1878 Visites au Saint-Sacrement by St. Alphonsus de Liguori – Gilt Leather Devotional Book

A richly detailed 19th-century devotional book, Visites au Saint-Sacrement et à la Sainte Vierge, authored by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori. This pocket-sized book offered meditations before the Blessed Sacrament, prayers to the Virgin Mary, and exercises of devotion for daily and Sunday worship.

At first glance, the black leather binding with gilt monogram and gilt page edges gives the book an almost jewel-like presence. Opening the cover reveals beautifully printed pages with red-ruled borders, decorative initials, and detailed engravings, making it as much a work of artistry as of faith.

Published in 1878 by Desclée, Lefebvre & Cie. in Tournai, Belgium, this edition represents the flourishing of Catholic devotional printing in the late 19th century, when richly bound prayer books were prized personal possessions. Compact and intimate, it would have been a daily companion in private devotion.

Origin & Era

• Tournai, Belgium — Desclée, Lefebvre & Cie.

• 1878

Materials

• Black gilt-tooled leather binding with gilt monogram

• Gilt-edged pages with printed red borderlines and engravings

Condition

Excellent antique condition. Binding and gilt decoration remain vibrant. Interior pages are clean and crisp with only gentle toning consistent with age.