The World's Most Beautiful Library! I Highly Recommend Strahov Monastery in Prague!

[Czech Republic/Prague Travelogue] A Must-See for Book Lovers! Visiting the Beautiful Library of Strahov Monastery

In my previous article "To the City of a Hundred Spires, Prague: About Its Stunning Townscape and History", I gave a brief introduction to the beautiful city of Prague.

From here on, I will go inside each of Prague's famous landmarks to take a closer look.

The first place I visited was Strahov Monastery, located even further west than Prague Castle.

This facility belongs to the Premonstratensian Order, a religious order that places great importance on scholarship.

Surprisingly, according to the guide, it is a sister monastery to the Trappist monastery near Hakodate, where I live.

Finding a connection in such an unexpected place makes me feel a sense of affinity.

Now, the most famous parts of this monastery are the two libraries known as the "Philosophical Hall" and the "Theological Hall."

It is said that a mystical world, just like in the movies, unfolds there.

Or rather, this library has actually been used in 007, Harry Potter, and numerous commercials.

Here is the entrance.

The entrance fee is about 600 yen, and an additional 250 yen is required if you wish to take photos. (As of 2019)

After paying, you go up the stairs next to the entrance to the second floor and proceed to the library and exhibition rooms.

The first thing you see is the Philosophical Hall. However, since it was crowded, I decided to head further down the corridor to see the "Theological Hall" first.

Antique books are packed tightly on the shelves.

It is said that 40,000 volumes related to theology are housed here.

The ceiling decorations and the globes and celestial spheres placed in the center create an intellectual atmosphere.

It is breathtakingly beautiful.

And when the time was right, I headed to the "Philosophical Hall."

Oh... what a luxurious library this is...

Not only are the paintings on the ceiling magnificent, but the gold decorations applied everywhere are also beautiful.

The light streaming in from the windows adds to the charm of this library's atmosphere.

Why do these tall bookshelves covering the entire wall attract me so much?

If I could display my own cherished books like this, what a luxury that would be...

The ladder on the front left also adds a nice touch.

Using this to take the book I'm looking for from the shelf, even from places I can't reach.

Searching for a book with my finger pressed to my lips, casting my gaze over the books stored there, wondering which one to pick.

And then, suddenly, one book catches my eye.

“...Found it.”

With a smile, I gently take out the book and hold it to my chest.

Then I slowly climb down the ladder and leave this beautiful library, my heart racing with the stories this book will provide.

...I want to try that.

I really want to try that!

Something like this... it's just so dreamy!

I think this is a place that library lovers will truly find irresistible.

It is a spot I highly recommend.

Now, having talked this much, some of you may have noticed.

Yes. In this library, there are no people in any of the pictures.

In other words, the general public is not allowed to enter inside.

Well, when you think about it, it makes sense, as the books housed here are all cultural heritage class items.

Furthermore, the library itself is a precious historical heritage site. If a large number of people were to enter, they would be damaged.

Therefore, you cannot go inside. You can only look into it from the entrance.

However, it is also a fact that many people are dissatisfied with not being able to enter.

When I was looking up this monastery on Google Maps, my eyes were drawn to the reviews for it. There were quite a lot of low-rated reviews.

I wondered why such a beautiful library had such low ratings, but I understood after reading the review comments.

Many of the low ratings were...

"It's strange to charge this much when you can't even enter the library. What's more, what's the deal with having to pay extra to take photos?"

...reviews like that.

So, I think it's better not to rely on Google Maps reviews at all.

They are low ratings from people lamenting that they were looking forward to entering the library.

If you go knowing from the start that you can't enter, there is no problem at all.

At the very least, I was very satisfied.

Just being able to gaze at such a beautiful library from the outside was enough for me to enjoy it.

It truly lives up to its reputation as being known as the world's most beautiful library.

However, I should add that this is just one of many places in the world known as the "world's most beautiful library," not just the Strahov Monastery. It is nonsense to think about these things too strictly.

Just as I was about to leave, a monk walked into the library.

A monk in white robes walking through this library.

It might be an ordinary daily routine for the monk, but from my perspective, the scene before my eyes felt even mystical.

The Role of Strahov Monastery and Scholarship: On the Power of Intellect, Monks, and Japanese Buddhist Priests

There is a corridor at the Strahov Monastery that connects two library halls, and it is currently being used as an exhibition room.

This also leads to low ratings in Google Maps reviews, and it is true that just looking at the exhibits makes it difficult to understand what their significance is.

There are explanations, but to be honest, they don't really resonate.

I can somewhat understand the feelings of those who might lament that it's just old things placed along a corridor.

However, this time, I am here with a guide. So, I was able to get a perfect explanation.

When I did that, I realized that the exhibits here are actually incredibly interesting.

First, the "Bible." This was handwritten on parchment.

I have forgotten the exact date, but it is amazing that something written hundreds of years ago remains in such good condition.

