of the Virgin, a much esteemed sculpture by Lecomte. This altar has
retained the name _autel da væu_ (or the altar of the vow) since 1637,
on account of a grand procession, which took place at that time, to
obtain the cessation of the plague. The procession, in reentering the
church stopped before this altar, on which the civic authorities placed
a silver lamp, weighing forty marks. The statue to the left is that of
saint Cecile, the patroness of musicians. This sculpture is also from
the chisel of Clodion. Both altars are ornamented with handsome
bas-reliefs, the one to the right representing, Jesus-Christ placed in
the tomb; that to the left, Saint Cecile, at the moment of her death.

The actual existence of a library in the Cathedral, may be traced back
as far as the year 1424. The canons, caused to be erected, for that
purpose, over the cellar of the chapter house, the large building which
we see at present. It was about one hundred feet long by twenty five
broad. They ascended to it by a handsome gothic staircase, erected by
order of the cardinal William d'Estouteville, during the second half of
the XVth century, and placed in the corner of the northern transept.
This library was plundered and destroyed by the calvinists, in 1562,
but, was restored by the archbishop Francis de Harley.

In 1788, the chapter ordered an additional story to be built over the
library, destined to receive the records of the church. The higher
portion of the staircase which conducts to this story, was erected in
1789, and in the same style as the rest of it.

As far as 1112 the cathedral possessed several manuscripts, which were
destroyed in the fire of 1200.

A great portion of the books of the cathedral are now deposited in the