SANTA SCOLASTICA – ITALY'S FIRST PRINTING PRESS
As part of its virtual tour round Italy's 46 historic state libraries, the Italian Ministry of Culture (MIBAC) is focussing on the Santa Scolastica convent at Subiaco (Lazio), seat of the first printing press in Italy to use the movable print typing technique invented by Johannes Gutenberg. The printing process, which was to revolutionize the entire European history of literature, was introduced in 1465 by two German monks, Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz, who had trained in the Gutenberg workshop.
The printing press was active until 1467 and produced copies of classic Latin and Christian writers, including Cicero's “De Oratore”, and works by early Christian writers such as Lactantius.
The Santa Scolastic Library, which is part of the St. Benedict monastery complex in the Aniene river valley, possesses the first copy ever printed of St. Agostine's “De Civitate Dei” by Sweynheym and Pannartz, as well as over 200 incunabula (as books printed up to the year 1500 are called), and 420 codices of great historical interest.
The monastery was the first of a string of religious houses founded by St. Benedict of Norcia in the 5th century AD, where the work of copying ancient texts became a speciality. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the early works of the monks which were destroyed in the 9th century by Saracen invaders.
The St. Benedict monastery complex became the property of the Italian state after the Unification of Italy and the library is now known as Biblioteca Statale del Monumento di Santa Scolastica.
M. STENHOUSE
Info: Tel.+39.0774.85424 www.scolasticabeniculturali.it
Virtual tour: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaEyd19Nadz/