The unique Lipnice Bible also in the NL
letter
The precious Lipnice Bible, on loan from the Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC, United States, will be displayed in the Mirror Chapel of the Klementinum. The exhibition “The Lipnice Bible 1421–2021: Shield of Faith in the Turbulent Times“ will also present other medieval manuscripts from the National Library´s collections.
This year, exactly 600 years have passed since the creation of the so-called Lipnice Bible. In celebration of its monumental anniversary, this remarkable medieval manuscript will also be on an exceptional display in the National Library of the CR. The Lipnice Bible, written in Latin, belongs among more expensive late-medieval codices. It is a quiet witness to the chaos during the Hussite wars. In most probability, it was created, at least partly, at the castle in Lipnice nad Sázavou, owned then by Čeněk of Vartemberk, one of the most powerful men of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Other destinies of the manuscript, which brought it beyond the borders of the Czech lands, are covered in the veil of secrecy. The Lipnice Bible appeared again in the 20th century, when it was in possession of different West European collectors to get finally, in the beginning of the 21st century, to the collections of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, United States. Nowadays, the 600th anniversary of its completion gave a unique opportunity to present this medieval monument in the Czech Republic.
In July and August, the Lipnice Bible is exhibited in the place of its completion, in the castle in Lipnice nad Sázavou and then it will be displayed in the Mirror Chapel of the Klementinum in Prague from 1 September to 15 September. And it will not be the only exhibit there! The National Library of the CR keeps the Collection of medieval manuscripts of the Czech Reformation in its large historical holdings, included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, as well as other period biblical and theological manuscripts. In the Klementinum in Prague, the Lipnice Bible, which apparently served its owner as a support in the religious controversy of the time, will be featured together with four other biblical codices from the Hussite period. The exhibition will present not only how medieval codices were produced from the very writing, through the decoration to their binding, but also how the then biblical and theological manuscripts were used in Bohemia of the Late Middle Ages.
The display “The Lipnice Bible 1421–2021: Shield of Faith in the Turbulent Times“ was prepared by a team of scientists led by Lucie Doležalová and Karel Pacovský from the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Charles University. In addition to the exhibition, a collective monograph was published as a result of the latest research, which is dedicated to the Lipnice Bible and the context of its origin (titled The Lipnice Bible: Shield of Faith in the Turbulent Times of the Late Middle Ages, edited by Lucie Doležalová – Karel Pacovský, Okrouhlice 2021).
Exhibition date: 1–15 September 2021
Open: 10 am – 6 pm
Venue: Mirror Chapel, National Library of the CR, Klementinum 190, Praha 1
