Can you visit the Admont library?
There is no desk here, because this library is mainly for visiting. Admont Abbey was designed in 1765 and completed in about 1773. The entire library hall is 70 meters long, 14 meters wide and 11 meters high. It is the largest monastery library in the world.
Where is the admont library in Austria?
The Admont Abbey Library (Deutsch: Stiftsbibliothek Admont) is an Austria-based monastic library located in Admont, a small town next to the Enns River in Austria, and is attached to the Admont Abbey.
How old is the Admont Abbey Library?
Admont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery built in the 11th century. When the Abbey’s library was completed in 1776, the world was in the throes of a global transformation.
When was admont abbey built?
1074
Founded in 1074, unsurprisingly the Benedict Abbey of Admont has undergone various reforms throughout its life. The first structure was erected by the Archbishop of Salzburg and occupied by monks from the nearby St Peter’s Abbey.
What is monastic library?
Monastic libraries were documented as early as the 6th century. By the medieval period, monastic libraries were important centers of learning and reading. In addition to safeguarding books, many monastic libraries had a scriptorium, (Latin for “place of writing”) where monks copied religious and secular texts.
How many books are in the Admont Abbey library?
200,000 books
Admont claims to have the largest monastic library in the world. It holds some 70,000 volumes physically in the library, while the Abbey in total owns nearly 200,000 books. The most valuable among these are the more than 1,400 manuscripts (the oldest dating to the 8th century AD) and the 530 Incunabula.
How many books are in the Admont Abbey Library?
What are the characteristics of monastic libraries?
The nucleus of a monastic library was the necessary service books and the scriptures. To these were added books for teaching, practical works on law, medicine and husbandry and books for devotional purposes.
Do abbeys have libraries?
The disbanded abbeys’ books were often sent to universities and private collections. When many of the abbeys later reopened, monks were tasked with restocking the libraries. Some abbeys recovered treasured texts or assembled new collections of manuscripts and printed books.