Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Library of the Cistercian
Abbey of Clairvaux at the time
of Pierre de Virey (1472)
Inscribed 2009
What is it
The manuscript collection of Clairvaux Abbey, one of the
most important libraries in the world in the 15th century,
as it was catalogued in 1472.
Why was it inscribed
The Clairvaux collection superbly represents the
monastic library at the time when abbeys were the
beacons of education and scholarship in Christendom.
It also illustrates the particular influence of the Cistercian
order in the fostering of intellectual, religious and artistic
debate and learning.
Where is it
Médiathèque de l’Agglomération Troyenne, Troyes,
France; Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de Montpellier,
Montpellier, France; Bibliothèque Nationale de France,
Paris, France; Bibliothèque Municipale de Laon, Laon,
France; Bibliothèque Sainte Geneviève, Paris, France;
Bibliothèque Centrale, Université de Mons, Mons,
Belgium; British Library, London, UK; National Széchényi
Library, Budapest, Hungary; Biblioteca Medicea
Laurenziana, Florence, Italy
Clairvaux was a daughter abbey of Cîteaux, the motherhouse
of the powerful Cistercian order, and was founded
in 1115 by St Bernard. A charismatic figure of international
importance, Bernard was one of the foremost intellectuals
of the 12th century and the founder of the abbey’s library.
From the start he and his successors encouraged the
library’s growth. The abbey’s scriptorium produced most
of its own manuscripts – resulting in a uniquely coherent
collection – but donations also came from outside.
The reputation of the Cistercian order and Clairvaux in
particular was high and drew wealthy benefactors; and the
abbey’s links with its Collège St Bernard at the University
of Paris, where many Cistercians were trained, also boosted
its holdings.
The collection covers all disciplines of medieval
knowledge. Spirituality and religious thought are most
numerous, represented in Bibles, theology, liturgical
books, rules of the order and teachings of the church
fathers; other fields include law, medicine, history,
philosophy, literature, science, mathematics and medicine.
Taken as a whole, the collection reflects the development
of scholarship from the 12th to the 15th centuries, not only
within the monastic sphere but also, through its college in
Paris, within the growing university environment.
Bernard’s influence extended not only over the size and
scope of the manuscript collection but also its aesthetics.
Purity and simplicity were at the heart of his spiritual
philosophy and this led to the development of Clairvaux’s
monochrome style. The use of gold was forbidden and
pages were almost without adornment, resulting in a
simplicity striking by contrast with the more familiar
styles of ornamentation and illumination characteristic
of medieval manuscripts.
By the time the catalogue of Clairvaux’s collection
was compiled in 1472 under Abbot Pierre de Virey, the
library’s holdings stretched to 1790 books; of these,
1115 survive together with three copies of the catalogue
itself. This catalogue forms the main record of the
collection. An outstanding example of librarianship, it
provides an inventory and management system for the
library, identifying and assigning a catalogue number
to each book. It also illustrates the classification of books
according to the categories of medieval scholarship.
150 Library of the Cistercian Abbey of Clairvaux at the time of Pierre de Virey (1472)