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60th session - Decisions

Church of the Mariastern Trappist Monastery (Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary) with movable property in Banja Luka (historic monument)

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Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH”, no. 36/05.

Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 20 to 26 January 2004 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

            The historic monument of the Church of the Mariastern Trappist Monastery(1) (Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) with movable property in Banja Luka is hereby designated as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

            The movable property referred to in para. 1 of this Clause consists of: a collection of 16 paintings, a collection of six sculptures, 20 textile items, 42 items of metalwork, 15 items of domestic and liturgical furnishings, and 96 books.

            The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 69 (part) (building no. 1), c.p. no. 70 (part) (building no. 2), and c.p. no. 70 (part) (building no. 3), Land Registry entry no. 20/0, cadastral municipality Delibašino selo 2, Municipality Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

            The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 9/02) shall apply to the National Monument.

 

II

 

            The Government of Republika Srpska (shall be responsible for ensuring and providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary to protect, conserve, and display the National Monument.

            The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with the basic data on the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.

 

III

 

            To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated.

            Protection Zone I consists of the church and library with numismatic collection and ethnological museum and movable heritage, i.e. the area of c.p. no. 69 (building no. 1), part of c.p. no. 70 (building no. 2) and part of c.p. no. 70 (building no. 3). The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:

ـ           all works are prohibited other than research and conservation and restoration works, including those designed to display the monument, make good the plots and minor infrastructural works, with the approval of the Ministry responsible for regional planning in Republika Srpska (hereinafter: the regional planning ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority).

            Protection Zone II consists of c.p. no. 69 (with the exception of the part of the plot on which building no. 1 stands). In this zone the following protection measures shall apply:

ـ           new construction may be permitted provided that it is not detrimental to the value as a monument of the designated National Monument, with the approval of the regional planning ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

ـ           existing tall vegetation shall be preserved.

            A protective strip is hereby stipulated with a width of 150 m from the outer limits of Protection Zone I.  In this protection strip the following protection measures shall apply:

ـ           the construction of industrial facilities or of facilities the use of which could put the National Monument at risk, and the siting of environmental polluters, are prohibited;

ـ           infrastructure works shall be permitted only with the approval of the regional planning ministry and under the conditions stipulated by the heritage protection authority.

 

IV

 

            The following measures are hereby stipulated pertaining to the movable heritage items referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage):

            The Government of Republika Srpska shall provide suitable physical and technical conditions for the protection of the movable heritage, and above all:

ـ           shall take appropriate steps to regain possession of that part of the movable heritage that has been relocated: part of the collection of items of metalwork and of the library;

ـ           provide suitable museum conditions for the safe-keeping of the entire movable heritage holdings;

ـ           install an air conditioning system that will ensure optimal humidity levels (50% to 60%) and air temperature (16° to 22°C) in the museum, sacristy, library and archives of the monastery;

            The display and other forms of presentation of the movable heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be effected under the terms and conditions stipulated by the ministry responsible for culture in Republika Srpska (hereinafter: the ministry of culture).

            Oversight of the implementation of the measures to protect the movable heritage shall be carried out by the ministry of culture.

 

V

 

            The removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

            By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Clause, the temporary removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina of the movable items for the purposes of display or conservation shall be permitted if it is established that conservation works cannot be carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

            Permission for the temporary removal of the movable items from Bosnia and Herzegovina under the conditions stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall be issued by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, if it is determined beyond doubt that it will not jeopardize the items in any way. 

            In granting permission for the temporary removal of the items, the Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal may take place, the date by which the items shall be returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the responsibility of individual authorities and institutions for ensuring that these conditions are met, and shall notify the Government of Republika Srpska, the relevant security service, the customs authority of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the general public accordingly.

 

VI

 

            All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.

 

VII

 

            Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of Republika Srpska, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.

 

VIII

 

            The Government of Republika Srpska, the Ministry responsible for regional planning in Republika Srpska and the heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II – VII of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.

 

IX

           

            The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba) 

 

X

 

            Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.

 

XI

 

            This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.

 

            This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik.

                                                                     

No. 06/1-2-1007/03-7                                            

7 May 2004

Sarajevo                                                                    

 

Chair of the  Commission

Dubravko Lovrenović

 

E l u c i d a t i o n

 

I – INTRODUCTION

            Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina  and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.

            In its previous complement the Commission issued a Decision to add the Church and monastery of the Trappist fathers in Banja Luka to the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbered as 16.

            Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.

 

II –PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION

            In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:

ـ           Documentation on the location and current owner and user of the property;

ـ           Details of legal protection of the property to date;

ـ           Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs;

ـ           Data on war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.;

ـ           Details of the movable heritage forming part of the property;

ـ           Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.

 

            The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:

 

1. Details of the property

Location

            The Mariastern Trappist Abbey Church(2) (Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is located in Delibašino Selo in Banja Luka.

Historical data

            The building of the complex of the Mariastern Cistercian Trappist Monastery in Delibašino Selo is associated with the arrival of the Trappist Franz Pfanner(3) in Bosnia(4). After 23 months of unsuccessful attempts to set up a Trappist monastery in Hungary(5), Croatia(6) and Lower Styria(7), and on learning that a law had been passed in Turkey allowing the Christians to buy land(8), Pfanner came to Banja Luka, where on 10 June 1869 he bought 100 jutros (1 jutro = approx. 1 acre) of land in Delibašino Selo(9) from the Banja Luka-based land owner and merchant Tomo Radulović, for the sum of 1.400 ducats, or 70.000 piastres. On 21 June 1869, the Trappists came to the plot of land they had purchased in Delibašino Selo; this is thus regarded as the date on which the Mariastern monastery was founded(10).

            The Trappists made themselves temporary accommodation in a wooden hut (5 metres long x 3 metres wide x 4,50 metres in height to the roof). The shed had no windows, and an entrance door measuring 72 x 140 cm; and the interior height to the ceiling was 190 cm. Before the Trappists bought the property in Delibašino selo, the shed had been used as a granary. Its walls were made of cut oak boards, the roof was clad with oak shingles, the floor was rammed clay, and there was no chimney. The Trappists called this shed the «cradle»; 9 Trappist brothers lived there and slept on beds of dry bracken. Inside the shed were two wooden barrels in which the Trappists kept their books, breviary, ink and paper, church plate, etc. Brother Fridolin built a stone fireplace under the eaves(11). The Trappists lived in this hut from 21 June to 7 July 1869.

            On 27 June 1869 Pfanner chose the site for the construction of the monastery beside the Vrbas River, so as to be able to use its waterpower. With the assistance of the Austrian Consular Agent Dragančić, Pfanner signed a contract with carpenter Grgo Strilić, originally of Dalmatia, to build a house. According to this contract Grgo Strilić would be paid 600 Austrian florins(12) for building the house on condition that it was completed by 8 September 1869 to Pfanner’s plan. After considerable difficulties – wet weather hampering the building works, transporting the building materials along wet, slippery roads, illnesses among the Trappists, and the death of one postulant(13), the “temporary monastery” building (Notklösterlein) near Raškovac brook was completed within the agreed deadline, and the Trappists moved in on 7 Septemper 1869. The building was 14 metres in length and 6 metres in width, and consisted of a chapel, a capitulum, a narrow refectory, a kitchen, a room for the prior (superior of the monastery), one smaller room and a corridor with a staircase leading to the attic. The building had just one floor, the ground floor, and was made of adobe bricks with a floor of rammed clay and ceiling made of boards. The attic was used as a dormitory and vestiarium(14). There were no beds in the dormitory; they slept on straw mats and dry bracken, and later on straw mattresses.

            During the construction of the temporary monastery, Pfanner faced a number of problems with regard to the registration of the land he had purchased(15).

            Pfanner called the temporary monastery Mariastern as an expression of gratitude to the old Mariastern Cistercian convent in Saxonian Lausitz, which gave a gift of 2,000 florins for the purchase of the land(16). The Trappists lived in the temporary monastery from 7 September 1869 to 24 December 1870. On 7 March 1870 Rome confirmed the new establishment and the Apostolic Vicar, Fr Paškal Vujičić gave his consent. After moving into the temporary monastery, the Trappists started to erect other buildings: the blacksmith’s shops, with accommodation over, and a building housing the hospital, guestroom, a small granary, and a stable for two horses and 4 to 6 cows. This building was made of adobe bricks and clad with shingles; it was built by local carpenters.

            Immediately after moving into the temporary monastery, the Trappists started to prepare the construction site for building a larger monastery according to the plans made by Pfanner himself.  They began excavating the foundations and cellar. In late 1869, before Christmas, Pfanner travelled to Rome to obtain permission to build a new monastery. With Bishop Fessler as intermediary, Pfanner obtained a permit from Propagand(17) a  to establish a monastery in Bosnia, as well as a license to teach agriculture and crafts to Bosnian boys. Two days later a rescript(18) arrived from Rome for the establishment of a monastery, with a clause from Propaganda requiring the Trappists to build an orphanage as soon as possible.

            In the spring of 1870 work started on building the monastery; the masons were mostly Croats and Italians. In May that year the cellar walls were built to a height of 170 cm. Despite extensive correspondence and numerous diplomatic notes related to obtaining approval to build the monastery exchanged during 1870 between Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Constantinople, further construction works were suspended due to bureaucratic problems in acquiring approval for the construction of the monastery.

            Pfanner travelled to Constantinople, where he obtained approval from Grand Vizier Ali-pasha to build a private house with 60 rooms. On 15 August 1870 Pfanner returned to Banja Luka and immediately travelled to Zagreb to find an architect.

            On 9 September 1870 the first bricks were laid on the foundation wall already laid, thus continuing the construction of the new monastery. By Christmas that year the west wing was built, facing the Vrbas River, along with the left wing over a length of 6 klafters(19). Six bricklayers and a carpenter were engaged to work on the building, with all the building materials brought in from Kranjska (Carniola, Slovenia), and then loaded on a horse and cart from Stara Gradiška, since nothing could be bought in Banja Luka, and the works were carried out according the plan drawn up by Pfanner during his stay in Zagreb. Some alterations were made to the original plan, and Pfanner decided to reduce the length of the building on each side by the width of three windows, and to reduce the height by five feet. Even though the works were not completed the Trappists moved into the new monastery on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1870.

            In mid March 1871, the masons plastered the monastery building inside and out, the floors were laid, the windows and doors installed, as well as wooden latches were fitted to the doors (metal latches could not be purchased in Banja Luka, and importing locks meant paying high customs duties); these wooden latched which remained in use on some of the doors in the monastery until 1924.

            Until 1920, simple benches remained in use: “There was one plank on the floor, about 35 cm long and 25 cm wide; set in the centre of this was a substantial leg the height of a normal chairleg, to which another plank like the one on the floor was fixed(20).”

            After the monastery had been plastered, a stable for 6 horses and a threshing-floor were built. The granary that had already been built shared a roof with the stable. At this time, too, Pfanner repaired the old roads and laid new ones: a new road to Raškovac to Mijat Janić’s old mill by the waterfall, then from Krčevine to the top of the hill, and via Mađir to Banja Luka.

            In the autumn of 1871, substantial piers were sunk into the Vrbas and the foundation walls for the projected mill were laid. The largest pier, on which the waterwheel was mounted, was shipped to the construction site at a cost of 3 ½ ducats. This was costly for that time, since there were no forest roads, so that bringing the timber for such a pier from the forest needed a team of 24 oxen and 12 drovers.

            Work went ahead on improving and cultivating the land each year, clearing it of scrub and brushwood; in the spring 1872, the first vine stocks were planted.

            In the autumn of 1871 the landlady of the parish priest and the editor of the newspaper Volksblatt paid for the casting of the church bell by Ignac Hilzer in his foundry in Bečko Novo Mjesto. Aware that it was forbidden to ring church bells in Turkey at that time, Pfanner smuggled the bell into Bosnia in a barrel of wine. It was not long before Pfanner was offered six more bells, only one(21) of which he accepted for the Trappist monastery in Banja Luka, since the monastic regula(22) allowed the use of two bells only. Pfanner accepted two more bells which he donated to the Catholic parishes in Banja Luka and in Jajce. The bells were rung covertly, at night, since bell-ringing was forbidden, and by the winter of 1872 charges were brought against Pfanner by the Banja Luka authorities for smuggling and illicit ringing of the bells(23). 

            In 1872 the General Chapter of the Order in 1872 appointed Pfanner as prior of the Mariastern monastery.

            The construction of the monastery church began in 1872. By the end of the year the roof was erected, and the church was completed in 1873. In order to justify it to the Turkish authorities the church had to be incorporated into the monastery. In 1873 the north-east section of the monastery was completed and ready for occupation, and some of the outbuildings were extended.

            The Mariastern monastery had been independent since its establishment. On 27 July 1872, believing it was high time the monastery became part of the Order, Prior Pfanner submitted a request to the Vicar-General in Sept-Fons to incorporate the Mariastern monastery into the Trappist congregation there.(24)“The monastery owns about 90 dunums(25) of cultivated land; the rest of the land, which is forested or scrubland, amounts to about 1000 dunums; its revenue from commercial activities is sufficient to maintain the community, agriculture and livestock will cover not only its daily needs of bread, milk, butter and Swiss cheese but will also make a significant contribution to the community’s finances; it currently has 14 cows, a mill like no other in Bosnia, and brickworks with no competition, which are a good source of revenue; the vineyard is quite extensive, and the plan is to build a plum-drying plant this year.  After all the community’s needs have been met, the sale of wine and dried fruit will generate a good income. In a word, in time the monastery will be able to maintain 300 members. It has staff. Since the church has not yet been built, half the refectory is currently being used as a chapel. The stables already built are large enough to accommodate more horses and cattle(26).”

            At the General Chapter held on 14 September 1873 in Sept-Fons in France Pfanner’s request was granted, and the Mariastern monastery was incorporated as a titular priorate, led by Pfanner in his capacity as Prior. The monastery was placed under the governance of the Port-du-Salut Abbey in western France.

            The forest which Radulović sold to the Trappists in 1869 covered 3860 dunums according to the 1884 survey, of which, for agricultural reasons, the Trappists were refused 666 dunums in 1886, consisting of 85 dunums in Mađir was and 581 in Priječani. The Trappists expanded their estate by purchasing new land: on 17 January 1873 Pfanner bought 25 dunums of deforested land in Delibašino Selo from Radulović, and on 19 August 1877 a larger plot of land on the left bank of the Vrbas, in Budžak, was purchased from Ahmed Nuri. In 1878 and 1879 the Trappists bought all the land on the left bank of the Vrbas between the monastery’s holdings, so that all the land on the right bank of the Vrbas from Mađir to Pogajnica belonged to the monastery. Hajji Husref-bey Đinić sold roughly 120 jutros(27) of land in Vrbanja to the Trappists for 900 Austrian gold ductats. In the mid 1880s, the Trappists acquired another 17 dunums of land on the left bank of the Vrbas from Đorđe Delić, in part-exchange plus an additional payment of 200 gold ducats; this land was entered in the Land Registry in the name of the Trappists in 1889. On 15 March 1880, Pfanner bought 180 dunums of land in Mađir from Ali-beg Ibrahimović for 38,500 groschen. On 20 April 1880 a judicial commission delineated the boundaries of the monastery estate(28).

            In August 1873, Pfanner bought land with an area of 1,255 and 4/5 dunums in Busovača in Central Bosnia. Of this, 833 and 1/3 dunums was forest-land, and 422,5 dunums was arable land.

