A story worth telling
“The Alan Seeger library? Never heard of it…” is the usual response from Sciences Po students about “the old library upstairs”. Only a few can give some basic information about this almost 230-year old library that they distantly remember from their first days at university. It has been part of countless peoples’ lives though and has a story that is worth to tell.
The story starts in 1606, when Jesuits first came to Reims, aiming to build a college to offer free education to students. It opened in 1608, and works on the college buildings were finalized in 1678 (for background information about the Jesuits and their college see box below). In 1679, two bourgeois families from Reims, the Hachettes and the Rogiers, whose members studied at the Jesuit college paid for a library to be built.
The shields painted above the library door on the inside, are the two families’.
(credit: illustrator unknown)
The library was built from 1679 to 1681 by the two carpenters Francois Robin and Bernard Marchet. The books were organized alphabetically and thematically with the overall topics indicated on 27 different plates above the shelves which are still visible today. A 28th plate bears the inscription: “Dieu est le maître souverain de la science” – God is the sovereign Master of Science. A long, narrow period table with curved legs and feet shaped like lion heads was put in the middle of the room for further study. It stayed in the library until the arrival of Sciences Po in 2010. It is now stored in the Musée Saint-Remi. On one side of the room, two enclosed boxes were installed. These were where the “collection d’enfer”, books that were considered heretical and forbidden were kept separately. “A little like in Harry Potter with dark formulas in the forbidden book section” jokes Sciences Po Academic Coordinator, Matthew Baker who used to be in charge of this library.
The room is entirely made of woodwork, mostly oak and chestnut, with a rich decor including garlands, scrolls, flowers and cherubs, making it a typical representation of French Baroque art. To this day, it is one of the last complete libraries in the Louis XIV style.
(Ville de Reims: René Gaudilhon, Ministère de la Culture, Médiatèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine)
Only Jesuit fathers could use the library, to read and study.
(credit: courtesy of the Library of Reims)
The end of the Jesuit order
On August 6th 1762, having been accused of teaching immoral considerations, the Jesuit order was dissolved by Louis XV by a decree which led to their complete banishment in 1764. The Jesuits were kicked out of the college and had to leave Reims. While they took their most precious books with them, they left about 8.000 in the library. The city of Reims confiscated and catalogued them, thus creating the first library fund in Reims that could be found in Hôtel de Ville, the city hall. Later, they were moved to the Carnegie library, next to the cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims. Over the years, especially during the World Wars, many books disappeared. So far, a little over 400 books have been identified in the Carnegie library as having belonged to the Jesuits.
After the Jesuits had to abandon their college, the general hospital came into possession of the buildings on January 25th 1766 which then served as a hospice. In 1799, the buildings became home to two foundations: the Magneuses (a charitable institution created in 1791 by Nicolas Colbert’s widow Madame Colbert de Magneux to accommodate and give a Christian education to poor girls aged from 10 to 15); and the Orphelins (founded in 1793 to take care of orphaned children). They stayed until 1957.
From 1766 to 1975 the library, emptied of its books, was used to store linen.
(credit: unknown)
The 20th century
During the First World War, many historic art works were evacuated from Reims. On March 4th 1918, shortly before the beginning of the German Spring Offensive, the library’s woodwork was declared a historic monument. Parisian antiques dealer, Louis Ancel, was then sent on a mission by the Minister of Fine Arts to oversee the dismantling of the library under Captain Linzeler who was responsible for the evacuation of artwork in Reims. The woodwork was transferred to Paris. It was returned and put back together in 1922 by the French architect Henri Deneux who was in charge of the restorations of the cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims, the basilica of Saint-Remi and the church Saint-Jacques after the war.
When the Magneuses left in 1957, there were no more children in the general hospital. In September 1966, the city repurchased the premises of the hospice and 421 elderly residents were transferred to the Résidence Roux. The buildings were then partly used as accommodation for students of the University of Economy and Law until 1972 while 427 elderly remained at Rue du Barbâtre (where the general hospital had built an additional wing in 1885) until 1976. In that year, the buildings were assigned to the cultural action service of the City of Reims that opened the planetarium in 1979 and created offices for city employees in charge of Reims’ cultural heritage in 1992.
During this time, the library remained empty until 1993, when it was used to shoot the French period film “La Reine Margot” directed by Patrice Chéreau. The movie is based on the 1845 historical novel by Alexandre Dumas and focuses on the life of Margaret de Valois and her marriage to Henri IV. It is fascinating to think about the fact that they used this exact library to film “La Reine Margot”, since it depicts the reign of Henri IV who was the King who granted permission to build the Jesuit College.
