Monastic Libraries

LIE) A RY O F TH L U N 1 VLR5 ITY Of 1 LLI N O I 5 \eo\ - mm MONASTIC LIBRARIES by MARY HARRIETT KITTREDaE THESIS FOR THE HEGREE OF BACHELOR OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN THE STATE LIBRARY SCHOOL in the UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PRESENTED JUNE 190 1. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/monasticlibrarieOOkitt jCfOl UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 190 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PKEPABED UNDEK MY SUPERVISION BY ENTITLED IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF .2).c^jcJLjJL^ -:- C ONTENTS Introduction The beginnings of monachism ^ 1 The rise of the coenobites 1 ' The difference "between Eastern and Western monachism « . 1 St Benedict « » 2 The active idea of monacliism 2 i The develop^ment of the homes of the monks. 3 The monastic church. « 3 Rule of St Benedict 4 Tlie introduction of transcribing manuscripts 4 The question as to whether monks wrote from dictation or copied di- rectly from the books * 5 The scriptorium ^ 6 Rules of the scriptorium 6 The process of transcribing 7 Illumination 8 The development of illumination 8 Binding. « — g The decline of the art of transcribing » 9 The monks as book collectors 9 The libraries of Alexander and of Origen 10 The library era began with the publication of the rule of St Bene- dict 10 Originally books were stored in the cloister 11 The reference and the loan library > .12 The library finally occupied a separate room 12 4671.6 il The description of a monastic library 13 The system of lending books .13 The arran,?ement of books on the shelves ....14 The care exercised by the monks over their books 15 The duties of the chanter or librarian 15 Library of Abyssinia .16 Library of Meteora • 17 Collection of Isidore of Seville 17 Library of Titclafield Abbey 17 Library of Olairvaiix . 18 Library of Wimbome Abbey 18 Library of Christ Oh-urch Oanterbiiry .19 Benedictine library in Paris * . 19 Library of Poraposa monastery ...lO Monte Oassino library » ,19 St Omer library ...19 Libraiy of Sarbonne 19 Monastic libraries foiroed the nuclei for many of the great Euro- pean libraries of today ..^..20 Ill INTRODUCTION The following material on the Monastic libraries was talcen from the Chicago Public Library, the Newberry Library and the Library of the University of Illinois. Although the iinport^nce of monastic libraries has long been realized the matter given concerning them has been su27prisingly general and unvaried. In many cases the material given has laclced detail and in those instances whexe Yfriters have given detailed accounts of the different topics upon the subject of monastic libraries the same ground has been covered by two or three of these writers. Because the transcribing of manuscripts and later the work in book making formed an importantârt in monastic disci- pline it has seemed advisablgr to give a somewhat brief account of the origin and of the routin^Hf monastic life shovîng at the same time the development of monas-SlR libraries from the tlaae when transcribing was first begun until it and book-making formed one of the principal parts of the life of the monks. Also it has seemed advisable to give a description of an old monastic church since tliroughout the history of monastic libraries the church contained the libraries. 1 MOllASTIO LIBHAEIES Although monachism had otscure beginnings and although there has been some doubts as to its founder the most '^^^ êg\nn- and best authorities agree that monasticism originated in up-, W\ciT\^<LV\svr\. per Egypt. Here in the mountainous desert on the east of the Nile Valley monks lived in little hermitages rudely piled up of stones or hollov/ed out of the mountain side. Originally these as- cetics, although living in the same neighborhood, were independent of each other having no coiitaon rule of life, praying, fasting and working each as he pleased. Gradually but quite natin-ally these anchorites acquired the habit of gathering about some especially famous and sainted hermit. In this way grew up villages of monks, each monk still living in his own separate hut but having for the first time a spiritual head. The next step in the development of monachism was the community living together in one building under the rule of an abbot to whom the monks owed obedience and by whose orders they regulated their devotions and labor. The authorship of this coenobite system is attributed to St .Anthony of Egypt. The creation of the monasteries inaugurated by St .Anthony in the deserts soon spread to the towns and thus necessitated some regulation of the life of the monks. The first written code of the