The appaerance of codices in the monasteries, required the existance of a writing bureau, where they copied afresh useless manuscripts and made copies of others so as to enrich the library. The monastery of Suso, from it´s origins, made use of a superb writing bureau installed in the higher part. Seated in their seats, the copyist monks carried out their daily tasks, with the patience that this work demanded and the charateristic silence of a monastery. Amongst the smell of the parchments , the copyist, the correctors of the texts, drawers, preparers on ink and quills, cutters and binders formed the links of a chain with one aim: to enlarge the emilianense library. Between the smell of the parchments, copyists, correctors of texts, drawers, preparers of ink and quills, cutters and binders worked in the writing bureau with the aim of enlarging the emilianenese archives. On the ground floor, adjacent to the corral of the livestock that must be fleeced, they stored the materials neccessary to form the manuscripts. It was packed with materials that the servants used: the walls were covered with smelly skins, hung from hooks. Some left overs remained in the boiler of quicklime. In the centre, were the cleaning tables. Some baskets guarded the sharpened knives to scrape the skins and the removal of any stuck meat: others contained pumice stones for the final smoothing. Outside, exposed to the sun and air lay the parchments in the dryer. |
The importance of the abbey was valued on the richness of it´s library. Not all the manuscripts that figure in the emilianenese library were copied in San Millán: some belong to the initial fund of the monastery and others were acquired by purchase, fines and donations. The editorial production discovered in Suso a rich writing bureau, with sufficient human potential to undertake long and difficult tasks, carried out by groups of expert copyists with the "bendictine patience" for which they are famous. |
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The imense work of the monks during the centuries is still guarded in the emilianense library. |
The Life of San Millán, the hymn O magne rerum, works of San Braulio, and the mass and office, works of San Eugenio, are the principle known documents that serve as a base, a start of what must be an abundant archive. The monks, according to the explanation of investigator Joaquin Peña, "they copied it with care , the length of the centuries in diverse codices". It is clear from the medieval archives, fundamentally two cartularies (the Gallic and Bulario) and from 300 original documents; donations contract of sales, lawsuits, bulls.. the oldest galician document is from the foundation of San Miguel de Pedroso (Saint Michael of Pedroso) of the year 759. A measurement of how the Emilianenese monastery was growing in influency and prestige, thanks to the protection of the Kings of Navarra, is that other monasteries and churches were added and put under the authority of the abbot and their respective archives were going to end up in the central house. In diverse ocassions, the archives suffered devastations and looting, to judge the authentisity of some bounded material, some investigators deduced that there were enough manuscripts scrapped in the ancient era, especially if the codices were duplicated. |
The greatness of the Emilianenese library must give merit to some of the work it guards than to the number of volumes it contains. The room destined for the library and it´s artistic stand doesn´t admit more than 10,000 volumes. The monks had studied specail subjects to obtain academic grades so as to have their libaray. In the last ten years of the 12th century an the first of the 13th century in many monasteries, amongst them San Millán, carried out an intense labour of copying the most important guarded manuscripts, from the library, especially from the life of the saints, bibles and historical texts of all types. At the same time, another situation arose: in the centres dependent on the Emilianenese monastery (each time it counted for more possessions) the conservation of the codices did not offer special incentives, therefore on more than ocassion, they were remitted probably to San Millán to be incorporated at the central library. From the year 1835, in which they had to abandon the monastery, until 1878, when the silent Augustines were installed, the monastery was the victim of stealing and looting on numerous ocassions. And so when the Augustines arrived the library was pratically empty. The augustines recovered many books that had disappeared and nowadays the library, although it isn´t as full as before, possesses a true richness of antique books. |
Not only were books copied by hand, the printing office brought to San Millán such valuable examples such as the Alcalá de Henares Poliglot Bible. The Augustines have recuperated apart of these very valuable funds.
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