Rare lost books return to monastery in Votice
A treasure trove of more than a thousand rare books has been returned to the monastery library of the Association for the Preservation of the Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi in Votice. The books were taken away 75 years ago, and for many years their whereabouts were unknown.
The Association for the Preservation of the Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi is located on the first floor of the monastery, where the monastery library is now coming back to life. Jana Zelenková, chairwoman of the Association, with more on the unique collection:
“The books were here until 1950. In April of that year, the monasteries were abolished, and the books remained here until November 1950. Unfortunately, they were left in the hallway, where they were freely accessible. Some were stolen, and some were destroyed. This was because the church secretary at the time said that the books were old, worthless, written on strange paper, and that no one understood them. They were written in Latin and Gothic script.”
The books that remained in the monastery were taken to the National Library. Zelenková with more:
“Because they came for the books with a truck and loaded them while wearing overalls, it was rumored in Votice until the 1990s that the monastery library had ended up in the scrap heap.”
“On the one hand, the work was wonderful because we were handling books that date back to the 15th century or even earlier. The worst part was the centuries-old dust on them.”
A unique Bible
Zelenková picks up a huge book that she has difficulty carrying. It has a leather binding and a map of Franciscan monasteries inside. She reads that the book dates from 1746. “The librarian’s heart was completely overjoyed. Amazing, amazing,” says the chairwoman of the association, delighted by the rescue of the leather-bound book with the map.
In the middle of the room, in a glass display case, are the rare Melantrich Bibles—the first Bibles printed in Czech, Zelenková explains:
“They are extremely rare, and we are glad that they are among the books that have returned to us.”
The library will be open to the public this year as part of monastery tours. Another new feature is also in the works: the restoration of the monastery garden, according to independent deputy mayor Jaroslava Pokorná:
“The Garden Behind the Wall project also includes the installation of artistic sculptures. The intention was to add an artistic dimension. The sculptures will be named Guardian Monk and The Beginning.”
Their symbolism is intended to refer to the spiritual history of the monastery.