            On 13 Dec 1874 Pfanner notified the editor of Volksblatt about his activities from 1870 to 1874. The report referred to the square monastery building with sides 40 metres long, at the centre of which a church, commercial building, stables and granary had been built, a mill and a sawmill on the Vrbas, a plum-drying plant, a small brewery with several workshops, and the brickworks.

            In the autumn of 1871 piers were sunk into the Vrbas and the foundations for the mill were laid; the building of the mill continued throughout 1872. The work of building the mill with one circular saw was contracted for the sum of 6,000 florins. The mill should have had 3 stones, one cleaning area and a hydraulic machine. The first craftsman failed to build the circular saw and the job was assigned to another craftsman. For safety reasons, a dam was built on the bank of the Vrbas with a separate sawmill linked to it, but it proved impossible to mount a circular saw in the mill.  As a result, in 1873 a separate sawmill was built on the embankment wall. All the works were completed by Easter 1874. A water-powered suction pump was linked to the sawmill, which pumped water to the monastery, the garden and the brewery(29).

            The construction of the plum-drying plant began in 1872. The Trappists dried their own plums but also bought some from local villagers. A cheese making plant known as the Schweizerei was also connected with the plum-drying plant. This unit was turned into a small brewery in 1874, probably as a result of the fatal cattle disease that broke out in 1873. The brewing of beer began in 1875, and construction of the brewery began in the summer of 1876. A textile mill was built in 1878.

            Because opposition from Bosnia’s Bishop Fra Paskal Vuičić(30), Pfanner’s intention to build a monastery and orphanage in Busovača came to nothing, so he built an orphanage(31) in Delibašino Selo: for that purpose, the west wing of the monastery was extended “by six windows to the south,” a length of 20 metres. The orphanage was opened on 1 March 1878 and took in four boys, two from Slavonska Požega and two from Delibašino Selo; by Easter the number had increased to 20, and by the end of the year to 31 children. The orphanage was a two-storey building. In 1878 a hospital was built 50 metres to the north of the monastery; it was opened on 2 February 1879, when it admitted its first patients.

            The brickworks were built in 1870 in Krčevine, but was transferred to Bara in 1877, because the quality of the clay for brick making had declined in Krčevine. The new brickworks were built on the left bank of the Vrbas on the land bought on 19 August 1877 from Ahmed Nuri.

            Pfanner built another seven houses to accommodate workers and foresters, but since these buildings were erected in a rush and without a proper plan they soon fell into a state of dilapidation, and were pulled down at the end of the 1980s.

            A new orphanage was built in 1879. The school opened on 1 September 1880, run by a lay teacher. From 1886 teaching nuns taught in the new monastery, and religious instruction was provided by a Franciscan from the near-by monastery in Petrićevac. The pupils were also taught handwork in school. The number of people in the monastery started to increase, and more space was needed. As a result, a new monastery building was erected in 1888/89, with a church but no belltower. The monastery was built from funds raised by the nuns in Germany, and the building works were managed by a Trappist, Brother Eberhard. The belltower was erected in 1896, and one wing of the monastery was added in 1897 with the assistance of donations from Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The orphanage was decorated in 1898.

            In 1878 a General Chapter of the Trappist Order was held in Sept-fons in France. Bishop Richards of the English Cape Colony in South Africa expressed the desire of the English Government to establish a Trappist monastery in Cape Colony. Pfanner accepted the task and went with 30 other Trappists from Mariastern to South Africa, where they established the Trappist colony in Dunbrody. The site proved so unsuitable that after a few years they moved the monastery to Natal and founded the Mariannhill mission station. Pfanner left the Mariastern monastery for good on 28 May 1883 and went to Natal.

            Defending himself against the charges of some Trappist brothers concerning the financial management of the Mariastern monastery, Pfanner wrote a letter with a brief overview of the situation in the Trappist Colony in Banja Luka: “...I built all the buildings in Mariastern, specifically: the monastery building with two inner courtyards, an orphanage, a steam-powered brewery, a steam-powered textile mill, a spinning mill, a fulling mill, a mill, a sawmill, all the workshops, a steam-operated laundry, a brewery, the spacious stables and barns, the plum-drying plant, the cheese-making unit and the church. All of these were in existence when I left in 1880. Only the church has been somewhat altered. The height and width to which I built it remained unchanged, except that it was extended for the sanctuary.” He paid the sum of approximately half of million Austrian florins for all the other works which, as he stated, could be proved by the facts. This did not include the labour provided by the Trappist brothers, who numbered 100. In addition, he left the stables full of good quality cows, the factories and plants equipped with machinery, the fields sown with crops, and hundreds of trees in the forest which ocould be felled to generate more income. All this he left to his brothers in the monastery, going empty-handed to South Africa to start again from scratch. “Who either in Austria or Germany can show that any superior or any founder of such a deed has ever done anything of that kind? I am not aware of anything similar in the history of our Order. Superiors usually remain in their respective institutions until their death,” wrote Pfanner(32).

            Preparing to leave for South Africa in 1880, Pfanner handed over the management of Mariastern to Father Bonaventura Bayer(33). After Pfanner’s final departure for Mariannhill, on 25 August 1883 the General Chapter appointed Father Bonaventura titular Prior of the Monastery. Once he assumed these duties the monastery began gradually to improve. The number of brothers in the monastery increased to 90, and the monastery’s economy was revived: there were carpenters, locksmiths, blacksmiths, wagon-builders, shoemakers, textile workers, beer-makers, bakers, bookbinders, brush-makers, painters, goldsmiths, turners, rope-makers, bricklayers, mill-men, cheese-makers, basket-makers, tin-workers, stove-makers, sawmill operators, glassmakers, brick-makers, sock-makers etc.

            The Vicar General and Abbot of Sept-fons, Jerome, visited the monastery in May 1885 and was very satisfied with the state of affairs he found in the monastery and its commercial operations. His recommendation was that the Mariastern monastery be designated as an abbey, which gained the backing of the members of the Chapter of the Trappist Order who forwarded this proposal to Rome. By Rescript of the Congregation of Bishops and Monks of 4 December 1885 the monastery was raised to the status of an abbey and Father Bonaventura, at the time Prior of the monastery, was appointed as its first Abbot on 27 January 1886.

            Between 1886 and 1893, while the Mariastern abbey was managed by Abbot Bonaventura, the monastery complex underwent the following changes: the 1875 chapel had become too small since the number of monks as well as priests had increased, as a result of which, in 1885, work began on enlarging the church and erecting the belltower. The cemetery was in the way of the extension to the building, as a result of which exhumations were carried out and the mortal remains of the deceased were transferred to a common grave in the new cemetery. The first service in the enlarged church was held on 29 June 1886, on the date of the consecration of the abbot on the old altar, which had been moved into the new sanctuary extension. The aula was completed that same year and the building of side altars began. In 1887 a new, large altar and 2 side altars were installed, and a large new cupboard was installed in the sacristy. That same year the entrance portal to the church was completed on the front façade of the monastery, and in 1888 and 1889 the front of the monastery was extended to the north and south. This created the space to enlarge the orphanage. In 1888 the ground floor of the reception centre was rebuilt, new commercial facilities were erected, and servants’ quarters were built, as well as a large new cooling plant. In 1890 the open section of the Raškovac brook from the monastery to the Vrbas River was covered over.

            The roads to Slatina and Priječani ran through the monastery courtyard, which disturbed the peace and the rules of monastery life, especially on Sundays and during religious holidays. In the spring of 1890, therefore, work began on erecting a boundary wall around the monastery. The wall, which was 1,182 metres in length, surrounded the monastery, and was completed on 8 July 1891.  In November 1891 the porter’s lodge was completed, as were a house for outsiders, the portal between them, and the corridor leading from the porter’s lodge to the church.

            In 1892 the hospital was rebuilt, a bathroom with a steam boiler (à la Kneipp(34)) was built, a large barn was built on the left bank of the Vrbas River, the issue of crossing the Vrbas River was resolved (2 boats and a bridge), the old barn was converted into stables, and a leather factory was built. In 1893 a kitchen was built in the stables, with a steam engine for fodder, and a railway line was laid through the stables. That year a large waterwheel was also installed on the Vrbas, which provided power for the various industrial facilities.

            The winter of 1893 was very cold, with temperatures falling to below minus 23 degrees Celsius, and all the walnut and plum trees owned by the monastery froze and had to be felled.

            On 29 July 1886 Josef Berger’s textile mill business failed, and the Trappists took over the factory with all its machinery and stock, purchasing it for 12,400 florins, and in 1894 they modernised the factory by installing a steam engine.

            Abbot Bonaventura’s intention in 1892 to build an iron bridge over the Vrbas came to nothing because no agreement with the Provincial Government on the concession for the use of bridge(35).

            In 1880, in order to build the wall surrounding the monastery, the road to Slatina was relocated outside the monastery grounds. The road to Priječani was also relocated, from the bottom of the vineyard towards the Vrbas River, next to the brickworks, and the roads to Mađir and Vrbanja were also relocated and repaired. From 1892 the Trappists were obliged to maintain the road from the Vrbas crossing to the railway station in good order.

            Abbot Bonaventura died an accidental death, drowning in the sea on 12 December 1893. The Prior, Father Dominik Assfalg, was appointed as the new Abbot of Mariastern(36).

            Abbot Assfalg continued to work on rounding off the real estate belonging to the Mariastern monastery by exchanging and buying real estate: in late 1896 he exchanged a plot of land in the monastery’s field for a plot with an area of approximately 3½ hectares owned by Ivan Lipovac of Budžak; in 1896 the City Council built a new road to Slatina, for which the Trappists donated part of their land, and in return the Council undertood to maintain the road to the the Vrbas crossing and from the crossing to the main Banja Luka-Gradiška road, which until then the Trappists had been required to maintain.

            On 12 May 1903 he bought 35,240 m2 of land on the left bank of the Vrbas from Hašim Vehabović for the sum of 2,800 crowns; in 1905 he bought 226 dunums of forests in Gornji Bakinci, a village in Mahovljani Parish, from Smail-bey-Kulenović  for 5,500 kuna; in March 1901 he bought a plot of land across the road to Mađir and a mill on the left bank of the Vrbas from hajji Muharem-bey for 3,000 florins. The mill was in poor condition, so they pulled it down and built a new one which began working on 20 November 1903. To block competition, they bought a mill in Klašnice a mill for 30,000 crowns, which they rented out.

            The crossing of the Vrbas was by ferry, and at times of high water it was impossible to cross.  After the construction of the new road to Slatina in 1896, there was a considerable increase in traffic, with resultant delays on the ferry and the consequent need to build a bridge. After lengthy negotiations with the Government Abbot Assfalg entered into a contract to build a bridge, under the terms of which both parties took an equal share in the construction costs and the maintenance of the bridge. On 28 March 1904 the construction of the iron bridge began. The iron structure was assembled on 15 October 1904, the bridge was opened to the public on 12 November 1904, and on 27 November 1904 Bishop fra Marijan Marković consecrated the bridge in the presence of numerous guests, prominent persons and representatives of the civilian and military authorities in Banja Luka. The bridge was destroyed during the World War II and rebuilt(37).

            In 1897 a new textile factory was built; in 1898 both the textile factory and the brewery began operating. In 1895, to power these new facilities, a 50 horsepower steam engine had been purchased from the Administration to Regulate the Danube Rapids for 5,000 florins, and the sum of 1000 florins was paid to transport it from Oršava to Banja Luka.

            In the brewery, textile factory and mill, the power was increased by a steam engine, but since proved unsatisfactory, a 60 horsepower turbine was built in late 1899 on the Vrbas. To that end, a timber dam was built across the Vrbas to provide the necessary water fall to operate the turbine.

            On 27 March 1899 the monastery acquired electric lighting, and after 1902 some houses near the monastery, as well as in Banja Luka itself,also acquired electric lighting. Later, at the request of the people of Banja Luka, the power plant was enlarged and given extra capacity with new 300 horsepower turbines, and in 1910 the mill was modernised, increasing its production capacity to 2,5 wagons per day.

            In the spring of 1913 the Vrbas River demolished the timber dam, and works began on the construction of a new concrete dam, which was completed in the summer of 1914.

            In 1900 the Trappists built the Apprentices’ Home(38), into which 30 boys moved in December. In this Home, under the auspices of Bishop fra Jozo Garić, an Apprentices’ Society was founded in 1918.

            In 1898 Abbot Assfalg established a “juvenat”(39) where he took in gifted boys aged 12 to 15, to provide them with further education and to gain new priests from their ranks. The boys were taught grammar-school subjects, after which they would enrol in the noviciate(40), which lasted two years.  Several Trappist priests graduated from the juvenat.

            During Abbot Assfalg’s time, the Trappists published a magazine, Der hl. Antonius v. Padua und das Brot der Armen in Bosnien, which was under the patronage of Sarajevo’s Archbishop Dr Josip Stadler. The magazine was published quarterly, in March, June, September and December, and printed in Cologne, Germany. The annual subscription was 80 pfennigs.

            In addition, the monastery had its own printing press, which was in operation from 1891 to 1946. The press turned out books, magazines, various sorts of publications and printed material. It was the first printing press in Banja Luka.

            At that time the monastery was well known both in Bosnia and abroad, as is evidenced by the visits of important persons: on 24 August 1899 it was visited by the Commissioner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Baron General Ivan Appel; on 24 August 1903 a visit by Maria Theresa, Bavarian Princess and wife of Bavaria’s Prince Ludwig, and her four daughters was organized; on 6 May 1904 the monastery was visited by the Austro-Hungarian Finance Minister Baron Stefan Burian, accompanied by the Commissioner for Bosnia Baron Kutscher, the District Governor Baron Lazarini and Inspector Pojmann; on 29 May 1904 the Commissioner of Bosnia and Herzegovina General Baron Eugen Albory visited the monastery.

            Abbot Dominik Assfalg resigned from his abbatial duties on 4 June 1920. He died on 27 January 1922 and was buried in the monastery cemetery.

            Abbot Assfalg was succeeded by Abbot Bonaventura Diamant(41). On 7 June 1924, during his time as Abbot, the Trappists moved to the new monastery. The building had originally been intended as the orphanage, and was enlarged in 1914. From 1914 to 1918 the building housed the injured, and later housed disabled war veterans.

            In 1929 a new guest wing was added to the monastery(42). The foundations for the new church were laid on 20 August 1925; the church was enlarged in 1928(43).

            During Abbot Diamant’s time, in about 1924, as a result of the fierce competition that followed World War I, the power plant, textile factory and brewery(44) were handed over to to a joint stock company, Industrial Community. The mill was leased, and the cheese making plant(45) continued to be run the Trappists.

            The monastery was deeply in debt, and was thus forced to close down the orphanage. All its debts were paid off during the period 1942-1943 with the money earned from selling timber from the monastery’s forest for the construction of Trno Airport. At that time the steward of the monastery was Father Benno Stumpf. He liquidated(46) Trappe D.D., the former Industrial Community company, which took over the monastery’s former companies: the power plant, brewery and macaroni production plant. Stumpf divided the land into plots and sold a hundred dunums of monastery land on the left bank of the Vrbas. The Secondary Agricultural School bought the land around the barn and stable, and the Army of the first Yugoslavia bought the land around the large barn on the left bank of the Vrbas above the dam.

            The monastery retained for its own use around 80 hectares of arable land on the left bank of the Vrbas, as well as pasture, orchard and forestland on the right bank of the Vrbas near the monastery. Steward Stumpf sold several houses on the left bank of the Vrbas.

            After World War II the entire holdings of the monastery were expropriated, and the monastery remained in possession only of the old and new cemetery, the old and new church, and a number of residential premises in the new monastery.

