At most colleges and universities, the library is the most important building on campus. As it does in so many ways, Christendom College differs from them; the Chapel of Christ the King will ever be its most important edifice. But the library nonetheless has held a place of high honor. That library, collections and staff, soon will have a fitting home in the St. John the Evangelist Library building to be completed by September. Its hushed halls will contain tens of thousands of volumes that unlock the past and are guides and friends on the search for wisdom. In it a student will learn philosophy from Socrates, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas; Jewish history from Josephus; theology from Saints Athanasius and Augustine; or English literature from Shakespeare and Jane Austen.
A remarkable piece of Virginia Architecture designed by the architects at O’Brien and Keane, the new library will be the academic center of campus. Students, faculty, staff, and friends of the College will gather here to exchange ideas and to share the joys of friendship. Classes will convene in first-floor classrooms, including two state-of-the-art computer rooms and an audio/visual viewing room. In anticipation of its opening this year, a brief look at the building plans is in order.
The building’s outward beauty and grandeur will reflect the beauty of the sublime truths found within. The grand dome will recall the domes of classical Rome. Artistic representations of saints and religious figures will grace its halls, among them a statue of the “beloved disciple” St. John, and a bronze sculpture of John Paul II by renowned artist H. Reed Armstrong.
Continuing through this gateway one goes, as if through Faith, to Reason, and the library proper. Here one finds the circulation and reference and information desks flooded by sun from the skylights above. Next is the library’s information commons — the modern day Forum or Agora — where students and teachers can make use of electronic research tools.
The Reference, Periodicals, and Book collections will begin here and continue upstairs in the mezzanine floor. These will include a select Rare Books and Special Collections area that will house some treasures of early Catholic printing. Throughout these parts of the building is spacious and comfortable seating with lovely views of the tranquil forest outside.
Also on the upper floor will be an elegant boardroom overlooking the Shenandoah River that will house a fine collection of prints from the collections of the late Ambassador Vernon Walters.
From its beginning, the College founders recognized the central importance of a library in pursuing the College’s mission of “restoring all things in Christ.” The very seed of Christendom’s library came from Dr. Carroll — he donated a large percentage of the scholarly books. Many priestly souls and countless lay members of Christ’s Church also have contributed to forming the excellent collection. In the Library Director’s words, the new St. John the Evangelist Library clearly represents “the academic culmination — the proverbial ‘cherry on top’ — of Dr. Warren H. Carroll’s achievement in founding Christendom College in 1977.
For more information about Christendom College, please look to their website.
