Memory of the World Register - Nomination Form
Slovakia - Illuminated codices from the Library of the Bratislava Chapter
House
Abstract
The fate of Slovakia's documentary heritage has been shaped over the centuries
by a number of political, cultural and social phenomena. The historical territory of
Slovakia itself has been a permanent meeting ground of political interests and
cultural influences from the whole of Europe.
The Antiphonaries of Bratislava belong to the most significant and most
representative monuments of the book culture in Bratislava and Central Europe.
Identity and Location
Name of the Documentary Heritage: Illuminated codices from the Library of the
Bratislava
Chapter House
Country: Slovak Republic
State, Province or Region: Slovak Republic
Address: Drotárska 42, 817 01 Bratislava
Name of Institution: Slovenský národný archív / The Slovak National Archives
Legal Information
Owner: l State - The Slovak Republic
Custodian:
The Slovak National Archives
Drotárska 42, 817 01 Bratislava
Phone + 421 7 / 580 11 78, 580 11 81, 580 11 83, 580 11 85
Fax + 421 7 / 580 12 47
PhDr. Marta Melníková
Phone 580 12 14
Ing. Jozef Hanus
CSc. Phone 580 11 89
Legal Status:
Category of ownership: State - public
Details of legal and administrative provisions for the preservation of the
documentary heritage: The Slovak National Archives, according to the Law on
Archives no. 149/1975 and the Amendment to the Law no. 571/1991, collects,
professionally arranges, makes accessible, uses and preserves the archival
holdings. It means that legal and administrative provisions for the preservation of
the documentary heritage are guaranteed.
Accessibility: In compliance with the above mentioned Law, in all state archives
the archival documents older than thirty years are available for study. The
codices are available for expert and scientific study exclusively in the search
room of the Slovak National Archives.
Copyright status: The Slovak National Archives, The Slovak Committee for
UNESCO's "Memory of the World" and some other selected institutions and
authors.
Responsible administration: The proper management of the documentary
heritage is ensured through the fulfillment of the above mentioned Law by the
highly professional activities of the Slovak National Archives in the field of
archival science and preservation of archival holdings
Identification
Description: Within the context of the Slovak written cultural heritage, the
Library of the Bratislava Chapter House represents a unique phenomena by its
extent (more than 3 000 volumes), antiquity (books from the 12th to the 19th
centuries) as well as by its content of profane and religious literature. This Library
also contains the most wide-ranging, comprehensive, and historically and
artistically most valuable set of medieval manuscript book works in Slovakia. Of
the original 139 medieval codices recorded in the 19th, the holding nowadays
contains 101 medieval manuscript volumes from the period of the 12 th to 16th
centuries.
Musical codices - Bratislava antiphonaries I. - V. from the 15th and 16th
centuries, belonging to the set of Slovak provenance, were probably created in
the scriptorium at the St. Martin's Cathedral from the initiative of Bratislava canon
J. Haan (died in 1500). They contain numerous illuminations and illustrations.
Bibliographic details: Musical codices - Bratislava antiphonaries I. - V. are
registered according to the following sources:
- Knaus, N.: A Pozsonyi káptalannak kéziratai. Esztergom 1870, nr. 3, 4, 1, 2, 17.
- Sopko, J.: Codices Latini Medii Aevi Bibliothecarum Slovacie. Matica slovenská
Martin 1981, nr. 4, 6 et 30, 7, 29, 39.
- Archív mesta Bratislavy (The Archives of the Capital of the Slovak Republic
Bratislava), EC Lad. 3, 4, 6, 2.
History: Archival documents prove that the Library of the Bratislava Chapter was
created and gradually building up from the 13th century; manuscript and printed
books include 86 incunabula which were continually using for seven centuries in
the activities of the Bratislava Chapter, a significant church institution, medieval
public-legal and cultural centre with wide range of activities.
Bibliography:
Sopko, J.: Z èinnosti kultúrnych stredísk stredovekej Bratislavy (From the
activities of the cultural centres of medieval Bratislava). In: Bratislava VI, 1970, s.
139-178.
Sopko, J.: Die Kodizes Mittelalterlichen Pressburgs. In: Stätte in Doneraum,
Bratislava, 1993, s. 197-206.
Gntherova;, A., MIŠIANIK, J.: Stredoveká kniná mal'ba na Slovensku (The
medieval book paintings in Slovakia). Bratislava 1961.
Sopko, J.: Najstaršia kniná kultúra Bratislavy I, II (The oldest book culture of
Bratislava).
In: Kniha 76, Matica slovenská, s. 96-129; Kniha 85/86, s. 103-118.
ŠÁtek, J.:Najstaršia bratislavská kninica (The oldest library of Bratislava). In: Z
bratislavských kniníc. Bratislava 1950, s. 46-50.
Names, qualifications and contact details of independent people or
organizations with expert knowledge about the values and provenance of
the documentary heritage:
- PhDr. Marta Melníková, archivist, The Slovak National Archives, Drotárska 42,
817 01 Bratislava, phone + 421 7 / 580 12 14, fax + 421 7 / 580 12 47
- PhDr. Július Sopko, historian, University of Trnava, Faculty of Humanistic
Sciences, Department of History, Hornopotoèná 23, 918 43 Trnava, phone + 421
805 / 511 676, fax + 421 805 / 511 128
- PhDr. L'ubomír Jankoviè, CSc., archivist, Slovak National Library,
Novomestského 32, 036 52 Martin, phone + 421 842 / 313 71, 314 92, fax + 421
842 / 331 88
Management Plan
Statement of significance: This set was proclaimed by the Slovak government
in 1988 to be one of the national cultural monuments of the Slovak Republic.
