Capuchin Monastery Library, Krško
Background
In 1640 a monastery was built for Capuchin monks in Krško, a region with a strong Protestant tradition, in order to strengthen Catholicism. Subsequently the monks acquired a great deal of literature to support their preaching activities, including dogmatic and philosophical works, Latin and German Bibles with commentaries, breviaries, preaching books, and commentaries. During the Second World War Germans destroyed much of the library's holdings; surviving books came into the custody of local people, who returned the books to the convent after the war. In 1986 the 300-year-old Baroque library of the Capuchin Monastery was opened to the public. It presents a good example of historical bibliographical method preservation; most books are in Latin, German, and Italian, but a few are in Slovenian.
Collections
The Capuchin Library in Krško contains around 1,500 units dating from the 17th century, bound using a method typical of the Capuchin or Franciscan order with the owner's sign (signature) and still arranged in the alphabetical, field, and format order prescribed by the catalogue of 1695 (Folios 4, 8, 12). The most precious items are Janez Svetokriški's Sacrum Promptuarium, Father Rogerius's Palmarium Empyreum and Schönleben's Carniola Antiqua et Nova. The library also preserves some early Ljubljana prints from the 18th century. As the Capuchin monks engaged in education and medicine, the library also contains several old books on medicine and pharmacy. Some of the library's incunabula are stored at the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana, including Dalmatin's Bible and Valvasor's The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola.
See also
- Valvasor Library, Krško
- Capuchin Monastery Archives and Library, Škofja Loka
- Seminary Library, Ljubljana
External links
- Capuchin Library, Krško web page on the Valvasor Library website
- Capuchin Library collection (in Slovenian)
- Information on the Krško Capuchin Monastery on the Slovene Order of Friars Minor Capuchin website (in Slovenian)
- Capuchin order on Wikipedia
- Capuchin order in Slovenia on Wikipedija (in Slovenian)