Books, Libraries and Writing

ntil the second half of the 15th century, the copying of manuscripts by hand was the only way to spread the written word: in that, the monasteries had a major role to play. They chose the texts to copy and disseminate among the Christian communities. In big monasteries writing was done in a special room – the scriptorium – where several monks (or nuns in nunneries) copied and studied texts under the supervision of a librarian (armarius) or the head of the monastery. The scribes in the monasteries generally had some other duties as well, for example teaching, healing the sick or participating in the mass. The work of copying was carried out in a heated room so that ink would not congeal. Weather permitting, copying was also done in the covered walkway or the courtyard, for it was lighter and sometimes warmer outdoors, although the slightest breeze was sufficient to disturb the work.

t was St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monastery who said that manuscripts   to be copied, collected and studied in the monasteries. It is no exaggeration to say that monasteries and cathedrals preserved and transmitted knowledge from the classical antiquity and developed it further. Writing was considered to be a spiritual practice, which helped in contemplation and set one’s mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. On the other hand, intellectual work and God’s service helped to advance the art of writing. There was a common proverb in the medieval times that  ’A cloister without a library is like a castle without an armoury’ (Claustrum sine armario quasi castrum sine armamentario.) The art of writing was also used to protect and generate monastery’s profits. For example the monasteries had to secure title to their lands against noble lords, presenting, or forging, documents that protected their rights. For the same purpose different narratives of saints and proverbs from historical writing were used. Knowledge itself was power. The ability to read old texts and to create new texts was the key to gain power and influence in the world. And the written word in the almost illiterate society had a magical sound and power until the late Middle Ages.

s most of the manuscripts accumulated in the monasteries during the Middle Ages, the first libraries were established there. The monastic libraries in the Early and High Middle Ages did not often contain many manuscripts, perhaps about a dozen. The largest European monastic libraries were in the Abbey of Lorsch, Germany with 590 manucripts and in the Bobbio Abbey, Italy with approximately 700 manuscripts. As the Rule of St. Benedict says each monk should read one book in its entirety each year.

In the eastern cloister-walk, near the church, the monasteries had a wall niche, where the self-service library was situated, the northern part of the cloister was a reading hall in the modern sense of the word, and was often wider and supplied with benches.

he Cistercians condemned idle talk and valued silence. In most areas of the monastery speaking was not allowed. All the necessary conversations had to be held in the parlour, which was a room for speaking. The word ’parlour’ as well as the word ’parliament’ both come from the Latin word parlare ’to speak’. Sometimes this room was also called ‘auditorium’ (from Latin audire – to hear), since the prior heard the monks’ reports about carrying out the tasks assigned to them in this room. Because of the observance of silence the Cistercians developed a sign language, i.e. a system of hand marks to convey simpler messages to one another in silence.