LIBRARIES IN THE MIDDLE AGES

When history tells us of the continual wars that Christian

Europe had to wage from the collapse of the Roman Empire
to the period of the Crusades, we should look for little library
building during this span of turmoil. The pressure that the
ruthless Vandals, Danes, Tartars and Saracens brought to bea'r
upon Europe in the early Middle Ages was so terrific that a
supplication was inserted in litanies, begging Almighty God to
deliver Christendom from the fury of the Northmen. These
fierce tribes not only prevented the Christians from amassing
books, but destroyed much of that precious store which was the
heritage of scholars from the golden days of the Empire.
Over and above the ever-recurring catastrophe of foreign
invasion, the problem of library building was intensified by the
mechanical difficulties of bookmaking. Paper was obtainable
only from Egypt and, in the period we are treating, Egypt
refused to export it; parchment, the substitue for paper, though
durable, was costly and slow in the making; ink was hard to
obtain. Persons like the monks who were interested in litera-
ture and willing to write, found at best, only six hours a day
for library work. The actual making of a book meant a laborious
process of handwriting with an inconvenient quill or stylus
with much transcribing and time-consuming difficulty of reading
the close handwriting of ancient authors. Travelling in those
days rendered communication with cities very slow and hindered
both the advertisement and the multiplication of books. An
ordinary book when finished cost in the vicinity of $80.00, an
impossible sum to peasants and laborers. Mediaeval peoples
faced stupendous problems in their bookmaking and it would
not be surprising to be told that when the thirteenth century
dawned, Christendom was a poverty-stricken institution in the
matter of books.
But in spite of such tremendous obstacles, Europe was
dotted with many excellent libraries. The thirteenth century
was famous for books as well as for cathedrals and schools, and
the causes for such a surprising condition were many and in-
teresting.
The growth of libraries from the fall of Rome to the preach-
ing of the first Crusade is amazing. Zeal for converting souls
20 Libraries in the Middle Ace•

and defending the faith necessitated the writing and conserva-

tion of many books. The commissioned officers of the army of
Christ realized that their strongholds, the cathedrals and mon-
a steries, would be weak without a well-equipped literary armory
with which to repel the incessant attacks of heresy and pagan.-
ism. This supreme need was responsible for the making and
preservation of many books. Other reasons were, the con-
scientious diligence of monkish scribes and copyists, the love of
study and wisdom gradually instilled into the hearts of the
faithful by Christian ideals, the spirit of conservation prevalent
in all religious communities whereby all waste was eliminated,
and the sharp ecclesiastical legislation concerning the lending,
exchanging and care of books. Regarding this last point, among
the many regulations, was the grave sentence of excommuni-
cation to be incurred by any person taking a book from a
library without permission. Simple but useful rules were in
vogue. The reader was asked to hold a book in a gloved hand;
to shut the book and put it away immediately after use; the
book presses were to be lined with wood so that dampness would
not get to the binding; the books were not to be shelved in a
cramped fashion; the cupboards where the books were kept,
were to be open only certain hours of the day; records of the
taking out and return of books were to be kept, and there were
other rules of similar nature. Mediaeval care of books amounted
to love and reverence. Richard of Bury struck the keynote of
the Church's regard for books when he said, "and surely next to
the vessels and vestments dedicated to Our Lord's Body, holy
books deserve to be rightly treated by the clergy . . ." Modern
library systems have borrowed much from mediaeval regu-
lations.
The influence of St. Columbanus and his Irish monks, set-
tling in France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, added zest to
library building. They brought with them an enthusiasm for
study that was contagious and they inspired a host of enthusi-
asts to traverse Europe and gather books for their convents or
castles. Kings were influenced to encourage bookmaking and
personally make donations. The feudal lords were shown the
advantages of education and the serfs were taught to regard
every written word as precious. The danger of losing a valuable
manuscript was lessened when it was loaned to responsible
 Librariea in the Midclle Agea 21