Access policy: Are based on the recommendations of the Technical
Subcommittee of the International Advisory Committee for the UNESCO
Programme "Memory of the World" elaborated in 1996 with the help of UNESCO
at the National Library of the Czech Republic and Alertina ICOM Company
Prague (A. Knoll and co-workers). Methodology of description of Antiphonarium
Sedlecense (pilot project of digital edition "Memoria Mundi Series Bohemica I")
has served as a pattern for our experts to process the Antiphonarium
Bratislavense II, which would be the first output of the Slovak digital edition of
codices - Memoria Slovaciae Medii Aevi Manuscripta.
Preservation procedures: The Slovak National Archives is a state organization
fully financed by the state. Its budget covers also all expenses for preventive
preservation, e.g. control of optimal climatic conditions in the storage areas as
well as conservation and restoration by the top ranking experts in this field.
However, the budget does not cover the expenses for prevention and
implementation of information about the most valuable monuments through
digital images and modern media. The budget for digitization of the
Antiphonarium Bratislavense II (900 pages) and production of CD ROM would
represent approximately 500 000.- Slovak koruna, i.e. US $ 15 000.
Preservation facilities: The documents are kept in the purpose-built archival
building with controlled parameters of temperature (18 2C) and relative humidity
(50 5 %) of air.
They are preserved from the influence of light as they are stored in protective
covers.
Special care is devoted to the documents by staff and users-scientists. Storage
areas are protected by fire and security signalization.
Department of Archives Preservation is one of the departments of the Slovak
National Archives which is in charge of preventive preservation and conservation
and restoration of documents. Methods and techniques used in the Archives are
similar to the world tendencies used in this field.
There are 13 workers in the Department, 3 of them university graduated. Among
them there are 2 chemists, 7 conservators and restorers, 3 photographers and 1
worker in charge of the sterilization chamber.
Preservation and protection of archival documents is one of the mains tasks of
the Slovak National Archives.
Assessment against the Selection Criteria
Influence, Time and Place: The fate of Slovakia's documentary heritage has
been shaped over the centuries by a number of political, cultural and social
phenomena. The historical territory of Slovakia itself has been a permanent
meeting ground of political interests and cultural influences from the whole of
Europe. By their significance, artistic and historical value the Antiphonaries of
Bratislava far exceed the borders of national culture as they contributed to the
Middle European cultural-artistic influences in the second half of the 15th
century.
Subject/Theme; Form and Style: Illuminations in the Antiphonaries of
Bratislava are the basic source to the knowledge of medieval book painting
development in the region of Central Europe.
Moreover, the Antiphonaries of Bratislava belong also to the important and
significant musical monuments in the specified region.
Social Value: As these antiphonaries were actively using during several
centuries at liturgy the collection has also an extraordinary significance and
relations to the religious and spiritual needs and influences in this region.
Integrity: Illuminated codices from the Library of the Bratislava Chapter
represent the most wide-ranging and comprehensive collection of the medieval
manuscript book works in Slovakia. It can be therefore unambiguously stated that
this documentary heritage exhibits an extraordinary degree of integrity and
completeness.
Authenticity: All codices selected were created in scriptorium of the Bratislava
Chapter house by several illuminators and scribes; they belong to the most
significant and most representative monuments of the book culture in Bratislava
and Central Europe.
Consultation
Representatives of the owner and custodian of the documents, experts and
scientists from the field and the representatives of the Slovak Committee for
UNESCO's "Memory of the World" Programme were consulted.
Nominator
The Slovak Committee for UNESCO's "Memory of the World" Programme in cooperation with the Slovak National Archives and the Slovak National Library/p>
Relationship to documentary heritage:
The owner and custodian of the documentary heritage in co-operation with the
Slovak Committee for UNESCO's "Memory of the World" Programme
Contact person:
Ing. Jozef Hanus, CSc.
Executive Chairman
The Slovak Committee for UNESCO's "Memory of the World" Programme
Slovak National Archives
Drotárska 42
817 01 Bratislava
Slovakia
Telephone + 421 7 / 580 11 89
Fax + 421 7 / 580 12 47
Assessment of Risk
Environmental conditions: Good
Physical conditions: Documents has been stored in the new purpose-built
archival building with controlled climatic conditions in the storage areas.
Preservation budget: The activity of the Slovak National Archives, including all
activities in the field of preservation of holdings, have been fully financed through
the state budget.
Extent and nature of use: To provide maximum information on selected cultural
monuments to a broad scientific and cultural society at home and abroad on
modern media and at the same time to ensure their maximal protection and
preservation; to present these monuments in the form of electronic publications
on the basis of interdisciplinary scientific description.
Preservation Assessment
Present physical state: Good
Current preservation policy in relation to proposed nominated
documentary heritage: is based on the above mentioned Law on archives in
which preservation is defined as one of the main duties of the Archives;
moreover the special care has been dedicated to the proposed collection as it
was proclaimed by the Slovak government in 1988 to be one of the national
cultural monuments.
Organization responsible for preservation: The Slovak National Archives,
Drotárska 42, 817 01 Bratislava, Slovakia