The closure of St George's Benedictine convent in Prague Castle in 1782 meant the end of a valuable convent library, whose size and contents we can only conjecture. Hitherto we have been aware of a set of 65 codices to be found for the most part in the Czech National Library fonds with individual items owned by the Prague National Museum Library and the Ősterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the practically unknown St George codices which the Czech National Library purchased together with the Prague Lobkowicz library. These are four breviaries which were acquired by the Lobkowicz Library in 1835. Summer breviary XXIII D 156 was created before the mid-13th century undoubtedly in the environment of St George's Convent, while the somewhat older Calendarium is evidently not from St George's or of Bohemian origin at all. The winter breviary XXIII D 155 is ascribed to St George's Abbess Anežka (1355-1358). Summer breviary XXIII D 142 was created in 1359 for Sister Alžbeta, the codex decoration is from the workshop of master breviarist Grandmaster Lev. Summer breviary XXIII D 138, which is of artistic and iconographic interest, is the work of four scribes and two previously unknown illuminators.
The library of the Czech historian Tomaš Pešina of Čechorod who lived in the time after the White Mountain is nowadays part of the family library of the Wallensteins which is housed at the castle in Mnichovo Hradiště. This article focuses on the series of chronicles coming from the estate of Pešina and created around the mid 14th century. The codex contains both copies of national chronicles (Chronicle by Bartošek of Drahonice, Chronicle by Přibik Pulkava of Radonin and Old Czech Annals) and chronicles of the Mladá Boleslav Town and Žatec Town.
The library of the Czech historian Tomaš Pešina of Čechorod who lived in the time after the White Mountain is nowadays part of the family library of the Wallensteins which is housed at the castle in Mnichovo Hradiště. This article focuses on the series of chronicles coming from the estate of Pešina and created around the mid 14th century. The codex contains both copies of national chronicles (Chronicle by Bartošek of Drahonice, Chronicle by Přibik Pulkava of Radonin and Old Czech Annals) and chronicles of the Mladá Boleslav Town and Žatec Town.
The Stefanyk Library of the Ukraine Academy of Sciences in Lvov houses the manuscript of a Czech medieval bible under shelf mark 9 O/Н Од. Зб. 3897. This bible was transcribed 1476-1478 by Jan Záblacký, a scribe of whom no details are known, and contains the complete collection of the books of the Old and the New Testaments without prefaces. We know neither the person who ordered the work nor the first owner, unless it was Jan Záblacký himself. Nor can we determine with any accuracy the place where the bible was written, although at the end of the manuscript Záblacký mentions that he completed it on 9th April 1478 in Kamenice, though there are several towns and villages of that name in Bohemia and Moravia. The times recorded by Jan Záblacký for individual books of the bible are of interest and value, as they enable us to reconstruct the rate at which the scribe transcribed the bible text and the average daily amount of text transcribed.
The Stefanyk Library of the Ukraine Academy of Sciences in Lvov houses the manuscript of a Czech medieval bible under shelf mark 9 O/Н Од. Зб. 3897. This bible was transcribed 1476-1478 by Jan Záblacký, a scribe of whom no details are known, and contains the complete collection of the books of the Old and the New Testaments without prefaces. We know neither the person who ordered the work nor the first owner, unless it was Jan Záblacký himself. Nor can we determine with any accuracy the place where the bible was written, although at the end of the manuscript Záblacký mentions that he completed it on 9th April 1478 in Kamenice, though there are several towns and villages of that name in Bohemia and Moravia. The times recorded by Jan Záblacký for individual books of the bible are of interest and value, as they enable us to reconstruct the rate at which the scribe transcribed the bible text and the average daily amount of text transcribed.
This article presents the little known diary entries of the priest P. Václav Vojtěch Berenklau († 1699) primarily from the Kladruby period of his activities (1675-1677). An attempt is also made to compare his diary with a fragment from 1662-1663 of a priest's diary belonging to P. Jan Manner in Prague and the as yet largely unexamined diary specimens from the famous P. Bartoloměj Michal Zelenka from the time he was active in Brandýs nad Labem. In addition to these diaries, the diary is also compared with notes made by the distinguished Baroque preacher and writer O. F. De Waldt.
This article presents the little known diary entries of the priest P. Václav Vojtěch Berenklau († 1699) primarily from the Kladruby period of his activities (1675-1677). An attempt is also made to compare his diary with a fragment from 1662-1663 of a priest's diary belonging to P. Jan Manner in Prague and the as yet largely unexamined diary specimens from the famous P. Bartoloměj Michal Zelenka from the time he was active in Brandýs nad Labem. In addition to these diaries, the diary is also compared with notes made by the distinguished Baroque preacher and writer O. F. De Waldt.