For the film shoot, specially manufactured fake books were used that are still preserved today by the municipality.
(screenshot from an excerpt of the film La Reine Margot directed by Patrice Chéreau)
Sciences Po
Between 2007 and 2008, the city restored the buildings of the old Jesuit college, and in 2010, Sciences Po established its new campus there. The building where the library is situated was renovated until 2013 and then re-opened for the students, effectively marking the return of the library’s original purpose as a space to study. Since the architecture is under protection, the university was not allowed to make any considerable changes.
The Alan Seeger library today. The impressive period table was replaced by plain and practical tables and modern chairs. Along with the table, the only other change was to swap the lamps between the old refectory downstairs and the library since the original lights in the library were too bright.
(credit: Josefine Krüger)
The year 2017 brought about significant changes for the library. It received two major donations: 2.000 books from Milton R. Konvitz and 5.000 from Stanley Hoffman. Together with two smaller collections from Yves Grosrichard and Bastien Irondelle they make up the entirety of the library (for further information about the donators see box below). Before those donations, the library had been half-empty for years. The only books that could be found were those that Sciences Po Paris didn’t need or want anymore and had given to the Reims campus.
In addition to the donations received in 2017, the library was also given a new name in a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War. It was renamed “Alan Seeger” library after the American poet who volunteered in the Foreign Legion during WWI and died in battle at the Somme on July 4th 1916. One of his poems, “Champagne”, is likely to have inspired the change of name. The original manuscript of this poem was acquired by the Taittinger Champagne House in 2019.
Diverging interest
Apart from a few public visits during the year, the Alan Seeger library remains reserved for students of Sciences Po. However, it mostly stays rather empty. Many students lament the lack of heating and insufficient number of electrical sockets. At the same time, a lot of people seem to forget that this old library even exists and exclusively use the new one. The students who spend time in the Alan Seeger library often don’t feel entirely comfortable. The peculiar aura that lingers in the room with its oppressive quietness interrupted only by the squeaking of the floor or door creates an atmosphere that many people at Sciences Po describe as to be “depressing” and “strict” accompanied with “a feeling of being watched”.
Despite those sentiments, many students admire the architecture and have expressed a general interest in knowing more about its history. Those who appreciate and often use this little “hiding space”, that seems to remind many people of Hogwarts, are actually very happy about the fact that it stays mostly empty. It adds to the charm of the library and allows the visitor to feel transported back in time or imagine all the stories this library could tell.
The Jesuits Members of the “Society of Jesus”, a Roman Catholic order of religious men, arrived in Reims as missionaries. The fathers wanted to build a college to offer free education to students. They received help from Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery, a member of an important bourgeois family in Reims (and who would become Lord Chancellor of France in 1607). He asked King Henri IV for permission for the Jesuits to open their college. In March 1606, the king permitted the founding of
the school. Following this authorization, Nicolas’ brother, the king’s chaplain, François Brûlart de Sillery, bought the Hôtel de Cerny opposite the St. Maurice priory on March 12th 1608. On October 18th 1608, the college opened its doors for the first 500 students who were taught disciplines such as Philosophy, Mathematics and Humanities – and later Medicine, Theology and Science. The free college attracted many students from families who were able to afford education. François Brûlart bought the St. Maurice priory in 1619 to extend the premises and financed the construction of the buildings that are now part of the Sciences Po campus. They were finalized in 1678.
The donators The first donation was made in 1608 to the Jesuit fathers by François Brûlart de Sillery. After he had bought the Hôtel de Cerny he donated 3.000 books. Over the years, the Jesuits received donations by different supporters. Their names are unknown. The American Milton Konvitz (1908-2003) was a founding faculty member of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a professor, teaching philosophy and law, at Cornell Law School. His book collection was donated by his son, Josef W. Konvitz, who remained in France after retiring from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Stanley Hoffman (1928-2015) was born in Vienna but grew up in France where he graduated from Sciences Po in 1948. Professor Emeritus of Harvard University, he founded Harvard’s Center for European Studies. After his death, his family decided to donate his books, which he had collected until the end of his life, to Sciences Po. Yves Grosrichard (1907-1992) was a French journalist who joined the French Resistance d
uring WWII. After the war, he worked as an editor for many different magazines and newspapers. His collection was donated by an instructor of Sciences Po Campus de Reims. Bastien Irondelle (1973-2013) was a researcher at the Center for International Studies and Research (CERI) and a teacher at Sciences Po, specialised in defence and security issues in Europe. His collection at the library hasn’t been completed yet.
Josefine Krüger