Parchment is, as the name suggests, paper made from sheepskin. It cannot be mass-produced, but it is extremely durable.

That is why it came to be used for such large and important books.

So, why is this handwritten "Bible" on display here?

It is because it serves as a key to showing the purpose for which this monastery was organized.

Regarding what a monastery is, as I introduced in the article Thinking about the difference between churches and monasteries - Bethlehem, the cliff-hanging Mar Saba Monastery, Israel Part 19 I mentioned that it is basically a place to leave the secular world and practice asceticism for the sake of prayer to God.

Over time, various forms of monasteries appeared, such as those that prayed while producing goods, and those that focused on scholarship.

And among them, this Strahov Monastery is a monastery that focuses on scholarship.

How did this monastery become famous as a center of learning?

To trace that, this handwritten "Bible" becomes the most important key.

In the past, books were extremely expensive items.

Even if one aspired to study Christianity, there was no way to study in the first place because books were not available.

Therefore, they tried to share books with many people and increase the number of precious "Bibles" by copying them.

This is an important role of the monastery, alongside prayer.

And in a monastery that emphasizes scholarship, like this Strahov Monastery, talented students from all over Europe would gather.

As a result, the demand for the Bible increased, and furthermore, various books such as commentaries were brought in, and copying continued.

And before anyone knew it, this monastery had become like a university where vast numbers of books and brilliant minds gathered.

Then, after Columbus discovered the American continent in 1492, the world entered the Age of Discovery.

The church would also set sail on missionary journeys to far-off lands.

One of them was Xavier, who is also familiar in Japan.

When that happens, what is needed?

Knowledge of astronomy.

If you cannot read the stars, you have no choice but to wait for death in the middle of the great ocean.

And furthermore,

A ship's log.

When it comes to this, all kinds of academic disciplines were gathered in this monastery, and research was advanced by brilliant minds.

And then new discoveries were born, and those discoveries became material for further research.

This cycle was born within the monastery, and the world's knowledge increased at an accelerating rate here.

That knowledge was something that kings, nobles, and the merchants who were gaining power at the time could not overlook.

How to attract the brilliant people studying at the monastery to their side...

In an era where powerful rivals were competing for hegemony on a global scale, the intellect polished in the monastery eventually became indispensable to their global strategies.

The monastery had come to possess that much intellectual power.

Now, the fact that scholarship in the monastery had become a power indispensable to national strategy.

It shows just how far the intellect of the clergy stood out compared to other people.

And this also applies to Japan.

Yes. Monks also have a history of consistently providing the essential brains for national strategy.

That is only natural; in a world where almost the entire population was completely illiterate, if there were people who could not only read and write but also possessed thoughts and knowledge that would surprise even modern people, that would be an enormous advantage.

Monks read sutras and study them.

Yes, if you cannot read, you cannot even begin to talk.

It is difficult for us, for whom reading and writing are taken for granted and who can access information through smartphones at any time, to imagine just how much of a weapon being able to read is.

However, in the past, books were the only source of information.

And all the words in books were written in kanji.

Japan has a history of obtaining the latest research and world affairs through Chinese books.

And those who could access them were the monks who could read kanji.

Furthermore, Mount Hiei Enryaku-ji, which was the most prosperous at the time, was truly a sacred place for learning.

Monks with superior intellects gathered from all over Japan to hone their skills.

Considering the average intellectual level of Japanese people at the time, monks who could read and write and possessed vast knowledge through books were overwhelming intellectual elites.

Of course, the aristocracy and other officials could also read.

However, the difference between them, who had to spend their time on political and administrative tasks, and monks, who devoted themselves to the study and contemplation of thought, philosophy, and world affairs, would be clear.

That is precisely why the names of monks appear frequently in Japanese history, and their shadows can be seen lurking in the background of political events.

Being able to read, and thereby being well-versed in the world and things.

This is an endless advantage.

The fact that monks and priests play active roles on the stage of history is largely due to their high level of intellectual attainment.

Religious ability is, of course, important.

However, in the worldly arena of moving history, those who know more about the world ultimately have the advantage.

When thinking about Japanese history, if you look at it from the perspective of what roles monks played at the time, you can gain a different viewpoint, making the study of history more enjoyable.

I am sure you will be able to make unexpected discoveries when watching TV or reading books.

I would be happy if you could take an interest in that aspect of the roles monks have played.

Continued

※Postscript: The Austrian National Library is too beautiful! Is it the model for "Beauty and the Beast"!?

The Austrian National Library in Vienna, which I visited after Prague, is also famous as one of the "most beautiful libraries in the world."

I also visited that library.

Please enjoy it along with this Strahov Monastery.

※Reference materials here
Shinkyo Shuppansha Justo L. González"A History of Christian Thought"
This note article"25 Recommended Explanatory Books to Learn Buddhist Teachings Easily! Buddhism Seen from Historical Background, Culture, and Thought"

"World Travelogue"Article list in this summary article

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