            Pursuant to charges by the Municipal Public Prosecutor, the District Court in Banja Luka issued a verdict on 1 April 1946 by which Abbot Diamant, Father Benno Stumpf and Manager of the printing press Brother Krescencije Jakobi, were sentenced in absentia as collaborators during World War II, since they made the mill, with its capacity of 30 tons of grain per day, and the printing press in which propaganda material was printed, at the service of the enemy. Benno Stumpf and Abbot Diamant were sentenced to the loss of political and individual civil rights for a term of three years and Brother Krescencije Jakobi for a term of one year.

            Apart from that, the monastery was deprived by expropriation of all its buildings, all its facilities, and its entire agricultural and industrial inventory located on the expropriated land(47), all of which was transferred to the state. The Supreme Court in Sarajevo confirmed this ruling on 31 July 1946. On 26 Feb 1947 the District Agrarian Commission in Banja Luka adopted the following Decision: “By Decision of the District Agrarian Commission in Banja Luka, no: 99-2-1946 of 17 April 1946 and by Ruling of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Department for Agrarian Reform and Colonisation in Sarajevo no: 12873/46 of 19 June 1946 it has been resolved with legal validity to carry out the expropriation of the estate, buildings, equipment and inventory owned by the Mariastern Trappist monastery in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luka.(48)

            Abbot Diamant and most of the Trappist Brothers left the Mariastern monastery in 1944 and found sanctuary in the Engelszell monastery in Austria, where he was appointed as Superior of the Monastery. He held this office until 1953, when he retired to the Mariawald monastery. He died on 7 May 1957 in Bad Kissingen, and was buried in the Mariawald monastery.

            After the World War II and the enlargement of the Banja Luka Brewery, the site of the original monastery complex contained just a few of the commercial facilities of the former monastery complex, which were rebuilt, enlarged and converted to the needs of the Brewery. Other buildings in the former monastery complex, the old church, the monastery and some commercial facilities, were demolished and new buildings erected on the site(49).

            The major part of the new monastery was rebuilt for the needs of the Miroslav Zotović Rehabilitation Centre, while the church, several rooms on the upper floor in part of the right wing of the monastery building(50), and the monastery cemetery, remained in the possession of the monastery(51).

            According to available data, the number of Trappist monks living in the monastery rose and fell, depending on the monastery’s financial situation as well as the impact of socio-political circumstances. In 1869 it had nine Trappists, in 1872, 12, in 1873, 16, in 1875, 30, in 1877, 34, in 1878, 61, in 1879, 76, in 1888, 110, in 1900, 180, in 1910, 219, in 1920, 152, in 1934, 150, in 1940, 128, in 1945, 51, in 1963, 20, in 1993, 10, and now, only five Trappists.

            Since the Mariastern monastery was followed, the post of Prior has been held by the following: Franz PFANNER 1869 – 1882; Bonaventure BAUER  1882 – 1885; Dominique ASSFALG 30 January 1894 – 1920; Bonaventure DIAMANT  29 July 1920 – 17 September 1952; Flavien GERBAC  May 1952 – 20 July 1957; Tiburce PENCA July 1957 – 27 October 1964; Fulgence ORAITSCH  27 October 1964 – 27 May 1977; Anton ARTNER  28 August 1977 – February 1991; Nivard VOLKMER February 1991 – 14 February 2002; Philippe Vanneste 14 February 2002 – 23 October 2003; François De PLACE  as of  20 October 2003(52).

            After Presnač was separated from the Banja Luka parish of the Way of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1971, another parish was established in Banja Luka which included the famous Mariastern Trappist Monastery. It was established on 13 May 1973 by Bishop Alfred Pichler after the partition from Petrićevac and Banja Luka Parish of the Way of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and entrusted to the management of the local Trappist Fathers. The large monastery church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is used as a parish church. The parish has four chapels, in Česma, Mađir and Priječani, as well as in St John’s cemetery in Delibašino Selo and three cemeteries (Priječani, Česma and St John in Delibašino Selo)(53).

           

2. Description of the property

            The rules of the Cistercian Order had a considerable impact on the appearance and layout of the original monastery complex of the Trappist Community in Delibašino Selo(54), which belongs to the group of latifundiium(55) Monasteries.

            The monastery and church of the second stage in the development of the Trappist community to be built on a new site, the present-day one(56), largely inherited the original organizational layout of the Cistercian Abbey, which is appropriate to the strict rules of monastery life, with its adherence to a precise daytime and nighttime timetable of activities: the most important place in hierarchy belongs to the church, which is adjoined by the monastery building with the orphanage and hospital.

            The plan of the basement taken from the design of the monastery church and the construction of the east and west wings(57) shows that it was the clear intention of the project designer to form a cloister with an inner courtyard. However, the west wing of the monastery was not built(58).

            Following expropriation and the change of useof the monastery part of the complex, which was to the south ot the church, after 1982 the Trappists built a new monastery section(59) northwest of the church building. The access to the church and monastery is from the east. To the right of the entrance gate within the monastery estate(60) is a wooden hut, the «cradle». The layout of the new monastery block layout is an irregular Z-shape, with much of the building consisting of a ground floor only, while the extreme southern end of the building has a ground floor and one upper floor. The building was built using modern materials: brick blocks, concrete, Mediterranean roof tiles.

In terms of layout the ensemble, which currently belongs to the Trappist community in Delibašino Selo, consists of the church, new monastery building, outbuildings and monastery cemetery(61). The church and new monastery block of the third stage are not joined by a covered walkway or interior passage.

Church building

            Abbot Bonaventura II, who was the originator of the idea to build a new church, wanted to establish a connection between the strict and specific regulations of the Cistercian order and the architectural language of church-building, which was intended to generate a form reflecting unity between the building’s outward appearance and its internal magnitude, modesty in the choice of material, simplicity of form and decoration, as well as functionality.

            In layout the church had the triple-aisle basilica-style ground plan of a Romanesque building, whereas in the features of its sculptural decorations it looks to the tradition of early Christian art. The blend of these two historical styles, which are permeate and complement one another, constitutes the main artistic value of the church(62).

            The entrance to the church is through an entrance vestibule at the east end. The interior of the church is of triple-aisle basilica design: the central nave is approx. 876 cm in width, with a total height of approx. 13.45 metres, and the side aisles are approx. 438 cm wide with a total height of 4.82 metres. Thus the structural approach to the architecture of the interior the influence of the Romanesque: the module system(63) is used, where the ratio between the side aisles and the central nave is 1:2. The crossing is beneath a groin vault (cross-vault) formed by the intersection of two barrel-vaults at right-angles to one another, thus creating four vault ridges in each section of the crossing. The  vault ridges in the crossing are quite unobtrusive, have barely any mouldings, and indeed are barely noticeable.

            The load of the cross-vault is taken by two colonnades of pilasters made of brick. Every other pilaster(64) supports an arch of the central nave, and is cruciform in section: the main body of the pilaster measures approx. 91 x 91 cm + 4 x 15 x 91 cm, and bears the weight of the upper walls and the load of the cross-vaults of the central nave and side aisles.

            The church has two transcepts. An organ gallery is located about the first east transept. The inter-storey structure of the gallery is a reinforced concrete slab resting on primary reinforced concrete girders with haunches, approx. 8.90 m long, running north-south. In between the primary girders the reinforced concrete slab of the ceiling rests on secondary reinforced concrete girders, also with haunches, running east-west and themselves resting on the primary girders.

            A small, unobtrusive tower was erected above the crossing of the west transept, which is approx. 6.70 m wide, and the main nave(65). The tower cannot be seen from inside the church. Although this area also contains the altar space, which is at a higher level(66), with a mensa, and is formally the most important part of the church, it does not dominate it.

            The total interior area of the prayer space in the church has the following dimensions: interior length approx. 57.10 m(67), and width approx. 19.48 m. The church terminates at the west end in a triple apse: the central nave has a pentagonal apse housing the alter, and the side aisles have rectangular apses (to the left is an altar dedicated to St Joseph, and to the right one dedicated to St Thereas. The altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the west transept to the left, and that of St Benedict to the right.

            The corridor forming the former covered passageway beteween the church and the monastery building dating from the second stage, south of the side aisle, now houses the monastery library, in two rooms measuring 3.15 x 14.92 m. and 3.15 x 7.00 m. There is a covered way via the steps to the north-west, located north of the apse with the altar of St Theresa, leading to the crypt of the church, the sanitation area and ancillary facilities at basement level, the sacristy on the ground-floor, and the nuns’ rooms on the first floor. This staircase leads to the north gallery of the west transept, while the south gallery is reached via a steel spiral staircase built onto the south end of the transept itself.

            The church is lit basilica-style. The side windows of the main nave are set at a level of +9.50 m., and those of the side aisles at a level of +1.82 m.

            At a time when the monastery had a large number of monks, the churdch area was divided longitudinally(68). The central area was occupied by choirstalls, which divided the church into an eastern section for lay people and a western section for the monks.

            The longitudinal axis of the church deviates from the azimuth by + 21 deg. from true east-west(69).  

            The site slopes down from east to west, so that the church has a basement area at the west end, housing the crypt, with a total interior width of approx. 13.87 m. and length of approx. 33.60 m., and a basement area dug into the slope at the east end.  The ceiling structure between the basement and the ground floor is a reinforced concrete slab resting on primary reinforced concrete girders approx. 8.65 m. long with haunches, running north-south, and set approx. 670 cm. apart. Between the primary girders the reinforced concrete slab of the ceiling rests on secondary reinforced concrete girders, also with haunches, running east-west, with their ends resting on the primary girders.

            The exterior façade of the church is simple, reflecting the order, law and discipline typical of the Cistercian order. The building is articulated by a moulded cornice below the eaves and by the gabled tympanum of the roof, below which is a row of blind serrated arcades, and a moulded string course marking the first floor level. The solid mass of the walls, reflecting the interior spaciousness of the church, is articulated by rows of simple round-arched windows and triforia at first-floor level.

            The building is clad with plain tiles, and all the roof guttering is of sheet copper.

            The original concept of the chief monastery architect, Eberhard, and Abbot Bonaventura II Bayer, was to have two bell towers, to left and right of the entrance, but these were not built due to a shortage of funds.  Instead, to break up the monotny of the west façade, a section was added forming a vestibule to the church and to which all the sculptural decoration of the exterior façade is linked. The sculptor who made the sculpture over the entrance door and those inside the church is Bruno Diamant(70).

            The church has a deep portal with mouldings consisting of a number of colonettes terminating in carved capitals decorated with stylized floral designs. Semicircular segments extend from each angle of the stepped groove, forming a stepped frame around the lunette, which contains a relief scene of St George killing the dragon with his sword.

            Above the semicircular is a small triangular gable emphasized by a simple moulded string course extending to the side wings of the building. There is a figure of St Elijah in full form at the top of the gable. The saint is featured with a long beard and dishevelled hair, accompanied by the attributes symbolizing his time in the wilderness: the raven bringing him food in its bill, and a chalice of water.  The left-hand and right-hand walls of the portal are decorated with shallow arcades. On both sides, below the central arcade, are sculptures of Peter and Paul, portrayed standing in full figure. They are not set back into niches, as is the norm, but on projecting semicircular brackets, so that their backs are leaning against the wall surface. Both saints are wearing long, full-gathered habits. St Paul is portrayed as a old man with a long beard holding a sword, while St Peter has a shorter beard and is holding keys.

            Bruno Diamant spent most of his time and effort on the interior decoration of the church. True to the principles of restraint and maintaining an uncluttered appearance, he decorated all the capitals of the pillars in the church, the walls of the nave, transepts and sanctuary, with carving and relief. He made the main stone altar and another six side altars, along with the tabernacle(71) that stood in the main sanctuary of the church, the abbot's seat, some free-standing statues of saints, and part of the church furnishings in carved wood.

            The layout of the church played a major part in the scenography of the space, with the church, as a monastery church, divided into several sections. The east end of the church, where it widened into the transepts, was designed for the people. The central nave was divided into two: the brothers' choir, facing the east entrance, and the monks' choir, facing the main sanctuary, i.e. facing west. The two choirs were separated by stone altars. To the right was an altar dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation, and to the right one dedicated to St Bernard(72). Both altars were made of bihacite stone. There was a sanctuary in the extension to the monks' choir, in which, untilthe 1969 earthquake in Banja Luka, was a ciborium.

            In his organization of the layout, B. Diamant was true to the established iconographic principles, introducing a system of symmetric composition almost consistently throughout.

            He paid particular attention to the capitals of the pillars, decorating the surface with scenes from the Bible, bizarre animals, Christian symbols, portraits of people known to the artist and of people who had contributed to the building of the church, abbots of the Mariastern monastery, and famous founders of the Cistercian order, who were awarded the place of honour in the altar of the church.

            COLUMNS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CHURCH, FROM EAST TO WEST

            The colonnade of pillars running east-west consists of two pilasters at the beginning and end of the colonnade and ten pillars.

            At the entrance to the church, on the pilaster capital, B. Diamant made a portrait of the monastery caretaker Maximilian Nestor, wearing round glasses and a habit, and holding a purse of ducats. The remaining area of these two semi capitals is decorated with stylized floral designs.

            The first column was is to the orphanage. Four boys from the orphanage, kneeling, are featured on the corners of the capital. The boys are dressed in the traditional village costume of the region. Each of them is portrayed holding a book or a tamburitza or with arms raised to shoulder height, palms facing outward. The rest of the capital is decorated with stylized ears of corn.

            The second column is dedicated to the strange and imaginary animals of the Apocalypse. The animals are depicted with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle. They feature on all four sides of the capital. On the projecting parts of the capital and above each relief are the following symbols: three interlinked circles, as the symbol of faith, hope and love; two interlinked triangles as the symbol of the Holy Trinity; Alpha and Omega from the opening words of the Revelation of St John the Divine: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord.”

            The third column is dedicated to those who were directly involved in building the church and monastery. This column is located in the part of the church, the choir, intended for the brothers. The figures at the corners of the capital are featured half-length, holding attributes symbolizing their occupations. Thus Brother Alphonse is holding a brush and container, while the figure of Brother Severin Booz, another senior membeer of the monastery’s carpenter’s workshop, holding a carpenter’s plane. There are also another two figures, one holding a wheel and the other a pair of pliers. The rest of the capital is decorated with a triple braid consisting of the intertwined bodies of three animals, two serpents and a lion.

            The capital of the fourth column is decorated with floral designs. The surface of the capital facing the nave is incised with a cross with rays extending from it, and two rosettes beside it.

            The capital of the fifth column is richly decorated with floral designs.  The corners of the capital bear the carved figures of an owl, deer, ram and bird. The upper part of the capital terminates in a ribbon decorated with four-petalled flowers separated by small pillars.

            The surface of the sixth capital is decorated with foliar designs, a triple ribbon curlicue and rosettes. The upper part of the capital terminates in a wavy ribbon.

            The surface of the seventh capital is richly decorated with floral designs. A leaf is carved at each corner of the capital, and the remaining surfaces are decorated with stylized floral and animal designs.

