few that has survived," states the Irish Cultural Centre's website.
First of all, there's the very special smell emanating from these old books, the oldest of which dates back to 1470. Then there's the rather cool temperature, essential for the proper preservation of this incredible shelving, revealing a collection of 8,000 works, both printed and manuscript. All were written or published between the 15th and 18th centuries.
On either side of the room, we're surrounded by books on theology, philosophy, history, geography and music, all of which were used to train seminarians. Many of these volumes contain older items such as maps, engravings, illustrations, photos, lithographs, portraits and plates. Two distinct periods can be distinguished, with works prior to 1812, mainly in Latin, and those after 1812, in English or French.
Note, however, that the library's original collection was entirely lost during the French Revolution. It was a decree issued by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805 that ordered the Irish, English and Scottish foundations and colleges in Paris to be merged into a single Collège des Irlandais. This decree made it possible to bring together the books of these various seminaries within the Collège des Irlandais, a collection subsequently supplemented by works from Parisian literary repositories.
The heritage library of the Centre Culturel Irlandais was completely restored between 2000 and 2002, when the building was renovated and the Centre Culturel Irlandais inaugurated. Since then, more than 2,000 items have been restored between 2006 and 2011, and the books will be dusted in 2023.
For the more curious, 200 works (manuscripts or printed) have been digitized and are now directly accessible online, free of charge.
Non-digitized documents are accessible to researchers by appointment only. However, the Centre Culturel Irlandais opens its heritage library for special events, such as the Journées du Patrimoine or Halloween, when a scenography created especially for the occasion is presented. The Chapel is open weekday afternoons.
Location
Center Culturel Irlandais
5 Rue des Irlandais
75005 Paris 5
Official website
www.centreculturelirlandais.com
