Volume IX, No. 4 - December 2002
SLUMA to house Jesuit artifacts
Saint Louis University soon will display thousands of artifacts of Jesuit and western history formerly housed in the Rock Museum Building on the former St. Stanislaus Seminary grounds in Hazelwood, Mo. The collection has been placed on loan to Saint Louis University by the Jesuits of the Missouri Province and will be displayed in the Saint Louis University Museum of Art.
“Saint Louis University is the perfect location to safeguard these Jesuit treasures not only because of the shared history, its status as the first university founded west of the Mississippi River and the second oldest Catholic, Jesuit university in the country, but also because it has the best resources to preserve this important collection,” said Frank Reale, S.J., provincial of the Missouri Province.
The Jesuit collection includes four centuries of chalices from Belgium, France, Italy, the
Samples of Jesuit artifacts at the Saint Louis University Museum of Art.
United States and Canada; a collection of tools, weapons and traps used by the pioneer Jesuits of St. Stanislaus; a rare collec-tion of Greek and Latin books dating from 1521, many brought to this country by Peter DeSmet, S.J.; as well as Baroque and Rococo paintings once owned by Belgian nobility. With thousands of items, the list goes on and on.
“We are honored that Saint Louis University has been selected to preserve these significant historical relics so that they will continue to exist as a resource for future generations to learn about not only Jesuit history, but also about the pioneers and immigrants who have traveled through our area as the gateway to the West,” said University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. “The Saint Louis University Museum of Art has set aside ideal and adequate space to display these magnificent items.”
The museum is open from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
(from the Saint Louis University - Grand Connections)
