In 2014, it held more than 225,000 books, 250,000 photographs and various documents in the fields of archaeology, theology, history, geography, philosophy, linguistics, literature and art.

They sought to establish a college, and a seminary to train future priests, who were to serve a vast area stretching from Armenia to Egypt.

[2] In 1843, Father Benoît Planchet bought a piece of land in Ghazir, a town 27 km (17 miles) north of Beirut, where he established an elementary school.

[4] Father Louis Cheikho, director from 1880 to 1927, gave it the name of Bibliothèque Orientale in 1894 and enriched it by the works of Orientalists and through the acquisition of old manuscripts.

Fearing the consequences of this expulsion, the consuls of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the United States in Istanbul intervened directly with the Turkish government to ensure that the library collection would be protected.

[4] The library premises, furniture, storage facilities, and reproduction equipment sustained heavy damage after the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

The building spans three above-ground floors which include a reading room, an exhibition hall, an amphitheater, an image library, and offices.

[10] In total, the book library consists of 225,000 titles, including early editions of oriental and western chroniclers and travelers, Arab poets and intellectuals.