Czech Franciscan Book Culture. Libraries of Franciscans, Conventual Franciscans, and Capuchins through centuries

Scientific Study from the year 2007 in the subject History Europe - Other Countries - Middle Ages, Early Modern Age, grade: 1, University of Ostrava (Philosophical Faculty, Department of Art History), course: Cultural history, language: English, abstract: The book presents history and course of libraries and book culture in the First Franciscan Order from 13th to 20th centuries in the area of the present Czech Republic. After introductory depicting some attitudes and stories of St. Francis of Assisi and his early continuators considering books and studies, the next chapters describe book treating among Friars Minors and later reformatted Observants in Middle Ages (12th-15th cent.). This text considers on book acquisition, deposition, care and contents in both communal libraries and personal use of friars, mentioning also critics about them. Some other important codexes, scribes, book acquisitors, possessors and donators like St. Agnes of Bohemia, Vilém z Pernstejna, Jan Filipec, nobles of Sternberk and others are mentioned too. In the next part, the author tries to generalize features and the development of some considered libraries, first in description of their historical development and then characterizing properties of libraries and book treatment in the Modern times, now separately in three orders of Conventual Franciscans, Franciscans and Capuchins. After this general part, libraries in particular convents in the present Czech Republic, sorted by alphabet, are delineated. Each of these chapters has a determined structure: history and fate of the convent and library, known manuscripts, book donators, catalogues, librarians and present preservation of the book collection.