            The capital of the eighth column is decorated with the coats of arms of the four abbots who feature on the ninth pillar on the south side of the church. A narrow band above each coat of arms bears the relevant motto:

1.       Concordia et caritas Arma manasteri;

2.       Mariastern;

3.       In omnibum caritas;

4.       Amator fratrum et loci.

            The capital of the ninth column is decorated with scenes from the life of St. Bernard(73). The following scenes are shown:

1.       The saint is portrayed as the “Principal of the Church” (founder), wearing the Cistercian habit and with a book in his left hand. His right hand is raised in prayer. To the sides are the symbols of a lily and a heart, representing purity and love;

2.       The saint is portrayed as an eloquent orator (Doctor mellifluus);

3.       He is portrayed with a cross in his hand leading crusaders to war;

4.       The surface is decorated with stylized floral designs.

            The capital of the tenth column features scenes from the life of St Stephen(74). The saint is portrayed facing the main nave of the church. To the right and left of his bust is a Latin text: “Carita caritatis,” the title of a charter of 1119 under the terms of which the Abbot of Cîteaux acquired the right to supervise the entire order. The capital also shows a scene in which three monks kneel before Pope Calixtus II from whom they have come to ask for a privilege exempting the monastery from the bishop’s authority. The capital also features a building, probably the monastery in Cîteaux. (Tihić, 197., 183-184, Ševo, 1990)

COLUMNS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CHURCH, FROM EAST TO WEST(75)

            The colonnade of pillars running east-west consists of two pilasters at the beginning and end of the colonnade and ten pillars.

            On the capital of the pilaster at the entrance to the church, B. Diamant made a portrait of architect Eberhard in a habit, with a short beard, holding a setsquare in his left hand and a spread blueprint in his right, showing the ground plan of the Mariastern church. The rest of the capital is decorated with stylized floral designs.

            The first column is dedicated to the following biblical scenes:

1.       The Tree of Knowledge, with Adam and Eve;

2.       A scene in which the devil is punishing sinners. To the left and right of the window are angels, one with scales, weighing justice, and the other with a sword, guarding the Earthly Paradise;

3.       A scene showing Cain killing Abel;

4.       A scene showing three devils killing a victim.

            The top of the capital of the second column is decorated with simple arcades, and the rest is left plain.

            The third column is decorated with angels’ heads. B. Diament carved two winged heads of angels at the top of each side of the capital. The lower third of the surface of the capital is decorated with stylized floral designs.

            The fourth column is dedicated to the monastery brothers. The figures are set at the corners of the capital, holding their attributes. The capital features Brother Tiedecker Bazilije, who was responsible for the monastery orchard, holding a bowl full of fruit; Brother Peter Schmity, the monastery doorkeeper, holding keys; the monastery cook, holding a chef’s ladle; and Brother Mihajlo, the monastery winegrower, with a hoe over his shoulder. The rest of the capital is decorated with stylized vine leaves and grapes.

            The faces of the fifth capital are each decorated with two lions and two intertwined serpents.  At the centre of each face of the capital is a square containing a design of a fish, bird, dragon and elephant.

            The faces of the capital of the sixth pillar are decorated with stylized designs of leaves and ears of corn. The capital ends with a triple braid.

            The faces of the capital of the seventh pillar are richly decorated with floral designs. A leaf is carved at each corner of the capital, and the rest consists of floral designs.

            The capitals of the eighth pillar are decorated with figures of abbots of the Trappist monastery in Banja Luka. Abbot Franz Pfaner, founder of the monastery community, is portrayed in half-length, holding a crook in his left hand; in his right he is holding the “cradle” hut, the first house to be built by the Trappists on their arrival in Banja Luka. The abbot’s initials are carved above his shoulders. Abbot Bonaventura I Bayer is wearing the habit, with a crucifix around his neck, holding a crook in his left hand and with the palm of his right hand facing outwards. The initial B is carved above his right shoulder. Abbot Dimonik Asfalag is also dressed in the habit with a crucifix around his neck, holding a crook in his left hand and offering bread, as if to the observer, with his right. The bread symbolizes his contribution to starting up industrial production in the monastery. There is a heart above his right shoulder. Abbot Bonaventura Dijamant is again dressedin the habit, with a crucifix around his neck, but unlike the others, he has no beard. He is holding a crook in his left hand and a model of the present-day church in his right. Above his right shoulder is the initial M. The corners of the capital are decorated with cockerels with wings outspread, portrayed in full figure.

            The ninth column features St Benedict(76), founder of the Benedictine Order, portrayed in half figure wearing the Benedictine habit, and holding a crook in his left hand and a book in his right. The book symbolizes the basic Rule he composed when founding the order, “Regule Monachorum.” There are another two designs to his right and left, a bird bearing food in its bill(77), and a dish with a serpent emerging from it(78). The capital also features his pupils, Maur and Placido, from the time when he was living in the wilderness. The scene depicts Maur saving Placido from the water when, trying to fetch water, he tripped and fell in. The rest of the capital is filled with an elaborate triple braid. The top of the capital terminates in a ribbon filled with a design of vine leaves and grapes.

            The capital of the tenth pillar is dedicated to St Robert(79). The bust of the saint is facing the central nave of the church. The saint is holding a scroll featuring the ground plan of the Abbey in Cîteaux, and has a halo around his head. This capital differs from the others in that it is not decorated with floral designs in a band in the upper section; here, this part features a text in Latin explaining the scenes.  Above the bust of St Robert is the inscription Fundator (founder), denoting his as the founder of the ecclesiastical order. This is followed by a Latin text: “Ordo cisterciens penitentia patientia dedicatto i imitatio christ.”  The scene beneath the word “patientia” (patience) is interesting in that the half-naked figure of Job the martyr features the artist himself, Bruno Diamant, with a woman – the artist’s wife – coming up to him. Next to this, below the word “penitentia” (penitence) is the figure of Father Vitalis scourging himself in penitence, and below the word “Christ” is a scene of the crucifixion with the symbols of the Passion (pincers, hammer, nail). Below the words “meditato,” “labor” and “dedicatio” three figures feature. The central figure is Pope Calixtus II, with a monk kneeling before him holding a book and another, also holding a book, standing behind the Pope.

            Though B. Diamant showed all his skill of expression on the confined space of the capitals of the pillars, the need to cover the wall surfaces in the central nave, transept and altar with reliefs was perhaps too much for him, requiring too much time for a man who was already of quite advanced age when working on the church. These reliefs are of markedly inferior quality to those on the capitals of the pillars, and are in line with the decorations of western European basilicas built in the early centuries of the Christian era.

            Upholding the predetermined structural and architectural division, Bruno Diamant covered the walls with eight reliefs measuring 3 x 3.5 m.

            He chose the following scenes for the reliefs on the north side of the church, from west to east:

1.       the Last Supper.  At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Hoc facite in meam commemorationem.”

2.       the sacrifice by Abraham.  At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Toile filium tuu Asaac atiqe.”

3.       the wise virgins. At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Ecce sponsus venit exite obviam et.”

4.       Christ with the apostles. At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Com dicite pater sanctificetur nomen.”

 

            He chose the following scenes for the reliefs on the south side of the church, from west to east:

1.       Melchisedech meeting Abraham.  At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Melchisedech rex saifm proferens panem et vinum”

2.       Cain and Abel. At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Respexit dominus ad Abel et ad munera eius”

3.       Moses receiving the law.  At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Vos vidistis quod de coelo locutus sim vobis”

4.       the Annunciation. At the base of the relief is an inscription in Latin with gilded lettering: “Ave Maria gratia plena”.

 

            Thematically, Bruno Diamant associated the sequence of reliefs both with the function of the premises and the requirements of the liturgy, so that the scenes intended for the people, the Annunciation, Moses receiving the law, Christ with the apostles, and the wise virgins, are located in the part of the nave intended for the common folk, and those intended for the clergy – Cain and Abel, Melchisedech meeting Abraham, Abraham’s sacrifice, the Last Supper – are located in the part of the church intended for the clergy (Tihić, 1970, 185, Ševo, 1990).

            Bruno Diamant executed four reliefs on the walls of the transepts.

            In the choir for sick brothers (the south transept), the relief was so placed that it could be seen from the altar.  It is a representation of a boat as the symbol of the church of Christ sailing on stormy seas.  The sail bears Christ’s monogram.

            The other relief in the south transept faces the main nave of the church, and is a representation of two deer at the wellspring of life, referring to the opening words of Psalm 42, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.” The deer’s antlers are gilded.

            By analogy with the relief of the vessel of Christ, a relief in the north transept shows the spring of life in paradise.  It features two birds drinking from a deep stone vessel on the rim of which is a fish, the symbol of Christ. There is an inscription, “RZH 1975”(80) inside the frame of the relief.

            By analogy with the relief of the two deer at the wellspring of life, another represents the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity features at the centre of the composition in the form of two intersecting equilateral triangles. Above this is a cross. The composition is enclosed to either side by two pillars on top of which is the figure of a dove, representing the Holy Spirit.

            Bruno Diamant decorated the polygonal wall of the apse with seven identical reliefs. At the centre of each relief plaque is a sheep in a field(81). There are palms to either side of the relief plaque. The scenes are painted blue, green, gold and cream(82).

            On the central relief, the sheep is replaced by Christ’s monogram in a circular frame. The monogram consists of the letters X and P combined into a single entity. Beside the monogram are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing Christ as the beginning and the end of the world.

            Above the central relief, in the upper part of the apse at window-level, is a sculpture of the Madonna and Child in a semicircular niche. Above the Madonna but below the arch of the niche is a crown adorned with twelve small semiprecious stones.

            The remaineder of the church walls are painted white. To avoid monotony, the arches and moulded string courses are painted in two shades of yellow, light and dark. The ceiling is painted light blue, with white stars in relief.

            The altar sculpture in the apse of the church is the Crucifixion that Bruno Diamant made for the monastery cemetery(83). Until the 1969 earthquake, there was another altar in the apse, which was destroyed by the earthquake. Parts were wholly destroyed, and the parts that were not (pillars, capitals and winged angels) were housed in the monastery crypt and church(84). 

            The composition of the present altar sculpture of the Crucifixion consists of three figures.  Christ on the cross occupies the centre, with the figure of the Madonna standing to his left and St John the Baptist to his right. The composition is mounted on a white marble pedestal with three chairs in front of it. The sculpture is characterized by its monumentality and the dramatic effect of form and volume.

            In addition to this altar, there are also two smaller ones in the apse. The altar to the north of the apse is dedicated to St Theresa, and that to the south to St Joseph.

            The other stone altars (in the transepts) are simple in form and pure of line, with little sculptural decoration. The altar in the north transept is dedicated to St Bernard and his monks, and that in the south transept to Our Lady of Consolation.

            Bruno Diamant also drew up a design for some simpler wooden altars., the altars of SS Anne, Benedict, Robert, and Antony of Padua, the Holy Family, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. For each of these altars he made a relief plaque, rounded at the top, and two medallions thematically associated with the altar. These wooden altars constituted his last works for the church and monastery, and were made in Munich.

            There are two stained-glass windows in the apse. The one to the south of the apse features St Hildegard of Bingen, and that to the north St Bernard. The transepts each have one stained-glass window: St Benedict in the south transept, and St Gertrude in the right-hand transept. The west wall of the church has three stained-glass windows: St Augustine, Christ (the Sacred Heart), and St Ambrose. The figures of the saints are portrayed standing, facing frontally, each holding his attributes. The stained-glass windows were a gift from the Pascallo family. They are 220 mm [sic] high and 80 mm [sic] wide, and were made in Munich in 1930.

            Among B. Diamant’s other works are the carved wooden furnishings he made for the church and other monastery premises(85). He made the choirstalls for the brothers’ choir, set in two rows on either side of the choir. These choirstalls are now in the side aisles and crypt of the church. They are of simple design, with folding seats, backrests, and a more richly decorated upper section; above the abbot’s seat this upper section expands into a shallow baldaquin. The front of the baldaquin is carved with the abbot’s symbols. There are armrests between the seats, consisting alternately of the figures of eagles and lions. In front of the choirstalls is a prayerbook shelf the front of which is decorated with a simple, bas-relief decoration. The backrests of the choirstalls takes the form of pilasters linked by moulded arches constituting an arcade.

            A high degree of skill in wood-carving is revealed by the wooden pulpit that formerly stood in front of the choirstalls and is now in the crypt. The pulpit is decorated with various plant designs and impressive relief figures of the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) with their respective symbols, a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, and two angels.

            A number of floor-standing candlesticks are also made of carved wood. There are two richly decorated candlesticks in the altar of the church.

            The acme of wood-carving skill is the sacristy, the room next to the church where the church plate and vestments are kept. The walls and ceiling are wood-panelled. There are cupboards on the side walls of the sacristy where the mass vestments and larger items of church plate are kept. There is a free-standing piece of furniture in the centre of the sacristy, consisting of a large number of drawers, pigeonholes and cabinets. These are used to store mass vestments laid flat, church plate, and mitres.

The centre of the sacristy ceiling bears the relief figure of St Peter, with a garland and crown beside him. This is also the only relief decoration in the room.

            Bruno Diamant designed the room intended as a refectory in similar fashion to this one. This room is now part of the Miroslav Zotović Rehabilitation Centre.

MOVABLE HERITAGE

            The art collection in the Trappist Monastery in Banja Luka began to take shape at the same time as the monastery itself was founded.

            Works of art came to the monastery in various ways – by purchase, gift, legacies from deceased members – and, in some cases, were made in the workshops that formed part of the Apprentices’ School. Those works of art that were not made in the monastery were acquired in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia when the brothers were in those countries pursuing their studies or travelling. Some of the items, mainly ethnic in character, were acquired in the immediate vicinity of the city.

            In addition to a number of liturgical items of metalwork (church plate), a rich collection of mass vestments and wooden furnishings, the monastery has a collection of paintings and sculpture and a valuable library.

PICTURE GALLERY

1. DEATH OF ST. JOSEPH

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: late 18th century.

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 45 x 33.5 cm.

No signature.

Description: The painting has a narrow wooden frame. The central part of the painting is occupied by the figure of the Madonna, wearing a red dress and a blue cape and sitting on a bed with the head of the dying St Joseph in her lap. Christ is seated at the front of the bed, dressed in an elaborately draped blue-green chiton and red himation. Christ is giving a blessing with his left hand, and holding the cape on his knees with his right hand. The deathbed scene is also attended by a group of angels with a book, featuring in the upper zone of the painting. Light from an invisible source falls diagonally across the entire composition, creating a chiaroscuro effect. Peace and tranquillity permeate the entire painting.

Note: The painting was a gift to the monastery in 1930 by Countess Del Mestri, wife of the Italian consul in Banja Luka. In approx. 1972, the painting was retouched in Rome.

2. SAINT PHILOMENA

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: late 16th or early 17th  century.

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 117 x 90.5 cm.

No signature.

Description: The painting is mounted in an elaborat carved wooden frame with vine-foliar and acanthus motifs, which probably dates from the same period as the painting itself, while the shape of the painting testifies to its baroque origin. St Philomena is portrayed standing, her head slightly tilted to the right and her left foot slightly advanced. She is holding a lily in her raised right hand. The most expressive features on her oval and strongly lit face, with its extremely light complexion, are the almond eyes, long nose, and heart-shaped mouth. Apart from the face, her arms, fingers and thighs are also strongly illuminated, by a light from an unknown source appearing to come from outside the painting, thus casting deep shadows onto other elements of the composition. The background is a dark, mysterious landscape with a river as a symbol of her martyrdom. The illumination and artificial, affected posture of the figure illustrate the baroque stylistic quality of the painting, while some elements of her physiognomy indicate certain Byzantine influences that can be found in Venetian painting workshops of the the 16th  and the 16th centuries. 

Note: In approx. 1930 the painting was bought by Abbot Bruno Diamant in Munich, in the Alte Pinakoteka. The painting was intended to be mounted on the altar of the Abbot’s Chapel in the monastery wing called Gostinjac. When this part of the monastery was integrated with the Miroslav Zotović Rehabilitation Centre the chapel was closed, the altar dismantled, and the painting relocated. The altar was designed by Bruno Diamant. Of the entire ensemble, only the painting was preserved.