This paper deals with the reconstruction of the now longer preserved gallery of coats of arms at Roupov Castle (District of Klatovy, Western Bohemia) based on manuscripts XVII.A.8 and XVII. E. 28 a from the Czech National Library. Information from individual manuscripts was combined to form an image of probably the largest Czech family coat of arms gallery at the end of the 16th century containing a collection of coats of arms from 270 noblemen and noblewomen. The gallery probands are Jan Nezdický of Roupov († before 1607) and his two wives – Dorota Bezdružická of Kolovraty and Benigna of Švamberk. The paper draws attention to the utilization of hitherto neglected manuscript sources for research into displays of self-awareness among the privileged classes and it attempts to show the way in which the nobility used genealogical and heraldic means for representative purposes. Not least, these manuscripts are often the only source of information on genealogical and heraldic artefacts which are no longer in existence.
The article deals with manuscript XIII G 25 of the National Library of the Czech Republic, which contains an explanation of part of the Book of Psalms (109-118). The explanation is attributed to the Master of the Prague University and preacher in the Prague Bethlehem Chapel Václav of Dráchov (about 1395-1469). The author analyses the contents of the codex, the relationship between it and further manuscripts, its provenience and finally, the research results in this field are summarized.
This article deals with the ex-Capuchin, chaplain and later parson at the Brno parish church of St James, P. Maurus Simonis (*1740-†1815) and his catalogue of the manuscript library which came into being in the Middle Ages, was permanently maintained at the church and only in 1931 did it become a part of the Brno City Archives. The manuscripts – 125 codices – serve as valuable evidence of book culture in medieval Brno. The definitive catalogue was compiled in 1805, while its first "critical" version, which does not include all manuscripts, dates from 1802. On the evidence of numerous specimens, our paper analyses the way of describing of external features – watermarks, writing, decoration and binding – as well as the content of individual codices, and it compares the work of P. Simonis with the previously unofficial conclusions of the modern catalogue which is currently at the printers.
This article focuses on narrative sources for the town histories which are part of the Manuscript collection of the National Museum in Prague. It refers to Early Modern Times historiographic works coming from the following towns: České Budějovice, Horní Blatná, Cheb, Jáchymov, Klatovy, Plzeň, Prachatice, Sedlčany, Vysoké Mýto, and Trutnov.
This article focuses on narrative sources for the town histories which are part of the Manuscript collection of the National Museum in Prague. It refers to Early Modern Times historiographic works coming from the following towns: České Budějovice, Horní Blatná, Cheb, Jáchymov, Klatovy, Plzeň, Prachatice, Sedlčany, Vysoké Mýto, and Trutnov.
The article brings brief information about the elementary manuscript holdings of the Paris National Library focusing on the occurrence of albums, especially those containing entries connected with Bohemia. As well as a series of albums belonging to foreigners who travelled to Bohemia or were given entries by Czech students on their sojourns abroad, the collection houses a rather exceptional manuscript – the album of Frederick V. The voluminous manuscript in sumptuous binding, the copy of which was gained by the National Museum Library, is worth a more detailed investigation in international context too. The study of the albums focused on finding out Latin occasional poetry connected with Bohemia, but its results are rather poor.
Pronuntiatio means the dictation of a complete work to several scribes for its dissemination amongst interested specialists, often university students. At Prague University a professor could dictate his interpretations of any book from the Faculty of Liberal Arts or have them dictated from his text by a qualified pronunciator. It is uncertain if the pronunciatio record in the manuscript can be considered to be a secure proof of authorship of the recorded work. A summary of previously ascertained reports leads to the conclusion that apart from the record of the treatise of M. Jan Rokycana De quinque prioribus sacramentis, no other designated pronuntiatio involved an author dictating his own work. It is evident that records of such pronunciatios are for the most part definitely not proof that an author has dictated his own work and that without further examination of the creation and content of a work they are not enough to establish authorship.
The author of this article focuses on two transcriptions of the Tovačov Book, previously unknown in the literature. The first case involves Manuscript R 4 in Strážnice Museum. The manuscript comes from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries and is worth noting because it was transcribed from a source in a text version not too remote from that in which the Lord of Tovačov presented it to the nobles. The text is of the "Olomouc type". In addition to the Book it also provides a dual non-identical translation of Matthew's freedoms (and if we examine the other texts, the codex provides sources on Moravian provincial law up to and including the 16th century). The more recent Liberec transcription, housed in the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec, is interesting for its features which are related to manuscript A 165 of the Mitrovský collection, which we can justifiably place at the front of the Olomouc variant manuscripts' affiliation order.
The author of this article focuses on two transcriptions of the Tovačov Book, previously unknown in the literature. The first case involves Manuscript R 4 in Strážnice Museum. The manuscript comes from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries and is worth noting because it was transcribed from a source in a text version not too remote from that in which the Lord of Tovačov presented it to the nobles. The text is of the "Olomouc type". In addition to the Book it also provides a dual non-identical translation of Matthew's freedoms (and if we examine the other texts, the codex provides sources on Moravian provincial law up to and including the 16th century). The more recent Liberec transcription, housed in the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec, is interesting for its features which are related to manuscript A 165 of the Mitrovský collection, which we can justifiably place at the front of the Olomouc variant manuscripts' affiliation order.
