Abbess with a book in the Bohemian Middle Ages

Summary: The abbesses of medieval women’s convents in the Czech lands were educated women who were able to read even more sophisticated latin texts. Although their reading activities did not reach such dimensions as their male companions, they nevertheless had a wide-ranging. The abbe sses were not only passive readers, but also active orders of many magnificent manuscripts. Most often, liturgical books necessary for spiritual practice are represented among the manuscripts. Many of them are visually interesting. In addition, the abbesses ordered books with texts by ecclesiastical authors and popular theologians and philosophers. Books of hours and passionals gained consi derable popularity. For the abbesses, books were not just an empty symbol, but a real source of knowledge and deepened spirituality.

Keywords: abbess, medieval, manuscript, library, monastery, convent, prioress, novitiate, breviary, psalter, passional, church fathers, mysticism, liturgy

PhDr. Renáta Modráková / Oddělení rukopisů a starých tisků Národní knihovna České republiky (National Library of the Czech Republic), Klementinum 190/5, 110 00 Praha 1