laws for the government of this monastic life was drawn up by Pacho- mius of Thebaid thus giving to Christian monachism organization and law. The next great figure in the history of Eastern monasticism was Basil the are at, Bishop of Oaesarea in Oap- 2 padocia in tlie latter part of the fourth century who intro- duced monachism into Asia llinor from whence it spread into the East. Almost from the first a marked difference was apparent "between the Eastern and the Western monasticism; a difference due both I ii to climate and to race constitution. Such exposure and such severe austerities as marked the lives of the Eastern monks were iiiipossihle in the more rugged climate of the Y/est; and a life of contemplation and of bodily inactivity never found the saine favor among the Europ- eans as the Asiatics. The result v/as that the Western hermits sat- isfied themselves vîth less extreme asceticism than the Eastern re- cluses and in their activity have always done more work and have tak- en more active part in affairs of the world thary^hey. Almost from the formation of V/estem monasticism the monks spent much time in study and early the Western monasteries "became the educational and\ . literary centres of the world. The most important figure in the history of early Western monasticism was Benedict of Ifujsia who in 529 A.D. <bt ^tT\«.d\cV. founded tne famous monastery of Monte Oassino between Rome and Naples. St. Benedict founded the first regular monastic order and gave to his order and through it to the Western monachism in general a definite rule, which in time supplanted all others. To the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity he added that of manual labor and laid down a daily routine of monastic life. In 590 the passive idea of Eastern monachism was supplemented and in many cases was supplanted by active missionary ideas. In the latter part of the sixth century Oassiodcrus made his monastery of Vivarium a center Of classical and theological" learning and thus gave to Western monach-j ism intellectual impulse .which it never lost. Throughout the ^/liddle —=— , Agea monasteries v/ere the oeiiters of learnin^j and the only theolo.7- ical seminaries the t the 77estern Ch\irch possegsod. With the development of monasticism came the development in the form of the habitations of the monks. V\0\TVt<b eft The early idea of monachism was the complete seclusion of the individuf.l from all other individuals, for the 80le purpose of fasting and prayer, thus making a single Tiut suffi- cient for the hermit. The later idea ^/as the seclusion from the wjrld not only of the individual hut of a body of monks under one head, who did not as in the earlier days wholly give themselves up to spiritual contemplation, but devoted a greater part of their time to manual labor find reading. This development necessitated a pro- vision for a coimiion abode and place of v;orship, so that as early as the third century the ruonlcs lived in conventual buildings, the principal one of which w'ds the church. 4 This church was almost alv/ays a cross church with nave and aisles and a central tower, which in the Cistercian churches only rose one story above the roof. There were also transepts, which usually contained three chapels, a choir, with or v;ithout aisles, and a retro-choir. The cloister was usually situated on the south side of the nave of the church, but someMraes for reasons of convenience the cloister occupied the north side, in which case the relative position of the other buildings was siirdlarly transposed. The chapter house, always on the east side of the court, was a large handsome rectangular building with a great deal of architectural ornairient. The libraries v;ere usually located 9 in the cloisters of the church, but as collections of books grew too large for the cloisters, the libraries were moved to the more room^' chapter houses. " Before the time of Benedict the hermits devoted all their spare time to tending the farms connected v/ith The fu\.e oS the monasteries, but with the Benedictine rule was intro- duced external labor, either manual or literary. The routine of the monastic day of the Benedictine orders was to include seven hours for manual labor and two hours for reading as is shown in the forty-eighth chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict where it says: "Idleness is the enemy of the soul: hence bretliren ought, at certain seasons to occupy themselves with manual labor and again at certain hours with holy reading. Therefore between Easter and the Calends of October let them apply themselves to reading from the fourth till near the sixth hour.

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