This article deals with the manuscript of a little known Baroque sermon called "Rurale Ivaniticum" from the Library of the Prague Crusaders. Its author is the forgotten Carmelite P. Ivanus a S. Ioanne Baptista. The main subject is the usefulness of the manuscript for the study of 18th century popular culture in Bohemia. The sermon by P. Ivanus a S. Ioanne Baptista was aimed almost exclusively at the lower class rural population. Hence the "Rurale ivaniticum" manuscript provides quite frequent examples of didactically intended folk sayings, as well as attacks on folk demonology and oneiromancy. It is from these parts of the manuscript that a merger of scholarly and folk culture clearly emerges.
This article deals with manuscripts from the library at the Franciscan Convent of Our Lady of Angels in Hradčany. It follows the way the manuscripts were recorded in the existing catalogues for 1675, 1728, 1850 and 1855. The 1850 catalogue preserves a list of manuscripts which indicates that at the time there were 116 manuscripts in the library. When we inspect the catalogue itself we find that the list is not complete and does not record all the manuscripts detailed in the catalogue (with at least fifteen items missing).
This article deals with manuscripts from the library at the Franciscan Convent of Our Lady of Angels in Hradčany. It follows the way the manuscripts were recorded in the existing catalogues for 1675, 1728, 1850 and 1855. The 1850 catalogue preserves a list of manuscripts which indicates that at the time there were 116 manuscripts in the library. When we inspect the catalogue itself we find that the list is not complete and does not record all the manuscripts detailed in the catalogue (with at least fifteen items missing).
The manuscript collection of the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians Library in Strahov, Prague, currently houses over three thousand manuscripts (plus almost 700 manuscript fragments). A catalogue by Bohumil Ryba helps us to find our bearings in the collection for shelf marks DF–DU. Shelf marks DA–DE have not to date been made available for printing. This study provides an inventory of early modern manuscripts compiled between 1526 and 1620 with shelf mark DA–DE.
The manuscript collection of the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians Library in Strahov, Prague, currently houses over three thousand manuscripts (plus almost 700 manuscript fragments). A catalogue by Bohumil Ryba helps us to find our bearings in the collection for shelf marks DF–DU. Shelf marks DA–DE have not to date been made available for printing. This study provides an inventory of early modern manuscripts compiled between 1526 and 1620 with shelf mark DA–DE.
The Krnov Town Museum collections include two medieval manuscripts – a Latin Bible and a German gospel postilla by Nikolaus von Dinkelbühl. Neither manuscript has previously been known to specialist circles. The Bible contains the text of the Latin Vulgate with prologues on most books of the Bible, and it was completed in 1433 by an unknown scribe. From the ownership notes and monograms it was possible to ascertain that its owner was in the second half of the fifteenth century the administrator of the Utraquist Consistory and Chancellor of Prague University Václav Koranda the Younger. The number of manuscripts known today preserved from Koranda's library has come to forty. The Bible was acquired by the museum collections from the Minorite Monastery Library in Krnov in the early 1950s. The second medieval manuscript is the German gospel postilla by Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl, which is the only known example of this work housed in Czech libraries.
Our comparison of samples from the Záblacký Bible with the first, second and third editions of the Old Czech Bible translation confirms Kyas's classification of the Záblacký Bible as a compilation translation, containing parts with texts from different editions of the Old Czech Bible. Some of its books belong to the first edition of the Old Czech Bible translation, some to the second, or the first and the second edition against the third edition, and some indicate conformity to third edition bibles. Some parts show conformity with the second and simultaneously the third editions against the first edition. In some places the Záblacký Bible even has its own reading, which we have not found in any other bible that we have worked with.
Our comparison of samples from the Záblacký Bible with the first, second and third editions of the Old Czech Bible translation confirms Kyas's classification of the Záblacký Bible as a compilation translation, containing parts with texts from different editions of the Old Czech Bible. Some of its books belong to the first edition of the Old Czech Bible translation, some to the second, or the first and the second edition against the third edition, and some indicate conformity to third edition bibles. Some parts show conformity with the second and simultaneously the third editions against the first edition. In some places the Záblacký Bible even has its own reading, which we have not found in any other bible that we have worked with.
The Zittau library of Christian Weise has an extensive collection of manuscripts, among which we find a number of early modern-era chronicles relating particularly to the six towns of the Lusatian League. One of these is the Zittau Chronicle by Tobiáš Schnürer from the 16th century, preserved in a later transcription, in which he chronologically recorded the most important events of his era, including the names of members of the Town Council. Memorial and chronicle records are also included in a collection of manuscripts by Abraham Frenzel (1656-1740). This includes a preserved transcription of an early modern-era chronicle of Sorau (Żary), which details the problems of life in the town and the local authority at the time. Another of Frenzel's preserved manuscripts describes the journey through Europe made by Michael Frank at the end of the sixteenth century, including his visit to Bohemia.