3. CRUCIFIXION

Artist: copy after Christoph Schwarz(86).

Date of origin: Mid 16th  century.

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 135 x 105 cm.

No signature.

Description: The painting has a wide, part-gilded frame. The entire scene is in a dimly-lit setting with a variety of characters, with those in the background (horsemen) fading away into the darkness. The centre of the painting features three crucified figures on Golgotha, with Christ in the centre. The lower part of the painting shows a crowd of onlookers. Noticeable among them are the Madonna and Maria Magdalena, mourning Christ. The characters are dressed in Venetian costumes daing from the late 16th century (Tihić, 1970, 187)

4. PORTRAIT OF ABBOT FRANCIS PFANER

Artist: Hubert Serapion.

Date of origin: Between 1893 and 1897(87)   

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 95 x 65 cm.

Signature: below right Hubert Serapion

Description: Half-length portrait of the monastery’s founder. The abbot is wearing the white monk’s habit of the Cistercian order with the hood covering his shoulders and the upper part extending above the back of his head. The portrait shows a sandy-haired, middle-aged man with a high forehead and long forked beard. The abbot’s hands are folded on his chest and covered with the wide sleeves of his monk’s habit. The complexion of the face is bright, with slight reddish touches. The background of the painting is a uniform olive-green. The painting has a simple, wide wooden frame.

5. PORTRAIT OF ABBOT BONAVENTURA I BAYER

Artist: Hubert Serapion.

Date of origin: Between 1893 and 1897

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 95 x 65 cm.

Signature: below right Hubert Serapion

Description: The painting has a wide wooden frame. It is a half-length portrait of th abbot in a white monk’s habit with a hood and a large cross around his neck. He is portrayed in half-profile as an oldish man with a white beard and grey hair. His hands are folded on his chest and are covered by sleeves of his monk’s robe.

6. PORTRAIT OF ABBOT DOMINIC ASFALGO

Artist: Hubert Serapion.

Date of origin: Between 1893 and 1897

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 95 x 65 cm.

Signature: below right Hubert Serapion

Description: The painting has a wide wooden frame. It is a half-length portrait of the third abbot of the Banja Luka Trappist Monastery, a bare-headed, bald man with strikingly bright blue eyes and thick reddish beard. His hands are folded on his chest and are covered with the sleeves of his monk’s habit. He is wearing a large cross around his neck. He is wearing not a hood but a cowl, which indicates that the congregation no longer exists(88). 

7. PORTRAIT OF ABBOT BONAVENTURA II BAYER

Artist: P. Kulmer.

Date of origin: 1929

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 90 x 80 cm.

Signature: below left P. Kulmer

Description: The painting has a wide gilded wooden frame, decorated with curlicue motifs in bas-relief. The subject of the portrait is comfortably seated well back in a high-backed wooden chair. His right hand, with a ring, is lying calmly on the armrest, and he is holding a book in his left hand. He is dressed in a monk’s habit, with a wide leather belt. He has a cross around his neck. He is portrayed wearing a pair of round glasses. The painting is dominated by dark shades, which contrast with the white elements to create a dynamic effect enhanced by touches of yellow.

8. ST. TERESA

Artist: O. Lohra Willirroider.

Date of origin: 1928

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 120 x 80 cm.

Signature: below right O. Lohra 1928

Description: Saint Theresa is portrayed as a young woman wearing a brown nun’s habit and a white cape. The figure is displayed fully frontally, with raised hands. She is holding a crucifix in her left hand, and has a gilded halo with engraved decorations around her head. Above her head are two angels holding a garland of roses between them. In the lower part of the painting, on a narrow band, is the following text in Latin: Sancta Teresa ora pro nobis. The top of the painting is round-arched.

Note: The painting was made for the altar of St. Theresa, where it still stands

9. ST. JOSEPH (THE HOLY TRINITY)

Artist: O. Lohra Willirroider.

Date of origin: 1928

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 120 x 80 cm.

Signature: below right O. Lohra, Munich 1928

Description: The painting displays a three-quarter-length portrait of St. Joseph, holding the infant Christ on his left arm. Both have gilded haloes around their heads. The round-arched area above St. Joseph’s head contains an image of the Holy Father, portrayed as a grey-bearded old man with a dove (the Holy Spirit) on his chest. The painting is set in the altar frame, which is decorated with vine-leaves in stucco. At the base of these ornaments are two circles with the letters alpha and omega in the centre.

10. ST. BERNARD WITH MONKS

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: 1928

Technique: tempera on board

Dimensions: 98.5 x 66 cm

Signature: no signature.

Description: The composition consists of three figures forming a pyramidal outline. The central figure is St. Bernard, holding a gold abbot’s crook in his hand. Two elderly monks are standing in front of him, portrayed in profile. The monk to the left is looking at the Saint, and the one on the right is portrayed with bowed head. The top of the painting is round-arched.

11. OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION OF THE POOR

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: 1928

Technique: tempera on board

Dimensions: 95.5 x 60 cm

Signature: no signature.

Description: The painting is a counterpart to the painting of St. Bernard with monks. The composition consists of three figures forming a pyramidal outline. The central image of the painting is the figure of the Mother of God, wearing a pink robe and a blue cloak. Her head is covered with a brown veil. The halo around her head is made of thin gilded sheets. With her right hand the Madonna is giving a blessing to an elderly woman whose hands are clasped together in prayer. The old woman is wearing a shabby green dress and a white scarf over her head. The figure of a half-naked old man, an invalid without an arm, is portrayed in the left-hand corner of the painting. The Gothic design of the painting is accentuated, with its contrast between the contrived charm of the Madonna and the naturalism of the elderly man and woman. The background of the painting is gilded and decorated with rhombs. 

Note: The painting was made for the altar of Our Lady, which was dismantled in 1965

12. ELIAS (ELIJAH) IN A THREE-HORSE CHARIOT

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th  century

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 193 x 115 cm.

Signature: no signature.

Description: Iconographic illustration of Elijah in a three-horse chariot, corresponding to the Old Testament account of Elijah and Elisha in II Kings 2. The prophet is portrayed seated in a chariot drawn by three black horses. The dynamic of fluttering draperies and stormy, cloudy sky in the upper part of the painting contrast with the calm, earthly scenery in the lower part of the painting. The prophet Elisha is standing in the lower right corner with his hands raised, waiting to catch the cloak falling from Elijah. The colours of the painting are warm, bright and pastel. The painting has a simple, wide frame.

13. PANORAMA OF THE MONASTERY

Artist: father Salezius

Date of origin: 1879

Technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 115 x 110 cm.

Signature: above left “Imago monasterii Mariastella. Quando gravissimis molestatio nibus feliciter superatis construebatur a primo priore titul r.d. francisco. Pinrit Fr. Salesius, novitius cbori anno salutis aimolque sui obitus 1879.”(89)  

Description: The foreground of the painting shows the left bank of the Vrbas River in Delibašino selo, with a ferry landing stage and several figures dressed in Oriental costume. A ferry boat transporting a horse cart laden with hay is shown in the middle of the river. The monastery complex features on the far bank of the river, with all the ancillary commercial facilities that the Trappists established, such as the brewery, the cheese factory and the electric power plant. The composition is well integrated into the landscape.

14. THE WAY OF THE CROSS

Artist: Zlatko Latković.

Date of origin: 1972

Technique: oil and sadolin on board

Dimensions: 44 x 70 cm

Signature: above left engraved cross, above right Roman numbers from I-XIV.

Description: The Way of the Cross is painted on 14 wooden boards. The images are reduced to signs painted in white on a dark background (sadolin), representing the figure of Christ in 14 different stations in the cycle of the passion. Black paint applied directly from the tube indicates the surrounding atmosphere.

14. PROCESSION

Artist: Ivan Lacković Croata.

Date of origin: 1964

Technique: lithography on paper

Dimensions: 80 x 65 cm

Signature: below right Ivan Lacković Croata.

Description: The painting shows a winter landscape with leafless trees and a church in the distance. A black procession is wending its way towards the church.

15. CRUCIFIXION

Artist: Ivan Lacković Croata.

Date of origin: 1977

Technique: drawing, pencil on paper

Dimensions: 50 x 70 cm

Signature: below left 8/30 Ivan Lacković Croata.

Description: The body of Christ is crucified on a tall, cross-shaped tree. The lower part of the painting shows a crowd of people with their hands raised towards Christ. Below the cross is a band with the text of a prayer inscribed in it.

16. PORTRAIT OF TITO

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: 1944

Technique: lithography on paper

Dimensions: 28 x 40 cm

Signature: no signature.

Description: The figure of Tito is portrayed in right half-profile. His features are sharp, with very pronounced wrinkles around mouth and eyes. The artistic elements, as well as the clothing, the shirt and collar of the uniform overcoat, all indicate that a photograph was used as a basis for the drawing.

Note: The Abbot of Mariawald Monastery in Germany, father Otto Asfalg, brought the drawing to the monastery in 1975. He received the drawing as a present from a German officer who was in the Tito’s cave during the assault on Drvar and found the painting there. The wife of Đorđe Andrejević Kun allegedly confirmed that it was his drawing, while Đuro Pucar Stari stated that he was present when Kun was making the portrait. Art historian Ljiljana Ševo believes this is a copy based on a photograph, which were produced in large numbers and handed out to German soldiers who took part in the Drvar assault.

COLLECTION OF SCULPTURES

1. ANGELS FROM TABERNACLE (four items)

Artist: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: carving

Dimensions: height 70 cm, span of wings 80 cm.

Material: bihacite stone

Description: The angels(90) are portrayed half-length, as compact and solid, with wings outspread, their ringlets and wing-feathers highlighted, all in the spirit of pseudo-romanticism.

2. ANGELS FROM SIDE ALTARS

Artist: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: casting, copy of the original in bihacite stone

Dimensions: height of stone blocks 210 cm, height of figures 70 cm.

Material: bihacite stone

Description: Standing figures of angels with their wings slightly spread open. They are dressed in chitons and holding musical instruments, trumpet and triangle, and have haloes around their heads. The angels are set in round-arched niches within the stone blocks. The stone blocks are slightly moulded in the area of the base and the capital. They are decorated along the edges with ornaments of acanthus leaves and a central rosette. One rosette is carved on each capital.

Note: the original high reliefs with figures of angels were first used as decoration for the side altars, which were located in the main part of the church until 1964-1965. (Ševo, 1990, 25) 

3. PIETA

Artist: the artist of the original carved in marble is Bruno Diamant.

Date of origin: arround 1930

Technique: casting, copy of the original marble statue

Dimensions: height 135 cm

Material: plaster

Description: The Madonna is kneeling over the limp, laid down body of Christ. Her face is full of sorrow. The drapery of her dress is still and balanced.

Note: The casting was done on the order of Abbot Bonaventura II. The original was carved by Bruno Diamant in white marble, for a tombstone monument for the Biber family (Sensal Biber) in Krumbach.

4. MADONNA AND CHILD

Artist: Bruno Diamant.

Date of origin: 1925

Technique: carving

Dimensions: height 160 cm.

Material: bihacite stone

Description: A well-proportioned, substantial figure of the Madonna with long, curly hair, holding the infant Christ on her left arm. The folds and wrinkles on her maforion are partly gilded. She is set in a semicircular niche in the presbytery above the altar, at the level of the window. At the top of the niche, above the head of the Madonna, a crown is carved and decorated with 12 semi-precious stones.

5. MADONNA RUSTICA

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th  or early 20th century

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: height 130 cm

Material: oak, painted

Description: the Madonna is the work of a craftsman in the naïve style, and thus seems quite massive and rough. The Madonna is portrayed in full frontal view, wearing a red dress with a green cape over it. 

Note: it is not known from where the sculpture was brought to the monastery, but it is assumed that it used to belong to the altar of some village church.

6. THE ASSUMPTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

Artist: unknown.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th  century

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: 60 x 80 cm.

Material: oak, painted

Description: The shape of the sculpture is irregular, formed by the moving clouds within which the figures are set; below is the Maddona in blue-green robes, Christ is in the upper left part, holding a cross in his hand, and in the upper right-hand area is God the Father, wearing a brown cloak. Above the entire composition is a figure of a gilded dove representing the Holy Spirit.

FURNITURE

1. BOOKSHELF

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: 1965

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: height 120 cm, boards 80 x 50 cm.

Material: oak.

Description: The front of the shelf is divided into rectangular segments, framed with square pilasters. The inside surfaces are surrounded by moulded frames, within which are different carved floral motifs on each surface. Below the upper horizontal cornice is a frieze of circular medallions with floral designs. The ends of the shelf with form a cornice in the shape of a trefoil decoration with a handle in the shape of horizontal acanthus. 

Note: the shelf was carved in the monastery workshop, based on Bruno Diamant’s designs.

2. CHOIRSTALLS

Maker: Bruno Dijamant.

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: height of the stalls next to the wall 230 cm, seats 60 x 60 cm, seats with low backs: height 120 cm.

Material: oak.

Description: The choirstalls are of simple design, with folding seats, backrests, and a more richly decorated upper section; above the abbot’s seat this upper section expands into a shallow baldaquin. The front of the baldaquin is carved with the abbot’s symbols. There are armrests between the seats, consisting alternately of the figures of eagles and lions. In front of the choirstalls is a prayerbook shelf the front of which is decorated with a simple, bas-relief decoration. The backrests of the choirstalls takes the form of pilasters linked by moulded arches constituting an arcade.

Note: The benches and the book shelf together comprise a single unit

3. THE PULPIT

Maker: Bruno Dijamant.

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: height of semicircular railing 120 cm, height of side railing 90 cm, plaque with images of evangelists 54 x 39 cm.

Material: oak

Description: The pulpit consists of a semicircular railing and two lower side railings. The wood is dark brown in colour, with a pronounced grain. On the semicircular part of the railing, at the level of the upper cornice, is a high-relief carving of a dove representing the Holy Spirit. The upper horizontal cornice is decorated with a design of stylized acanthus. The four evangelists are carved in high relief, and are holding the Gospel in their left hand, with the exception of Matthew, who is holding a scroll, and their attributes in their right hands.

Note: The plaques with the images of John and Matthew were dismantled and put up on the wall as wall paintings. The pulpit is now in use in the church crypt.

4. NEO-GOTHIC ABBOT’S CROOK

Maker: Bruno Diamant.

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: wood-carving, gilded

Dimensions: height 220 cm

Material: oak.

Description: The crook consists of three sections. The lower part is flat, with no decoration. The handle is designed in the Neo-Gothic style, with elements of Neo-Gothic architecture in the lower part. The curved section of the handle has two faces, with a cross carved on one side, and a crucifixion scene with relief images of the Mother of God and St. John the Baptist on the other. The outer edge of the handle is decorated with acanthus leaves. Below this composition, comprising the third part of the crook, is the figure of the Mother of God with the infant Christ, and an angel with hands clasped together in prayer. 

5. ABBOT’S CROOK – PASTORAL

Maker: unknown. Made in Munich

Date of origin: late 19th  or early 20th century.

Technique: mould-casting, embossing

Dimensions: height 188 cm, handle diameter 25 cm.

Material: metal, gold, rock crystal

Signature: below the handle; 24. VII-20.VIII 1930.

Description: The pastoral consists of three sections that screw together. The lower part of the crook is not decorated. The handle continues from the central part of the crook, which is decorated with stones. The handle is decorated on both sides with a curlicue motif and racemes that extend onto the curved part of the handle. At this point the design splits in two, one with a model of the Gospel, and the other a C-volute. The central element is the figure of St. Bernard cast in gold. The saint is portrayed wearing a habit, with a mitre on his head, holding the abbot’s crook in his hand. There is the cast figure of a dog next to the saint.

