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During the French Revolution, this complex had been used first as the École centrale de la Moselle and later to store the collections brought here following their confiscation under the Convention. Eventually, about 60,000 volumes came together: from the powerful cathedral chapter, which owned the most splendid collection of manuscripts, from the collegiate church of Saint-Sauveur and from the four monasteries of Saint-Arnould, Saint-Clément, Saint-Symphorien and Saint-Vincent. Among other sources were the convent of Sainte-Glossinde, the Jesuits, the Coelestinians, the Dominicans, the major and minor Carmelites, the Trinitarians, the reformed Franciscans, the mission priests etc. In time, other books were added, such as those which had belonged to various church libraries in the area around Metz, as well as the collections of several institutions of the Ancien Régime, e.g. that of the order of lawyers at the parliament of Metz or that of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences.