Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Introduction to Christian monastery libraries in the medieval world

During the Early Middle Ages, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and before the rise of the large Western Christian monastery libraries beginning at Monte Cassino, Libraries were found in scattered places in the Christian Middle East, encompasses southwest Asia and Egypt. Members of monastic orders (monks) are usually celibate, and they live apart from society either in a community of monks or nuns or as a religious recluses. 
In the Middle Ages, the Christian Monastery Libraries served as places of worship and learning and also played an important role for various European rulers. An early type of Buddhist monastery was called the Vihara which consisted of an open court surrounded by open cells with access through an entrance porch.

Resources

Battles, M 2003, Library: An Unquiet History, W.W. Norton & Company, New York

Medieval Christian Libraries,Wikipedia, The Free encyclopedia, viewed 18th August 2010, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library#Medieval_Christian_libraries>

Murray, S A.P 2009, Library: An Illustrated History, Skyhorse Pub, New York

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