6. ABBOT’S SEAT

Maker: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932.

Technique: wood-carving

Dimensions: height with back 160 cm, seat 60 x 60 cm, length of pedestal 110 cm, width of pedestal 90 cm.

Material: oak veneer

Description: The seat consists of a chair mounted on a raised pedestal of which the front is semicircular in shape. It is carved from dark oak veneer with pronounced grain. The lower part of the chair is square, and enclosed by light veneer sheets. The armrests are massive, simple and wide. The space between the seat and armrests is filled with acanthus leaves motifs. The inside back of the chair is decorated with a carved design; an oval medallion contains hierarchically graded symbols, from the bottom up – the coat of arms of the Mariastern Monastery, then the symbols of abbot and bishop, the pastoral, cross, mitre, and topping all this, a wide-brimmed cardinal’s hat. The band carved at the base of the back contains a text: In omnibus chartas, and a six-pointed star. A symmetrical floral motif is carved below it.

7. DESK AND CHAIR SET

Maker: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: desk: machine-turned on a lathe, chairs: hand-carved wood, machine-turned on a lathe

Dimensions: desk: 116 x 200 x 80 cm; chairs: height 110 cm, width 35 cm, height of back 60 cm; height of back of the Abbot’s chair 80 cm.

Material: oak

Description: desk: heavy, massive, machine-made

Chairs(91): There were a total of 70 chairs. Only 8 chairs are in use today. The rest have been lost or broken. All four legs of the chairs are turned in barleysugar twist, and slant outwards. The seat is smooth, square, and narrows towards the back. The chair backs are unique: the carved sculptural figures represent human and animal masks with one or two faces. The Abbot’s chair is different not only in height, but also in design: the top of the back has an Abbot’s mitre surrounded by acanthus leaves. The centre part of the back displays the coat of arms of the Mariastern Monastery, incorporating the coat of arms of Bosnia.

8. WOODEN FLOOR-STANDING CANDLESTICKS WITH HUMAN SKULLS (four items)

Maker: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: machine-turned on a lathe and hand-carving

Dimensions: height 110 cm

Material: oak, painted

Description: The pedestal of the columns is conical, vertically moulded as a bundle of twigs, and set on four wooden spheres. A cubic form with arched sections is affixed to the pedestal, with a handle made of bones held in place with wooden rings at three points. A skull is affixed to the top of the candlestick, with a small candle holder on it. The column is painted black.

9. WOODEN FLOOR-STANDING CANDLESTICK (two items)

Maker: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: machine-turned on a lathe and hand-carved

Dimensions: height 200 cm, base 50x50 cm.

Material: oak, painted

Description: The pedestal of the column is massive, square, decorated with carved floral motifs. The stem of the candlestick is twisted and criss-crossed by wide rings decorated with geometrical motifs. The upper part of the candlestick is designed in the shape of a floral calyx. The candle holder has a very wide rim.

10. WOODEN FLOOR-STANDING CANDLESTICK (two items)

Maker: Bruno Diamant

Date of origin: 1922-1932

Technique: hand-carved

Dimensions: height 160 cm, base 60 x 60 cm.

Material: oak, painted

Description: The candlesticks are massive, decorated with carved acanthus leaves. The stem of the candlestick is twisted, and stands on two massive cubes. The candle holder has a metal rim.

11. BEDSIDE CABINET (two items)

Maker: unknown

Date of origin: prior to 1925

Technique: turned on a lathe

Dimensions: 120 x 38 cm.

Material: oak

Description: The bottom, square section of the cabinet stands on four round legs. The cupboard section has a single square door surrounded by a moulded frame and decorated with floral designs. The keyhole has a decorative metal escutcheon. There is a drawer above the cupboard. The top of the cabinet is covered with a dark-grey marble slab. The sides of the cabinet are decorated with C-scrolls and shallow fluted pilasters.

Note: The cabinet was acquired in Hungary before the current monastery building was constructed.

12. CABINET WITH MIRROR

Maker: unknown

Date of origin: prior to 1925

Technique: turned on a lathe

Dimensions: height 70 cm, length 85, width 50 cm.

Material: oak

Description: A square cabinet standing on four round legs. It has double doors decorated with a floral design. The cabinet has a large rectangular mirror, set in a wide moulded and carved frame. The sides of the cabinet are decorated with C-scrolls and shallow pilasters. In proportions and details, this cabinet with mirror forms a set with the bedside cabinet described above

Note: The cabinet was obtained in Hungary before the current mnastery building was constructed.

13. ALT-DEUTSCH CABINET(92)  

Maker: unknown

Date of origin: around 1870 in Germany

Technique: turned a lathe, hand carved

Dimensions: height 70 cm, length 85 cm, width 50 cm.

Material: oak.

Description: Low rectangular cabinet set on four legs shaped like flattened spheres. The front of the cabinet has double doors framed by double rectangular surfaces. Within the smaller surface are a stylized carved twig and flower and S- and C-scrolls. There are columns to the sides of the double door. There is a long, narrow drawer above the double door. The keyholes have gold-plated escutcheons. The top of the cabinet is covered with a grey marble slab.

13. ALT-DEUTSCH DRESSER

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: around 1870 in Germany

Technique: turned on a lathe, hand carved 

Dimensions: height 260 cm, length 200 cm, width 70 cm, height of the base 85 cm.

Material: oak

Description: The dresser consists of two parts: a base and a top. The base is wider and rectangular in shape. The front has three doors, of which the centre door is wider than those to the sides. The doors are flanked by columns (with moulded bases and fluted columns). The square surfaces are decorated with bas-relief carving within moulded rectangular frames. The central section has a carved flower motif. There are narrow drawers above the side doors, and a separate pull-out shelf above the central door. The keyholes are metal. The drawers have gold-plated handles. The top of the dresser is joined to the base by four columns affixed to a marble slab. The side columns are richly moulded, while the internal ones are simple. The top of the dresser also has three doors, the central one a double door that ends in a distyle. Each door on the top section of the dresser is decorated with carved designs identical to those on the base of the dresser.

14. TABERNACLE

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th  century

Technique: turned on a lathe, hand carved, wood inlay

Dimensions: height 130 cm.

Material: maple

Description: The central part of the tabernacle is concave and fixed to the pedestal with columns. The pedestal and the top cornice are richly decorated with inlaid floral designs.

15. MENSA

Maker: unknown

Date of origin: second half of the 19th century

Technique: turned on a lathe, wood inlay

Dimensions: 130 x 110 x 80cm.

Material: maple

Description: The long table and tabernacle described above belong to the same set of furniture. The sides of the table are curved in baroque style and veneered with light-toned wood. It is decorated with inlaid detail.

TEXTILE ITEMS

1. PONTIFICAL ROBES

Maker: Josef Iananschek’s workshop.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th century  

Technique: machine and hand broidery

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread

Description: An eight-piece set consisting of the following: pluvial(93), stole, chasuble(94),  dalmatic(95), maniple(96), brusa(97), and chalice cover. The most valuable item is the pluvial, which is of white silk, decorated with machine-embroidered gold and coloured thread designs: tendrils, flowers, crosses, crowns and lions. The other items of mass vestments are decorated in a similar manner. The collar of each item bears the words: Wien Josef Iananschek Und Com.

2. PONTIFICAL ROBES

Maker: unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th century or early 20th century

Technique: machine and hand embroidery

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: A seven-piece set consisting of thefollowing the following: pluvial, stole, chasuble, dalmatic, maniple, bursa, and chalice cover. The most valuable item is the pluvial, which is of silk, decorated with gold-thread and multicoloured embroidery. In addition to the motifs of crosses, circles, flowers and birds, the most prominent motif is that of the Holy Trinity: God the Father and Christ seated on the throne, with the Holy Spirit as a dove between them.

3. PONTIFICAL ROBES

Maker: unknown. Probably made in Austria

Date of origin: early 20th century

Technique: machine embroidery

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: The set comprises all the usual items, the most valuable being the pluvial, which is o white silk decorated with multicoloured and gold-thread embroidery. The embroidery forms a tendril along the entire pluvial, with the monogram of Christ, IHS, embroidered in the centre of the back.

4. PONTIFICAL ROBES

Maker: unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: early 20th  century

Technique: machine embroidery

Material: damask, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread, metal plate

Description: The set comprises all the usual items, the most valuable being the pluvial. The red damask of the pluvial is embroidered with palmette designs in medallions. The edging bands are decorated with a machine-embroidered design of linked ovals with incorporated rosettes.  The overlap of the pluvial is embroidered with a design of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, with beams of light radiating outward from it. A large decorative metal clasp is affixed to the front of the pluvial.

5. STOLE(98)  

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: early 20th century

Technique: hand-painted and tinted

Material: silk fabric, fabric paint.

Description: The stole is made of white silk, with hand-painted flower motifs into which crosses are incorporated. Both ends of the stole are fringed.

6. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: Mid 19th century

Technique: hand-painted and tinted

Material: silk fabric, fabric paint.

Description: The stole is made of white silk. It has a cross motif painted on both ends, and below it a luxuriant cluster of grapes with a  tendril of vine leaves around it, extending to the centre of the stole, diminishing in size towards the centre. The inner side of the stole is of red silk, with a cross surrounded by daisies painted at the ends.

7. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: A cross is embroidered at the ends of the stole, with a floral meander emerging from it with alternating rosettes and clusters of grapes on each curve. The ends of the stole are fringed.

8. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: The stole is made of white silk. The motif of a cross incorporate into a floral arrangement is embroidered at the ends. The edges of the stole are trimmed with a decorative ribbon. The ends of the stole are fringed.

9. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably home-made

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: Flower-garlands are embroidered on a white silk background. A cross incorporated into a luxuriant flower arrangement is embroidered at each end of the stole. The ends of the stole are fringed.

10. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: Tendrils with large flowers are embroidered in gold and multicoloured thread on a white silk background. A cross is embroidered at the ends. The ends of the stole are fringed.

11. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: A grapevine design embroidered on a white silk background. A scroll is embroidered at the ends bearing the words: Innorantiae Dominus. A cross is also embroidered at the ends, with a sphere at the base from which a floral design emerges. The ends have double knotted fringes.

12. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: The surface of the white silk fabric is decorated with multicoloured embroidery and gold-thread embroidery. The floral designs are repeated to form tendrils along the stole. At the ends is an embroidered cross surrounded by floral tendrils. The fringes on the ends of the stole are decorated with tassels.

13. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: early 20th century.

Technique: hand embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: A daisy with tendrils extending from it is embroidered at each end of the stole on a white silk background. The tendrils form a medallion with an embroidered cross. The stole is edged with gold ribbon. The ends of the stole are fringed.

14. STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: early 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: Embroidered floral designs cover the entire surface of the stole. The ends are embroidered with a cross, and fringed.

15.  STOLE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: A grapevine design is embroidered on the white silk fabric. At the ends of the stole, around a cross, is the embroidered design of a bunch of grapes and vine leaves. The ends of the stole are fringed, with small tassels sewn on.

16.  MITRE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: The entire surface of the mitre is embroidered. The embroidered IHS monogram stands out on the front, surrounded by a tendril-like design.

17. MITRE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk brocade, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread.

Description: The entire surface of the mitre is embroidered. The design of an eagle in a trefoil stands out on the front.

19. MITRE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread, gold spangles(?).

Description: The front of the mitre bears the embroidered monogram Alpha, X, Omega, R. The mitre is also decorated with embroidered zigzag lines and is sewn with metal spangles (?)

20.  MITRE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Austria.

Date of origin: 20th century.

Technique: machine embroidery.

Material: silk fabric, gold thread, multicoloured silk thread, gold spangles (?), semi-precious stones.

Description: the monogram IHS is embroidered on the front of the mitre. The background of the mitre is decorated with a cross set with a semi-precious stone.

COLLECTION OF METALWORK ITEMS

1. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in France.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century.

Dimensions: height 17 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the bowl 12 cm

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, chasing.

Material: silver, gilding.

Signature: The bowl of the chalice bears the initials of the craftsman Vm or VF(99) in a small rhomb-like hallmark

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, rising slightly towards the knop. The rim of the foot bears the engraved inscription: HIC EST CALIX SANGVINIS MEI QUI PRO MVLTIS EFFVNDETVR. The top of the foot is richly decorated with floral designs in rhomboid surfaces. The knop is round and flattened, and decorated with the same designs as the top of the foot. A cylindrical section effects the transition from the knop to the wide, shallow bowl of the chalice, the lower part of which is decorated with the floral designs already described. The interior of the bowl is gilded, as are all the smooth surfaces of the chalice. The following inscription is engraved on the lower side of the foot of the chalice: «ANTONIA CHRISTO HVNC DEDICAVIT CAFACEM QVI PAVLUM NEPOTEM PRESBYTERVM ELECTVM PRIMO FECISSE DEO SACRIFICIVM XIII KAL.AVG. ANNI MCMXXXI ET MEMORIAE PRODERET PROFICERET QVE MICHAELI MARITO SVO DEFUNCTO».

Note: The chalice was a gift from Antonia to her cousin Paul for a virgin mass in 1931.

2. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. It is from either a local or an Austrian workshop whose products were intended for the Balkan market or inspired by oriental designs.

Date of origin: last decade of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 23 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the bowl 10.5 cm

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, embossing.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Description: The stepped foot of the chalice is circular. Its upper surface is decorated with engraved and embossed floral designs creating a ‘rumi’ ornament. The knop is circular and flattened, with a ring. A design of stylized leaves is engraved and embossed on the upper and lower surface of the knop. The bowl is bell-shaped with no decorations.

3. CHALICE(100)   

Maker: Unknown. Austria or Netherlands.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 30 cm, diameter of the foot 18 cm, diameter of the bowl 9.5 cm

Technique: pressing, engraving, chasing.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: on the rim of the bowl and on the rim of the foot are two indistinct hallmarks(101) with indistinct initials (VS or SA) at the centre of the hallmark. These probably represent the trademark of the workshop.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular and wavy, with elaborate baroque moulding. The wavy rings of the foot gradually merge towards the top of the foot into the upper, convex section, articulated with foliar shell-like designs. These are symmetrically arranged between three cartouches in C-scroll frames. The foot narrows at the top into a funnel shape and turns into a handle consisting of three close-set orbs covered with designs resembling those on the foot. The interplay of foliar designs continues onto the bowl, which is bell-shaped.

4. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Germany, Cologne.

Date of origin: end of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 13 cm, diameter of the foot 16.5 cm, diameter of the bowl 11 cm

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: the rim of the glass bears a hallmark – a crescent moon, crown and 800(102). Next to this is a second indistinct hallmark, probably the trademark of the producer.

Description: The six-lobed foot is stepped. The upper part is decorated with an engraved grapevine design. The leaves and fruit of the design decrease in size towards the knop of the chalice. The point where the foot and the knop meet is edged with beading. The knop is decorated with Gothic monoforms and floral designs. The bowl of the chalice, which is shallow, is gilded and decorated in similar fashion to the knop. The foot is engraved with an inscription in German revealing that it was a gift to Abbot D. Asfalg from Tehaeissing of Cologne in May 1911 for the anniversary of his priesthood.

5. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. France.

Date of origin: first half of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 24 cm, diameter of the foot 16 cm, diameter of the bowl 14 cm

Technique: mould-casting, embossing, inlay.

Material: silver, gilding, glass paste, coloured stone.

Stamps: The glass of the chalice bears a square hallmark with angled corners, with the profile of a man. Next to it is a rhomboid mark, which is indistinct, probably the craftsman’s trademark. The same stamps are found on the rim of the foot.

