Exploring Prayer Books in Franconia: A Study by Würzburg University Library’s Regional Studies Team

From Franconia: Regional studies team from the Würzburg University Library examines prayer books – the reason for this were two manuscripts

WURZBURG

07/18/2023 – 5:14 p.m

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John Michael Hauber’s “The Marienkapelle, the Christian’s Refuge and Help”, around 1860 – in a red, elegantly decorated leather binding. Photo: Michaela Schneider Caption 2023-07-19 –> In the red, finely decorated leather binding: John Michael Hauber’s “The Marienkapelle, the Christian’s refuge and help” (around 1860). Photo: Michaela Schneider

Photo: Schneider

Würzburg 1745: Andreas Mathie’s colored, handwritten »Meß-Buch«. Photo: Michaela Schneider

Photo: Schneider

Andreas Mathies from Würzburg must have spent endless amounts of time designing his colored “Meß-Buch”. The pages are adorned with calligraphically wonderfully designed initials, neatly written prayer and devotional texts as well as pretty drawings.

If there was still space, the designer probably ran wild with his imagination from time to time. Here is a flower, there a flower stick in the bucket. Also special is the depiction of Corpus Christi with three angels – one in armor, the other with scales. There are no traces of who this Andreas Mathies was. The only thing that can be seen from the manuscript is that he wrote it in Würzburg in 1745. However, he no longer had much of the elaborate piece. Another noted in the mess book that Andreas Mathies died in 1746.

“Between heaven and earth”

Katharina Boll-Becht, head of the Franconian regional studies department and deputy director of the Würzburg University Library, came across the precious piece in the antiquarian book trade. And another handwritten devotional book has recently been added to the inventory of the Franconian regional studies department. Reason enough for Katharina Boll-Becht’s team to take a closer look at prayer and devotional books from Franconia. A special tour by the head of department and her employees Sonja Hilpert and Hartmut Fenn was themed “Between heaven and earth”.

In fact, prayers and devotions were recorded in manuscript for centuries as an expression of deep piety, even long after printed prayer books existed. And if you dive into the prayer and devotional literature, there is much more to discover in the holdings of Franconian regional studies – elaborate bindings, prayer books for specific target groups and also one or the other curiosity.

Katharina Boll-Becht explains that when she began researching, she first noticed that the gaps in the inventory of Franconian prayer and devotional literature are surprisingly large. Why is this? She can only speculate about that. It is possible that part of the collection burned down on the night of the bombing on March 16, 1945. At that time, the library was located in the city center on Domerschulstraße. In addition, prayer books were practical literature. Some specimens therefore show clear signs of wear, while other works may not have survived at all.

The march through history now begins in the Baroque period. In addition to the official prayers in the liturgical books, mostly in Latin, the type of popular prayer book with texts in German developed. A good example of this and a real bestseller at the time was the »Himmlisch Palmgärtlein« by the Jesuit Wilhelm Nakatenus (1617-1682).

It was first published in 1662 and was reprinted numerous times into the 20th century in four languages: German, Latin, French and Dutch. Why did it hit the nerve of the times right from the start? Perhaps because people were fascinated by the exotic-looking copper engraving of a palm tree that looked so completely different from the native trees they were familiar with.

Some other archive treasures from that time: Martin von Cochem’s (1634-1712) “Guldener Himmels-Key” with the beautiful subtitle “very strong, useful and comforting prayer book/For the redemption of the dear souls of purgatory” as well as his collection of prayers “Der newly planted myrrh garden’, with the note ‘approved for the special service of the devout female sex’; Georg Vogler’s more than 1000 pages of “Fountain of Consolation” with prayers for every situation in life; or the “Catholic Prayer Book” from 1775, which was read crookedly, stained and worn. The greasy fingerprint of the one-time prayer can still be seen.

Later prayer books were often addressed to specific target groups: »Let the little ones come to me«, for example to young people – including prayers before and after school. Another work is aimed “at the studying youth”, meaning high school students, prayers are also about the right choice of career.

Written by hand

In addition to the printed matter, handwritten prayer books were also created. As the regional studies team explains, their authors were often simple citizens, farmers or craftsmen who had learned the beautiful handwriting themselves and used it to pass the time. How did this happen? For example, with Johann Heinrich Zang’s “Calligraphia oder Selbstlehren der Schönschreibkunst”, probably published in 1762 and 1766. The former student of Johann Sebastian Bach moved to what is now Mainstockheim in Lower Franconia, was to live there for 50 years, composed cantatas, wrote manuals – and also said »Calligraphia«.

The aforementioned Andreas Mathies must have studied the art of handwriting intensively, practiced it and thought through his “Meß-Buch” well, as the well-planned design indicates. A little less professional, however, is the »Anachts-Uebung« by a certain JWSL de Rosenberg, dated 1802 – probably from somewhere in Franconia. Apparently he didn’t want to waste space and used every little corner, sometimes even headings start at the bottom of the page.

The design is one thing, special bindings another. Wonderful leather in green or red, gold plating, blue velvet, silver crosses and elaborate buckles with motifs will amaze you. Particularly striking: the “Marian Liliengarten”, published in Bamberg in 1786. The binding is much younger, hand-embroidered, probably from the Biedermeier period – and is unique with its Mother of God, the two angels and green columns.

The flood of prayer books was probably enormous – and so the authorities tried from time to time, but unsuccessfully, to create a uniform prayer book. Carl Philipp von Greiffenclaus’ 600-page song and prayer book, including sheet music, may have been too expensive and unwieldy.

Prince Bishop Franz Ludwig von Erthal even issued a circular in 1793 and asked the congregations to collect what the rural population prayed and sang and to work on and submit drafts. But his collection didn’t catch on either – perhaps because it was geared too closely to Protestant chants. It was not until 1886 that the first diocesan hymnal »Ave Maria« was introduced. The »Gotteslob«, published in 1975 after the Second Vatican Council, was the first joint prayer and hymn book ever for all German-speaking Roman Catholic dioceses.

MICHAELA SCHNEIDER

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In the red leather binding with noble decoration: John Michael Hauber’s “The Marienkapelle, the Christian’s Refuge and Help” (around 1860). Photo:

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