H.E. Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, head of a delegation including H.E. Mrs. Anne Grillo, Ambassador of France to Lebanon, Mr. Charles Personnaz, Director of the National Heritage Institute, Mrs. Marie Buscail, Director of the French Institute of Lebanon and Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action, as well as several officials from the Ministry and the Embassy, visited the Oriental Library (BO) of Saint Joseph University in Beirut (USJ) on May 6. 

Professor Salim Daccache, USJ Rector, and Vice-Rectors Salah Aboujaoude and Carla Eddé, hosted them, along with several university officials and its partner in the BO project, the Fondation Œuvre d'Orient. Vincent Gelot, Country Director (for Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) and Marc de Vergnette, Deputy Country Director, were also present.

The purpose of the visit was to explore the rich heritage of the Oriental Library and to check on the rehabilitation work progress. BO was greatly damaged following the Beirut Port explosion ON August 4. Nearly all of the building's doors and windows were destroyed and many walls were cracked, including those of the two cold storage rooms, thus endangering the library's collections. Built in the 1930s, the building is distinctive for its monumental neoclassical style, designed by the French architect Rogatien de Cidrac, later the main architect of the Domaine National de Fontainebleau renovation.

For several months now, a vast project to rehabilitate the building and to safeguard the collections has been underway in collaboration with Œuvre d'Orient and thanks to emergency aid granted by the Aliph Foundation (International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones) and the Qatar National Library / Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

The Rector and Vice-Rector Aboujaoudé briefed the delegation on USJ and the Jesuit Quarter, including St. Joseph's Church and the old cloister. The delegation then toured the book storage room and the manuscript cold storage room on the first floor. Mrs. Grace Rihan, expert of the General Directorate of Antiquities, and Mr. Wassim Selwan, Director of the Department of Real Estate Maintenance and Conservation, provided an update on the work in progress and in particular on the delicate work to restore the cedar wood windows and the Baghdadi style walls and ceilings. The delegation then went to the reading room on the third floor. Mrs. Carla Eddé, Vice-Rector for International Relations, recalled the early days of the Arab press, through the hadikat al-akhbar newspaper exhibited to the public. Mrs. Micheline Bittar, Director of the Oriental Library, and Mr. Karam El Hoyek, Manuscript Manager, presented the unique collection of manuscripts of the Library, and used two illuminated manuscripts in Arabic and Syriac to support their presentation. Mr. Christian Taoutel, Director of the Department of History and International Relations, spoke about the Jesuit archives and their great contribution in writing the history of Lebanon and the Middle East. The delegation also had the opportunity to marvel at the collection of maps and in particular the original, very rare, map of Beirut by Lvoyteed dating from 1876.

The delegation then proceeded to the ground floor where Mr. Levon Nordiguian, Director of the Photo Library, presented the unique collection of photographs including more than 250,000 records, as well as historical cameras. Mrs. Christine Babikian Assaf, Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, presented the history of the port since its construction at the turn of the 19th century. Students regularly present at the Library or holding student jobs were represented by Ms. Sanahine Tomassian from the Faculty of Science and Ms. Zeynab Ghandour from the Faculty of Humanities.

Mr. Le Drian, a historian by training, said he was delighted to visit BO, which allowed him to immerse himself in a world that is dear to him, and to learn more about the richness of Lebanon's heritage, praising the efforts of USJ in the preservation of Lebanon and its heritage. Mrs. Anne Grillo and Mrs. Marie Buscail also expressed their support and their willingness to visit BO again once the renovation is completed. Mr. Charles Personnaz, a great friend of the Library and of Lebanon, pledged his help in advancing the many projects underway, including the one with the French National Archives.

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