Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- 18 The Historiography of Central Medieval Western Monasticism
- 19 Sources for the History of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100)
- 20 Questions of Monastic Identity in Medieval Southern Italy and Sicily (c. 500–1200)
- 21 Discerning “Reform” in Monastic Liturgy (c. 750–1050)
- 22 Monasticism, Reform, and Authority in the Carolingian Era
- 23 Carolingian Monastic Schools and Reform
- 24 Monastic Economics in the Carolingian Age
- 25 Missions on the Northern and Eastern Frontiers, c. 700–1100
- 26 Minsters and Monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England
- 27 Monastic Art and Architecture, c. 700–1100: Material and Immaterial Worlds
- 28 Monastic Daily Life (c. 750–1100): A Tight Community Shielded by an Outer Court
- 29 The Double Monastery as a Historiographical Problem (Fourth to Twelfth Century)
- 30 Interactions between Monks and the Lay Nobility (from the Carolingian Era through the Eleventh Century)
- 31 Monastic Reform from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century
- 32 Monastic Canon Law in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Centuries
- 33 Eastern Influence on Western Monasticism, 850–1050
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
19 - Sources for the History of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100)
from Part II - The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- 18 The Historiography of Central Medieval Western Monasticism
- 19 Sources for the History of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100)
- 20 Questions of Monastic Identity in Medieval Southern Italy and Sicily (c. 500–1200)
- 21 Discerning “Reform” in Monastic Liturgy (c. 750–1050)
- 22 Monasticism, Reform, and Authority in the Carolingian Era
- 23 Carolingian Monastic Schools and Reform
- 24 Monastic Economics in the Carolingian Age
- 25 Missions on the Northern and Eastern Frontiers, c. 700–1100
- 26 Minsters and Monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England
- 27 Monastic Art and Architecture, c. 700–1100: Material and Immaterial Worlds
- 28 Monastic Daily Life (c. 750–1100): A Tight Community Shielded by an Outer Court
- 29 The Double Monastery as a Historiographical Problem (Fourth to Twelfth Century)
- 30 Interactions between Monks and the Lay Nobility (from the Carolingian Era through the Eleventh Century)
- 31 Monastic Reform from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century
- 32 Monastic Canon Law in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Centuries
- 33 Eastern Influence on Western Monasticism, 850–1050
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
Summary
Imagining the contents of monastic libraries in the central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100) also encompasses a contemplation of their loss. The violence of plunderers, the rapaciousness of early modern book-hunters, and the destruction wrought by fire, moisture, and vermin have taken such a toll on these once formidable collections that only a small fraction of the manuscripts painstakingly produced by monastic scribes have survived the last millennium to hint at the lost horizons of a vibrant textual culture. It has been estimated, in fact, that only a small fraction (less than 10 percent) of the books produced in the early Middle Ages have survived. To take one egregious example of this destruction, in the tenth century the brethren of the abbey of Novalesa in Piedmont fled before the advance of Muslim raiders, leaving behind not only their home but also the six thousand books in their library.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 382 - 398Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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