The scriptorium, i.e. the room for writing, is located in the barn of the former Dominican monastery in Palėvenė. Why here? Most of us remember that before the beginning of book printing in the 16th century. books were written and transcribed by hand in monasteries - it was hard work that required a lot of patience and skill, and the first libraries were also in monasteries. The Palėvenė monastery, founded in 1676, is no exception (although books were hardly transcribed here - printed books were already common at that time). However, the first library and school in the Kupiškis district were certainly in this monastery. The famous local architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius also started his education in the school of this monastery. So, it is precisely for the monastery schools and libraries and the old writing tradition of writing with a goose feather that this educational program is dedicated.
What awaits scriptorium visitors? First of all, the historical environment of the monastery - the renovated monastery barn is the economic part of the whole monastery - until the main buildings of the monastery are completely renovated, this farm has to be used, but it is authentic and perfectly illustrates the environment of the monastery. Material about scriptoriums in Dominican monasteries and the Dominican order itself has been prepared by the Museum of Ecclesiastical Heritage - we will see illustrated video projections and a detailed narration, well, and then writing with a goose feather. This writing instrument served scribes for several centuries, and even in the nineteenth century it was still being written with, and enough documents have survived to prove it. We will write in Latin - this international language was common in monasteries, and it is also a good opportunity for us to get to know it a little. It is possible that the writing participants of the education will be visited by a Dominican "monk" - you will recognize him by his black and white habit and if you succeed, you will be able to take a picture with him.
Price: 5 Eur – for an adult, 1 Eur – for a child, 2 Eur – Cultural Passport program for a child
The visit must be arranged in advance:
+370 682 42 216