Description: The foot of the chalice is six-lobed, with an oblique, smooth rim from which rises a vertical ring surrounded by a double row of fine beading. The surface of the foot is decorated with floral relief designs surrounding six medallions of quadrifoil shape, made of glass paste. One medallion bears a cross composed of small stones. The foot narrows towards the knop, which is decorated with three medallions composed of glass paste, with baskets in relief between, with a red stone set in each. The cylindrical part of the knop separates it from the bowl of the chalice, which is bell-shaped, and decorated with six medallions. Medallions composed of glass paste alternate with medallions in the form of baskets set with a red stone. The bowl of the chalice is gilded.

6. CHALICE

Maker: Franc Wilh. V.D. Wienberch.

Date of origin: 1894

Dimensions: height 22 cm, diameter of the foot 16 cm, diameter of the bowl 10.5 cm

Technique: mould-casting, embossing, engraving, inlay.

Material: silver, metal alloy, gilding, coloured stone, glass paste.

Signature: At the bottom of the foot is the inscription: JOS KNORR ZUR ERSTEN HL. MESSE VON DEN ELTERN JOH. KNORR K. SCHIFFERS U DEM BRUDER W.L. KNOR, MYHL 1894(103).

Stamps: A square hallmark with angled corners and the profile of a man is stamped on the bowl of the chalice. Next to it is a rhomboid, indistinct hallmark, probably the trademark of the craftsman. The same stamp is found on the rim of the foot.

Description: The foot of the chalice is stepped and six-lobed. The lobes of the foot are engraved with floral designs, grapevine, oak leaves with an acorn and other tendril-like forms. The lobe with no engravings has a three-quarter figure of Christ with a cross in the background and an engraving of the instruments of the Passion to the side. Towards the knop the foot terminates in a polygonal garland above which are set 12 coloured stones. The knop has six protrusions in the form of oval medallions containing the letters S, N, S, J, I and a cross composed of glass paste. There is an acanthus leaf design between them. The bowl of the chalice is set in a shallow basket composed of plant designs, creating a garlanc beneath which is a design of six pale violet amethysts set in shallow baskets. The bell-shaped bowl of the chalice is gilded.

7. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: first half of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 60 cm, diameter of the foot 21 cm, diameter of bowl 16 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, inlaying.

Material: metal alloy, gilding, glass.

Stamps: Two indistinct hallmarks with a face in profile on the edge of the bowl, with next to it another indistinct hallmark, probably of the craftsman.

Description: The small bowl is circular and slightly concave. The upper part is smooth and gilded, and the lower part bears an engraved garland with corn and grapevine designs.  In the centre is a cross.

8. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in Germany.

Date of origin: end of 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 21 cm, diameter of the foot 12 cm, diameter of the bowl 10 cm

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: silver, metal alloy, gilding.

Stamps: There are two hallmarks on the bowl of the chalice. One depicts the Goddess Diana in a quinquefoil(104),  and the other an oak leaf with an acorn(105). 

Description: The foot of the chalice is six-lobed, with medallions set at the ends, with a half-length figure of God the Father and the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove, the Madonna and Child and the four evangelists with their attributes. The foot expands into the knop of the chalice, with six protuberances of square outline.

9. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. A workshop in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 26 cm, diameter of the foot 16 cm, diameter of the bowl 9.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: On the rim of the bowl are two stamps, one for assay and the other for purity, typical of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy from 1872 to 1922, while the other is indistinct and stands for the craftsman’s workshop.

Description: The circular foot of the chalice merges into a handle in the form of three orbs joined by rings. The smooth bowl is gilded.

10. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in France.

Date of origin: mid 19th century.

Dimensions: height 21 cm, diameter of the foot 11.5 cm, diameter of the bowl 8.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: There are three stamps on the rim of the bowl. The largest stamp is a square with angled corners and the figure of a man in the centre. The craftsman’s stamp is set in a rhomb with the initials LG. Between the letters is a quadrifoil. The third stamp is of irregular shape, the letter A with extended foot, above which is a figure with wings outspread(106). 

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular. The rim is decorated with two rows of fine metal beading and an engraved cross with arms in the form of a trefoil.  The foot merges in a funnel shape into the handle of the chalice. The knop is circular, with simple moulding. A smooth section forms the transition to the bowl of the chalice, set with relief basets decorated with crosses, grapes, and plant designs. The smooth bowl is gilded.

11. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: end of 19th century.

Dimensions: height 12 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the bowl 11 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: A stamp with a crescent moon, crown and the number 800 on the rim of the bowl.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular,  with a pierced band (mesh design) around the rim. The upper surface of the foot is engraved with plant designs among which a cross is set. The foot narrows towards the top in a funnel-like shape. The knop is circular, flattened top and bottom by a design of a stylized Gothic triforium. The bowl is cast with pierced floral designs. It is smooth and gilded.

12. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Date of origin: end of 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 19.5 cm, diameter of the foot 15 cm, diameter of the bowl 11 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Stamps: A metal hallmark is embossed on the upper surface of the foot next to a cruciform rosette.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, and quite simple, with engraved decorative leaves. The knop is circular and flattened, with beading in the middle. The bowl is pear-shaped, and gilded within.

13. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 18 cm, diameter of the foot 12 cm, diameter of the bowl 8.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, with a moulded rim, which is decorated with floral designs consisting of a series of circular small and large petals. The knop is circular, and decorated with a double row of arched sections, petals on the upper and bottom part. The bowl is a simple pear-shape with no decorations.

14. CHALICE

Maker: Wilh Raucher Domgoldschimd. Company Fulda. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 21 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the bowl 10 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: The inside of the foot bears the stamp: 800 Wilh Raucher Domgoldschmid FULDA

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, simply shaped with small single engraved decorative flowers. The funnel-like top of the foot is decorated with a floral garland composed of two rows of leaves. The knop is circular and flattened. The rim of the knop is decorated with a rope-twist design. The bowl of the chalice is smooth and gilded.

15. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: first half of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 22 cm, diameter of the foot 13 cm, diameter of the bowl 9 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, silver, gilding.

Signature: The monogram MARIA is engraved between small figures of angels. The ends of the letters A and R are joined, with a cross at the point of juncture.

Stamps: The rim of the bowl of the chalice has an impressed hallmark in the form of a shield inside which there is a figure with hands raised and the numbers 4 and 5 at head height(107).  Beside this hallmark is another, circular in form, with the initials GSI.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, raised and ring-shaped, with slightly moulded rim. The rim of the foot is decorated with a discreet garland, and above it, on the upper surface, two silver angels’ heads with wings opposite each other. The knop of the chalice is an elongated ovoid. The protuberant part of the knop has four applications, two flowers and two angel’s faces. The base of the bowl of the chalice is hemispherical and the top is funnel-shaped. Where these two shapes meet are decorative bands with garlands of flowers and beading. The inside of the bowl is gilded.

16. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 19.5 cm, diameter of the foot 15 cm, diameter of the bowl 10.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, silver, gilding.

Stamps: A hallmark of quinquefoil outline with the face of a woman in profile and the number 1 is stamped on the rim of the chalice. Next to this hallmark is another one, which is indistinct.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, with a narrow moulded rim, also circular and flattened. Around it is a discreet floral garland. The bowl is bell-shaped, and set in a pierced basket made of radially-set acanthus leaves. The pierced basket on the bowl of the chalice is typical of Nuremberg craftsmen.

17. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 21 cm, diameter of the foot 13 cm, diameter of the bowl 8.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular with a stepped rim. The funnel-like top of the foot is decorated with a garland of large, stylized leaves pointing downwards. The ring of the internodal section is narrow. The knop is orbicular, with no decorations. The decoration on the bottom of the bowl is identical to that on the top of the foot. The inside is gilded.

18. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: second half of the 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 20 cm, diameter of the foot 13.5 cm, diameter of the bowl 9.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding, coloured stone.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular, funnel-shaped and of scaly texture. The knop is circular and set with a green stone; the places where another three such stones were once set can be seen. The bell-shaped bowl is smooth, and gilded within.

19. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. It was made in Hungary and bought in Slovenia in the 1930s.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century.

Dimensions: height 20 cm, diameter of the foot 13 cm, diameter of the bowl 10 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, glass, gilding.

Stamps: There is an indistinct polygonal stamp(108) on the rim of the bowl. Another is indistinct but for the initials JP.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular and shallow with no moulding. A lamb in a circular medallion is engraved on the rim of the upper surface of the foot, with a halo with a Latin cross on it. The lamb is carrying a flag, the symbol of the resurrection. A floral design of grapevine and ears of corn extends left and right along the upper surface of the foot. The simple knop is circular, and made of wine-coloured glass. The bowl of the chalice is gilded inside.

20. CHALICE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 21 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the bowl 8 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy metal, gilding.

Description: The foot of the chalice is circular and shallow without any moulding. A narrow internodal section joins the foot to the bell-shaped knop. The bowl is tall and elongated, without any decoration. It is gilded inside.

21. MONSTRANCE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 70 cm, diameter of the foot 24 cm, diameter of the monstrance 40 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, inlay

Material: metal alloy, silver, gilding, semi-precious stone, glass paste, glass.

Signature: Engraved on the foot: GESCHENKT VON WOHLTHATERN DEUTSCHLANDS FUR ABTEI MARIA STERN BANJA LUKA BOSNIEN 1892.

Stamps: A hallmark with crescent moon, crown(109), six-pointed star(110) and the number 800 is impressed on the foot.

Description: The foot of the monstrance is circular with mouldings forming rings. It is composed of three parts, narrowing towards the knop of the monstrance. The central ring is engraved with floral designs. The same design is repeated on the surface of the pear-shaped knop. The smallest ring is embroidered with a small circlet of beading where it meets the central ring. The knop is covered with sculptural acanthus leaves. The centre of the monstrance is circular and glazed, with a narrow ring inside, decorated with floral designs and set with semiprecious stones. The central part of the monstrance is surrounded by two external rings. One of them is set with multicoloured stones in a design of 12 flowers. The other is decorated with a relief floral band. Around it are set 6 glass paste medallions with attached gilded reliefs; above - Christ with signature Alpha and Omega, below – the figure of a lamb, above left – the figure of an angel, below left – the figure of a lion, above right – an eagle, below right – an ox. The space between the medallions is decorated with foliar relief motives. Alternating straight and wavy gilded rays extend around the entire monstrance, which is surmounted by a small cross. 

22. MONSTRANCE (111)

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 60 cm, diameter of the foot 15 cm, diameter of the monstrance 32 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, inlay.

Material: metal alloy, silver, gilding, semiprecious stones, glass.

Signature: Engraved on the foot: GESCHENKT VON WOHLTHATERN DEUTSCHLANDS FUR ABTEI MARIA STERN BANJA LUKA BOSNIEN 1892.

Description: The foot of the monstrance is circular with mouldings forming rings. It is composed of three parts, narrowing towards the knop. The knop is covered with relief acanthus leaves. The centre of the monstrance is circular and glazed; it opens from the back.  The circular part of this section is decorated with multicoloured semiprecious stones and relief floral designs. Where these relief designs meet are  cherubs’ heads with wings outspread.  Gilded wavy rays extend around the monstrance, which is surmounted by a cross with a spreading floral base and trefoil arms.

23. MONSTRANCE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany or Austria.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 60 cm, diameter of the foot 21 cm, diameter of the monstrance 16 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving, inlay.

Material: metal alloy, gilding, glass.

Description: The foot of the monstrance is six-lobed. Four lobes of the foot are semicircular, and two are pointed. The foot is stepped. The upper surface of the foot is cast with a honeycomb design. There is a circular, narrow knop between the two twisted sections of the handle; the knop has pierced floral designs and a protuberant central ring. The upper part of the monstrance is decorated with Gothic architectural and floral designs. The central round part of the monstrance is set with figures of St Peter and St Paul (to the sides), Christ with a lamb around his shouulders (above) and an angel (below).

24. MONSTRANCE

Maker: Unknown. Made in Germany or Austria.

Date of origin: late 19th or beginning of the 20th century.

Dimensions: height 65 cm, diameter of the foot 22 cm, diameter of the monstrance 25 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, inlay.

Material: metal alloy, gilding, glass.

Description: The foot of the monstrance is an ellipse decorated with floral and geometric designs. A circular knop rises from the foot. Its upper surface is decorated with a design of garlands of small, stylised leaves. The upper part of the monstrance is decorated with pointed arches, small turrets, trefoils, quadrifoils and tendrils. There is a glazed circle in the central section, with a gilded lanula. The circle has a conical lid of which the outer edge has a raised crown pierced in a tendril design. The monstrance is surmounted by a cross.

25. MONSTRANCE (three items)

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 40 cm, diameter of the foot 14 cm, diameter of the monstrance 19 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, inlay.

Material: brass, glass, gilding.

Description: The round foot of the monstrance narrows from the base up in a funnel-shape. It is decorated near the top with six large inlaid leaves, one of which has a Latin cross on it. The knop is circular and decorated with relief floral designs. A cylindrical section supports the square monstrance, at the centre of which is a glazed quadrifoil opening surrounded by a relief floral decoration. The monstrance is surmounted by a cross.

26. CIBORIUM

Maker: A. Kreiten. Made in Cologne, Germany.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 40 cm, diameter of the foot 19 cm, diameter of the bowl 13 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Signature: ANGELORUM ESCA NUTRIVISTI POPULUM TUUM

Description: The stepped foot of the ciborium is six-lobed. The surface of the lobes is engraved with a floral design of grapevine and oak leaves. The foot narrows towards the handle and terminates in a moulded, node-like section. The surface of the bowl is smooth, and consists of six radial down-sloping lobes. The knop is a flattened circle set between the two cylindrical sections.  The surface of the knop is decorated with floral and geometric designs. A smooth internodal section links a stepped moulding and the vessel of the ciborium, of which the underside of the bowl is decorated with petal designs. The rim of the bowl is decorated with a horizontal moulding which extends to the rim of the cover, gradually narrowing towards the top. The cover is decorated with floral designs and surmounted by a cross.

27. CIBORIUM

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 28 cm, diameter of the foot 18 cm, diameter of the vessel 14 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: silver, gilding.

Signature: Along the band in the middle of the dish: PANIS ET SANGUE CHRISTI

Stamps: A crescent moon and crown and the number 800 are impressed on the rim of the bowl of the ciborium. Next to this stamp is the indistinct trademark of the craftsman.

Description: The foot of the ciborium is circular, with a pierced band along the rim. It is decorated with a quadrifoil design in rhombs.Th knop is circular and flattened, and composed entirely of pierced floral decoration. The bowl of the ciborium is hemispherical. The cover is shallow, decorated with floral designs, and surmounted by a cross.

28. CIBORIUM

Maker: Unknown. Probably made in the territory of Austria-Hungary.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 28 cm, diameter of the foot 18 cm, diameter of the vessel 14 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: silver.

Signature: On a band in the centre of the vessel: PANIS ET SANGUE CHRISTI

Stamps: A stamp with the figure of the Goddess Diana in a quinquefoil and a square hallmark with initials KK are impressed on the rim of the vessel of the ciborium.

Description: The foot of the ciborium is circular and bell-shaped, with a simple moulded ring in the middle. The handle is spindle-shaped with a sphere at the top and a small section expanding into the bowl of the ciborium. The bowl is smooth. The cover echoes the form of the foot.

29. CIBORIUM

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 35 cm, diameter of the foot 15 cm, diameter of the bowl 12 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, inlay.

Material: metal alloy, silver, ruby, gilding.

