By Mary Giorgio
Nestled behind an old cathedral in Vincennes, Indiana, sits a nondescript building containing valuable treasures. Indiana’s oldest library contains rare books and documents dating as far back as 1319. Today, visitors to the Old Cathedral Library & Museum can marvel at the historic artifacts and documents on display.
The idea for a library had its origins in 1794, when Father Benedict Joseph Flagler, pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish in Vincennes, Indiana, established the community’s first library. Priests in frontier towns were often the most educated residents, and many took on the mantle of educators. Father Flagler established a small community library used to help teach local residents to read. The library is thought to be the earliest in the state’s history.
The library expanded greatly under the watchful eye of the first Bishop of Vincennes, Simon Gabriel Brute de Remur. Bishop Brute grew up in France, where his family ran a printing shop. Reverend Brute developed a love for reading and scholarship, graduating first of his class from the School of Medicine in Paris in 1803.
