L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 12 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Faith, wars and books: the eventful story of the Monte Cassino Abbey PETER TAFURI O ne of the great things about mod- ern libraries that is s ometimes taken for granted is the access to books of many cultures and ages they make available. S uch w as not alw ays the case. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the w es t and the unsettled conditions of the ensu- ing centuries, an unspeakable amount of books were lost either through deliberate destruction by zealots, depredations of ensuing w aves of invaders , or s heer neglect. What books there were consisted mostly of religious texts which were so valuable they had to be literally chained down to avoid their theft.  F o rtunately, the s eed of change was planted in the year 529 when St. Benedict founded the Monastery of Monte Cassino in the mountains between Rome and Naples. The monks were called the Benedictines after him, and followed the Rule of St. Benedict which emphasized, among other things, care for the sick, learning and labor. They soon established the first hospi- tal in Europe since the days of Rome's glory; the Order soon s pread throughout the continent.  Unfortunately, the Monastery was burnt in 580 by invading Lombards; it wasn't until 718 that it was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by the Saracens in 884.  Reconstruction began in the ensuing years and rose to new heights in the 11 th century under the Abbot Desiderius. A man of culture and appreciative of his position, he enlisted the services of architects and artists from Amalfi, Lombardy, Con- stantinople and elsewhere to aid in the building. It was here that Gothic architecture, with its characteristic pointed arches, had its naissance.  Most important for posterity was the great attention paid to the library. Owing to the closeness to the major seaport of Naples, books both sacred and secular, ancient and contempo- rary w ere imported from throughout the known world and trans lated from the A rabic, Greek, Hebrew and other lan- guages into Latin . It s oon became the mos t important library of the time, known not only for the quantity of books, but also for their high quality as the scores of monks who labored in the Scriptorium produce illu- minated manuscripts of striking beauty. The vast collection of medical and scientific works combined with the Benedictines' care for the s ick made the M onas tery the w orld's mos t important medical center, attracting students and physi- cians from the four corners of the earth. Eventually the world's first real university, the School of Salerno, was spun off, which set the standard for the study of medicine for centuries after- ward. Sadly, a period of decline started to set in in the 13 th cen- tury which was greatly exacer- bated by the so-called Babylon- ian Captivity of the Papacy, which began in 1309 when the French Pope Clement IV moved from Rome to Avignon, thus becoming a virtual vassal of the King of France.  With the center of papal power thus located, seven French Popes in all were chosen. They had the power to appoint cronies to important pos itions , including that of A bbot of M onte Cassino. Despite the post, they remained at home in France and totally neglected the Monastery, the worst effect of which was the confiscation of its revenues for themselves.  The number of monks dwindled and the lack of funds caused the maintenance of the place to be neglected.  That was not all; in 1349, during the time of the Black Plague, there was an earthquake that destroyed a good portion of it. Thus in 1355, when the great author and humanist Giovanni Boccaccio journeyed there in hope of having access to the once great library, it is said he burst into tears upon arrival. The doors were gone, the windows broken and weeds were growing in it. Worse yet, the books were covered in layers of grime and dust; many were missing covers, margins and leaves. Upon inquir- ing, he discovered that some of the impoverished monks had caused the damage in order to reuse the expensive parchment to create breviaries and books of psalms which they were able to easily sell. Fortunately, he was able to s alvage s ome of the works of Tacitus, Apuleius and a few other ancient authors; he brought them back to Florence, where they now reside in the Laurentian Library.  Although eventually repaired, the Monastery was but a shadow of its former self. Yet another calamity occurred in 1799 when invading French soldiers sacked it. That w as not all. D uring World War II the surrounding area was occupied by German troops. The commander, who was a devout Catholic, kept the Monastery off limits. Owing to its strategic location, the Allied forces viewed it as a prime target during the liberation of Italy. In anticipation of the impending battle, w hat w as left of the library was shipped to the Vati- can for safekeeping. What fol- lowed was one of the great blun- ders of the War, the bombing of the Monastery itself. The ruins provided a perfect defensive position and the ensuing Battle of Monte Cassino was one of the most difficult fought, with heavy casualties on both sides.          Happily, the Monastery was rebuilt during the postwar period and is now a popular tourist spot.  Montecassino Abbey and its library have a very eventful history spanning through more than 1000 years© Thecriss | Dreamstime.com The beauty and history of the Monastery are not only to be found in books © Thecriss | Dreamstime.com

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