persons for copying purposes. This policy of lending accom-

plished tremendous good, for the monasteries became public
libraries and the people of the vincinity were advanced on the
road of learning.
Summing up the results of the united labor of Christendom
for the years immediately preceeding the first Crusade, that is
before 1095, we find that notable collections of books, to men-
tion but a few, had been made in the towns of Monte Cassino,
Fulda, Novalese, Pomposa, Bobbio, Tours, Fleury, Cluny, St.
Gall, York, Canterbury, Reichenau, Sponheim, Armagh, Iona,
Lismore, Clonard, Clonmacnoise and Glendalough. In fact,
every cathedral school and convent claimed a fair -library for
such a period and the palaces of nobles carried their own com-
mendable hoarding of precious volumes.
Then followed even a brighter period. The Crusades were
the cause of a fresh boom in the matter of bookmaking. The
experiences of the Christian warriors on foreign soil, the prob-
lems they confronted, the intercourse they had with Moorish
culture and their glorious deeds of valor demanded histories.
The menace of Arabian philosophy demanded refutation. Matty
Christian philosophers wrote monumental works to show the
errors of Arabianism and Christian historians recorded the
conflicts between the East and the West.
The new impetus was sponsored by the regal man of God,
St. Louis IX. He formed an intimate friendship with Thomas
Aquinas, Bonaventure, Robert of Sorbonne and Vincent of
Beauvais. With these intellectual geniuses around him, the
monarch soon conceived a passion for books and he went to
great trouble to gather them for his own foundation of La Ste.
Chapelle and for the different convents of the realm. His system
of procuring books, was simple, efficient and is illustrative of
the general method of library building in the thirteenth century.
In his frequent travels, staying at cathedrals and abbies, he
examined all the libraries in his realm. Finding any work not
in his possession, the scribes who always accompanied him were
ordered to transcribe them and send copies to La Ste. Chapelle.
The archives of the kingdom were also deposited there and these
swelled the total of manuscripts to such an extent that La Ste.
Chapelle soon became the leading library of the time.
22 Libraries in the Middle Ages

Other new stimulants to library building were: the found-

ing of such famous universities as Paris, Oxford, Padua, Naples;
poetry was popular; linen paper wa s made at home; school-
men debated and committed to writing the thoughts of the
century; Marco Polo visited China and India and awakened
dreams of wealth; momentuous civil questions, as the Magna
Charta in England, Fehmic Courts in Germany, Swiss Liberties
and Sicilian Vespers; the crying need of codifying the religious
and civil canons.
The Mendicant Orders helped exceedingly in furnishing the
home of Christendom with a precious library. From their very
birth, the Franciscans and Dominicans worked to acquire and
save those valuable manuscripts from which they could learn
the secrets of life, so as to be able to give the people the fruits
of their study. The sons of the Seraph and sons of the Athlete
were most lavish in writing, purchasing and preserving books
for they knew that to be poor in learning would frustrate the
high purposes of their saintly founders .
As a result of the labors of the scholars of the Crusade
period and of the thirteenth century, Christianity in Europe was
in possession of the following leading libraries in the fourteenth
century. A full ennumeration of course is impossible and only
the more famous are given.
In Italy: Naples, Padua, Bobbio, Monte Cassino, Bologna,
Pisa, Sienna, Ravenna, Palermo, Treviso, Salerno, Pavia,
Perugia.
In France: Paris, Sorbonne, Fontanelle, Bee, St. Riquier,
Corbie, Tours, Chartres, Fleury, St. Amand, St. Martial, Rebais,
Hotel Dieu, St. Victor, Montepellier, Moissac, Orleans, Cluny.
In Germany: Cologne, Ratisbon, Fulda, Salzburg, Carvey,
Lubeck, Passau, Reichenau, Augsburg, Westphalia, Wessobrun,
Nuremburg.
In Ireland: Lindisfarne, Armagh, Clonfert, Kildare, Cork,
Sligo.
In England: Oxford, Peterborough, Canterbury, Glaston-
bury, Durham, York, Burys, St. Edmunds, Croyland, Whitby.
In Switzerland: St. Gall, Muri.
In Spain: Salamanca, Palencia, Seville, Toledo.
The Netherlands had a few collections, Greece had her Mt.
 Libraries in the Middle Ages 23

Athos and Austria was massing literature at Prague and Vienna.

Libraries also existed in the Balkans, Egypt and Asia Minor.
Hence, w here w e naturally expected barrenness, we find a
remarkable abundance. Christian Europe was never destitute
of precious books. The sheer strength of her will and grace of
her mighty mission necessitated the triumph over every con-
ceivable obstacle. Her libraries were numerous enough and
wealthy with the burden of ancient lore. They are but another
jewel in the glorious crown of the Spouse of Christ.
-Bro. Christopher Perrotta, 0. P.

Works consulted: Monasticism and Civilization, by John B. O'Connor,

0 . P., P. G.; The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centuries, Walsh; Catologi
Bibliothecaru m Antiqui, Becker; Catholic, Americana and Brittanica
Encyclopedia s; Harper's Monthly, CX (1905) ; Bibliomania in the Middle
Ages, Merryweathe r; Libraries and Founders of Libraries, Edwards.