The purpose of these archives are for acquisition, retention, arrangement, description, of records, documents, letters, audio-visuals, diaries, photographs, memorabilia, etc. generated by the Friars of the Province of the Sacred Heart to provide physical protection of the historical content and to make them accessible to serious researchers, and to make available to appraise and retrieve collections within the boundaries of the Sacred Heart Province.

The Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart Archives was designated the official repository for all records generated by the Friars as stated in the decree of the General Definitorium on April 26, 1879 and carried out this decree at the first Chapter, July 2, 1879, when the first prelates assumed office.

This is the main archives where patrons research the rich history of the Franciscans. At one time this room was once the site of the General Chapter of the Order where important meetings and election were conducted. Today, it holds the administrative records, personal papers and institutional records dating back to those early days in the 1800s. For easy access our holdings are indexed in tables on a computer. Besides the use of a computer, we also provide a TV/VCR for viewing videos, a microfilm reader/printer and a copy machine.

Artifacts and memorabilia are a unique way to visually explain history. Many items collected and preserved, such as the old chimes and reliquaries, are displayed throughout the main archives.



An extension of the main archives is found on the third floor. This section is accessible only to the staff. It is divided into three rooms and house collections from art, artifacts, mechanical drawings, manuscripts and personal papers to our reference library, audio, visual collections and photographs. These valuable collections are preserved in various archival storage containers and depending upon their needs they are stored in separate climate controlled environments which are key to preservation.

The mission of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart Archives is to make documents, letters, papers, diaries, photographs etc., available upon proper request to the friars of the Sacred Heart Province and others who have a legitimate access to the archives.

We are located at the Provincial House: St. Anthony's Friary 3140 Meramec Street St. Louis, Missouri 63118 Phone: 314-655-0523 E-mail: archives@TheFriars.org If we are unavailable to take your call please leave a message on our voice mail and we will return your call as soon as possible. We are open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. May the peace of St. Francis be with you.

Keep in mind our Constitutional right to protect our holdings. To use our photographs other than the original intent would be an infringement and in violation of the copyright laws.