Medieval monk scribing

Page from the Book of Kells

Statue of St. Patrick

Let me explain with a brief and simple summary. (To learn more, read "How the Irish Saved Civilization," by Thomas Cahill.) With the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Barbarians descended on the Roman cities, looting all the great artefacts and burning all the books. Throughout the continent all the great libraries vanished along with the discipline of scholarship itself.

Illiteracy became the norm as Europe entered into what became known as the Dark Ages. But as the rest of Europe languished in the darkness, the monks of Ireland became beacons of light and hope in this literary wasteland. They were the ones who now began to transcribe (from the Latin, trans - across, and scribere - to write) all of the Western world's written heritage: poetry, philosopy, history, oratory,and the Bible itself. Inspired by St. Patrick himself, these monks also spread a love of literature and learning.

Indeed, that is why, to this day, Ireland is known as the Land of Saints and Scholars. For many hours in the day, monks would work in a room known as the scriptorium copying out their religious texts and often decorating the pages with beautiful jewel like paints and gold leaf. One of the most famous examples of this craftsmanship can be seen in the Book of Kells, which dates back to the 800's. It is a Latin translation of the New Testament and is kept in a glass cage in order to preserve it in Trinity College Dublin.

Monks also did other work as well as transcribing books. They attended eight church services a day, cared for the poor and sick, taught younger monks, gardened and farmed, and most of their tasks were carried out in silence. You can see how monks were considered to be a very important part of the community as they provided care for the sick and poor and refuge for the travelers and pilgrims. One of the few monasteries still standing in Ireland is Skellig Michael. To reach it you have to climb 600 stone steps.

All monks were devoted to prayer, work and learning, and monasteries were considered to be important centers of learning for many, many years. Today monks are still important in our world. There are many different "orders" of monks, each "order" having a slightly different focus in their mission. Here are a few of the main ones:

Benedictians - They were founded by St. Bernard in the 6th century. They take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and their focus is on the balance and harmony between work and prayer and rest.

Cistercians - Their focus is hard work.

Cluniacs - Dating back to 910 A.D., their mission was to try to follow St. Benedict even more strictly.

Franciscans - Founded by St. Francis, their focus is on helping the poorest of the poor and on seeing God in all of nature.

There is a beautiful ancient 9th century poem about a monk and his cat. No one knows the name of the monk, but his cat became famous - Pangur Ban (means white cat in Irish).

I and Pangur Ban my cat
'Tis like a task we are at
Hunting mice is his delight
Hunting words I sit all night

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will
He too plies his simple skill.

When a mouse darts from its den
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

Practice every day has made
Pangor perfect in his trade
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.

Needless to say as a writer and reader, I love books about monks. Here are some of my favorite ones:

• "The Man Who Loved Books" by Jean Fritz
• "The Little Jester" by Helena Olofsson
• "Clown of God" by Tomie de Paola
• "Brother Juniper" by Diane Gibfried
• "Pascual and the Kitchen Angels" by Tomie de Paola
• "The Pied Piper of Peru" by Ann Tompert

A thousand thanks then to the monks of long ago! What a dark world it would be today without our precious books to lighten our way. And a thousand blessings on the monks of today who continue to gentle our world with their prayer and compassion.