Description: The foot of the ciborium is circular and simple in shape, terminating in a shallow funnel-like section where it meets a flattened orb decorated with radiating acanthus leaves. The same design is repeated on the under side of the flattened circular knop, the central rim section of which is decorated with six small red rubies set in shallow baskets. A smooth internodal section expands into the hemispherical bowl of the ciborium which is set with applied acanthus decorations. The bowl is not decorated. The cover is hemispherical with a projecting conical top, surmounted by a cross with trefoil ends.

30. CIBORIUM

Maker: Unknown. Made in Austria-Hungary.

Date of origin: late 19th or beginning of the 20th century.

Dimensions: height 19.5 cm, diameter of the foot 14.5 cm, diameter of the dish 12 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: silver, gilding.

Stamps: The bowl bears a stamp with the statue of Goddess Diana in a quinquefoil. Next to this hallmark is another, which is indistinct.

Description: The foot of the ciborium is circular, with a moulded rim. The knop is a flattened circle. The internodal section of the knop is pear-shaped at the base. The bowl is smooth and gilded. The cover is missing.

31.  TABLE CANDLESTICK(112)  

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 80 cm, diameter of the foot 26 cm, diameter of the candleholder 15 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Description: The three-sided foot consists of three large scrolls set on small oval sections, with rosettes in the centre of the scrolls. The space between the scrolls is decorated with floral and geometric designs framing a cartouche with beaded rim. A cylindrical section is set on the high pedestal, decorated at the base with rings with floral garlands. The knop is conical, with an orbicular ring at the top. The lower and upper parts of the knop are decorated with radiating leaves. The central section of the knop is cylindrical, with vertical grooves. The candleholder is an inverted bowl decorated with small leaves.

32. TABLE CANDLESTICK

Maker: Bruno Diamant.

Date of origin: between 1922 and 1932.

Dimensions: height 40 cm, diameter of the foot 20 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: iron.

Description: The foot consists of three fantastic animals, griffons with dogs’ heads and paws and birds’ bodies. The griffins’ long tails curve upwards. Their wings branch and fork, intertwining to form a mesh.  The animals’ heads face down, forming supports. Above the foot is a smooth orb, followed by a cylindrical handle, and another orb. The candleholder is funnel-shaped, and decorated on the underside with three small cast figures of griffons with their heads facing upwards. The candleholder is decorated with small crosses.

33. VESSEL FOR HOLY OIL

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 30 cm, diameter of the foot 9 cm, diameter of the oil receptacle 10 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding, glass.

Description: The foot of the vessel is polygonal. The upper, raised section of the foot constitutes the receptacle for the oil, which is attached by a visible clasp. The twisted part of the handle merges into a wider polygonal section consisting of seven segments decorated with reliefs. The upper part of the oil receptacle is made to resemble a monstrance with pseudo-Gothic decoration. At the centre is the figure of God the Father and the Holy Spirit in a form of a dove. Figures of angels are set to the sides, and of the Madonna above. The oil receptacle is surmounted by a cross.

34. INCENSE HOLDER

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 11 cm, diameter of the foot 11.5 cm, length of the vessel 17 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Description: The eight-lobed, unmoulded foot narrows and supports the boat-shaped incense holder with a double-sided cover on the upper surface. Both sides of the cover are decorated with a quadrifoil and crux immissa. The rim of the cover bears a simple decorative band with rhythmically spaced rivets.

35. EWER

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th century.

Dimensions: height 17 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: silver.

Signature: NON IN SANGUINE SOLNU SED IN AQUA ET IN SANGUINE

Description: The vessel of the ewer is set on a trefoil foot. The gilded handle is in the form of a griffon, affixed at the top to the cover of the ewer.

36. ICON LAMP(113)  

Maker: unknown.

Date of origin: mid 19th century.

Dimensions: height 26.5 cm, diameter of the foot 11 cm, diameter of the icon lamp 15 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: copper.

Description: The foot of the vessel has a smooth, sloping rim which merges into an upper, flattened part divided by smooth moulded ribs into six equal vertical sections decorated with floral designs. The bulging vessel is divided by six ribs extending onto the cover of the lamp. Three sections of the lamp are decorated with pierced cartouches framed by twisted leaves, and the other three with the applied cast heads of angels, which also form the chain-holders.

37. RELIQUARY (two pieces)

Maker: unknown. Made in Germany.

Date of origin: first half of the 20th century.

Dimensions: height 25 cm, foot 15 x 15 cm.

Technique: mould-casting.

Material: metal alloy, glass.

Description: The reliquary is in the shape of a Gothic building with four equal-sized glazed openings in the form of broken arches with phials and a cross at the top of the arch. The surfaces are made to resemble a brick wall. The cover of the reliquary  is in the form of a hipped roof of smooth sheet metal, simply carved details and surmounted by a cross. The “roof cornice” is decorated with a design of cut trefoils bisected by the tops of the Gothic arches of the glazed openings. The reliquary contains the relics of six saints: St. Robert, St. Celestinae, St. Albert, St. Gratian, St. Aurelius and St. Probatian.

38. CUSTODIUM (two pieces)

Maker: unknown. Made in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Date of origin: end  of the 19th century.

Dimensions: height 23 cm, diameter of the foot 10.5 cm, diameter of the custodium 11.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Signature: A decorative intertwined IHS monogram is engraved on the front.

Stamps: The stamp is impressed in the inside of the custodium on a square plaque. It contains a profile of the Goddess Diana in a quinquefoil.

Description: The foot of the custodium is circular. The knop is circular and flattened with no decoration. The container is circular, with glazed doors at the back. A monogram is engraved on its front side.

39. CUSTODIUM

Maker: Unknown.

Date of origin: late 19th or early 20th century.

Dimensions: height 27 cm, diameter of the foot 10 cm, diameter of the custodium 8.5 cm.

Technique: mould-casting, engraving.

Material: metal alloy, gilding.

Signature:  A decorative intertwined IHS monogram is engraved on the front.

Stamps: The stamp is impressed on the inside of the custodium: NECHT (possibly part of the name of the craftsman) inside a square hallmark.

Description: The foot of the custodium is circular with stepped mouldings. The knop is flattened. The vessel of the custodium is round with the engraved monogram IHS on small doors. A cross emerges from the centre of the letter H. The custodium is surmounted by a cross in a circle decorated with floral designs. The inside of the custodium is gilded. The lunula does not match the bearing in the custodium.

            LIBRARY

            1. NOTEBOOK, INVENTORY OF THE LIBRARY(114)  

Author: Rafaelo Urban.

Dimensions: 19 x 13.5 cm.

Material: paper.

Technique: manuscript.

Language: German.

The pages are numbered from 1 to 42.

2. LIBER EPISTOLARUM (incunabula) (115)  

Epistolae.

(Basileae), Johan de Amerbach (14) 93; 2°. (The copy is incomplete).

HC + 1969. BMC III 755. GW 2906. Stillwell A 2906, Badalić 121. Gspan-Badalić 59.

Sheets (a1), (a2), (a3), (e3), i.e. 325 to the end, are missing.

The hand-drawn initials are red and blue. The running titles and the title of each letter and chapter are underlined in red.

A stamp with the Abbot’s coat-of-arms and the inscription Sigillum F. Bonaventurae abbatis de Maria Stell. is impressed in several places.

Many of the marginalia are in Latin. Some are in 15th century Gothic lettering. Those in the second and third hand are in 16th century Humanist script.

The 15th century binding is on four double leather lacings. The covers are wooden overlaid with leather, with bold blind stamping(116). The square stamping contains the figure of a winged lion, the circular a running deer, and the rhombus a stylised fleur de lis.

A flier is pasted onto the inside of the front cover. The flier is in German in Gothic, script, printed in black and red with the name of the printer: «...truckt zu Zurűch byEustachchin Froschouer»». The flier contains instructions on estimating the time, and a drawing of the anatomy of human body in section, with next to each organ an outline of the celestial body influencing it. (Popović, 1965, 21)

3. DIVI BERNARDI ABBATIS CLAREVALLIS DOCTORIS DISERTISSIMI ACVERE MILLIFLUI OPERA OMNIA

Author: Bernadi Abbatis

Date of origin: 1520

Place of origin: Lyon, France

Publisher: Johann Klein

Size: 32 x 21 x 7 cm

Material: paper, wooden leather-covered covers

Technique: printing, engraving, stamping

Signature: final page, Iohannes clein, Lugdunum, MDXX, 13, calendae augusti.

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Collected works of Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, doctor skilled in dissertations and truly eloquent and of honeyed words.” It consists of speeches for specific and formal occasions, interpretations of the Bible, letters of a private and moral nature, some minor works by the author, and his homily on the Song of Songs. The first page has a drawing in black and red of floral designs with putti framing the title, below which are the figures of five bishops. The covers and the first and last page have Gothic hand-written notes in ink. The covers are of wood covered with leather and stamped with a decorative rectangular panel with a man’s head, chalice, two standing figures and flowers in a semicircle.  The front cover bears the words “Divi Bernardi Abbatis 1537.” There is no pagination.

4. ZWO CHRISTLICHE CATOLISCHE UND IN GOT REINEM

Author:

Date of origin: 1583

Place of origin: Main

Publisher: Caspar Behem, Meintz MDLXXXIII

Size: 20 x 15 x 1 cm.

Material: paper, board

Technique: printing

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Two Christian Catholic sermons”. The book contains interpretations of a text from Ezekiel. It is printed in black Gothic lettering. The decorations on the text consist merely of stylized floral initials. The title page has a manuscript note in brown ink: “Caenlini fon..at (K)..erenberger”. The covers are board – a later binding.  No pagination.

5. LIBELLUS SODALITATIS: NOC EST CHRISTINNARUM INSTITUTIONUM

Author: Francisco Costero

Date of origin: 1588

Place of origin: Ingolstadt, Germany

Publisher: David Saratorij

Size: 11.5 x 9.5 x 5.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printing, gilding

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Booklet for the society (brotherhood): Christian rules”. The book is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page has a good-quality engraving of the Madonna standing on a crescent moon, surrounded by stars, with Christ beside her. On the inside of the front cover is a handwritten note in brown ink: “Congregatio 83. g. go Annunti. . . Hal. . 1663. . . [illegible].” The hard covers are leather-covered and gilt: the front cover bears an elliptical medallion with the standing figure of the Madonna and Child, and the back cover a stylized palmette in a rhombus. Handmade metal clasps are affixed to the covers. The title page gives details of the publisher: “Ingolstadii ex officina Dauidis Saratorii, Ann 1588).” No pagination.

6. ENNARATIONUM EVANGELICARUM THESAURUS NOVUS.

Author:

Date of origin: 1561

Place of origin: Lyon, France

Publisher: Nicolas Petronillus

Size: 17 x 11 x 3 cm

Material: paper, wood, leather

Technique: printing, stamping

Description: In translation, the title reads: “New treasures of the Gospels”.  The book is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. There are no decorations apart from a vignette with a cross and the instruments of the Passion. The first page bears a note by the donor: “Joannes Heinricus Ahstotter in Caltenburg canonicus Vratislaniensis decaures athesinus et parochus,” and the signature of Abbot Iosephat Schaan(117). The covers of the book are of leather-covered wood with a double fillet within which, in the centre, is a stylized palmette. The title page gives details of the publisher. 271 pages are paginated. The index is not paginated.

7. TRACTATUS DEFENISIONIS TAM CONTRA VIM MAIOREM ET INVIRIAS

Author: Gabriel Palciatti, Jakob Ricius

Date of origin: 1577, 1580 and 1587

Place of origin: Chapter 1: Ingolstadt; Chapter 2: Frankfurt; Chapter 3: Cologne

Publisher: Quonaelis (?), Chapter 1, Nicolaus Basens, Chapter 2; Chapter 3 has no publisher’s details

Size: 16 x 10 x 6 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printing

Description:  In translation, the title reads: Chapter 1: “Tractate on defence”, Chapter 2: “Family law, by Gabriel Palciatti”, Chapter 3: “Marital law, by Jakob Ricius.” The book is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. There are no decorations in the text. The covers are plain vellum. The publisher’s details are to be found on the first pages of each chapter. The first chapter has 573 paginated pages, the second 430 and an unpaginated index, and the third 216 paginated pages.

Note: a note in brown ink indicates that the book was owned by Adam German Junior.

8. EPISTOLAE CICERONIS       

Author: Paulus Manuenis

Date of origin: 1596

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: Sumptibus Petri (translator’s note: surely this means that Petri paid for the publication; the publisher is given as Gabriel Carterius)

Size: 11 x 8 x 5 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printing

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Letters of Cicero”. The work is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. Neither the text nor the vellum covers have any decoration. The title page gives the publisher’s details and funding of the edition: “Anno MDEXCVI Excud. Gabriel Carterius, Sumptibus Petri.” The book has 1040 paginated pages.

9. MEDITATIONES IN EVANGELIA ILLUSTRISSIMO AC REVERENDISSIMO IN CHRISTO PATRI ET. . .

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1607

Place of origin: Cologne

Publisher: Porticelli

Size: 14 x 8.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Interpretation of the gospels, as read each day of charisma in the church. . . “ (Translator’s note: surely this is not a true translation of the title???). The book is printed in Latin in the Latin script in black printer’s ink. The title page has a good-quality engraving of two saints on pedestals.  Beside the left-hand saint, who is shown with his attributes of a book and abbot’s crook, is the inscription Hugo Gratan. Beside the right-hand saint are his attributes of a swan, chalice and abbot’s crook, and his name, Hugo Lincoln. Here too are the publisher’s details: “Coloniae, sumptibus Conradi Butgenii, anno domini MDCVII.” The first page has an illegible handwritten note in German. The covers are plain. The book has 428 paginated pages.

10. THEOPHILACTI ARCHIPISCOPI BULGARIAE IN QUATOR EUANGELIA ENNERATIONES

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1536

Place of origin: Cologne

Publisher: Arnoldus Birckman

Size: 16 x 10 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Interpretation of the four Gospels by Thephilactus, archbishop of Bulgaria.”  The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. At the base of the title page is an elaborate floral vignette incorporated the printer’s coat of arms and the inscription: “Arnoldus Birckman, Coloniae ex officina Melchioris No. Anno MDXXXVI”. On the second page is a brown-ink note by Abbot J Schaan, with beside it the circular seal of the monastery “MZ”. The book has 430 paginated pages, with the remainder unnumbered.

11. EPISTOLAE HIERONIMI

Author: Reinhardi Lutzii

Date of origin: 1560

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 16 x 10 x 5 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Commentaries of St Jerome.” The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The text is decorated with bold initials in square panels with elaborate floral decoration. The title page is missing, so that there are no publisher’s details. The last page is also missing. The board binding is new. The book has 635 numbered pages. The index pages are also numbered.

12. VITI ADAMI, EPISCOPI FRISINGENSIS, PSALMODIA PRACTICA, ARGUMENTA PRETITIONES ET SUM PSALMORUM DAVIDICORUM

Author: Bishop of Munich

Date of origin: 1625

Place of origin: Ingolstadt

Publisher: Gregorii Haenlini

Size: 12 x 7 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The book consists of the Psalms of David and an interpretation. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decoration of the text is discreet. The title page has a gilt elliptical medallion with a standing figure of the Madonna and Child.  The end page has a gilt bishop’s cap, coat of arms, the inscription “Iambacensis cm cons maximilian. . . bras”, and the stamp of the monastery, “MZ”.  The covers are leather-covered. The book has 524 paginated pages and 20 index pages.

13. SINOPSIS HISTORIAE UNIVERSALIS

Author: Christopher Besoldi

Date of origin: 1639

Place of origin: Ingolstadt

Publisher: Gregorii Haenlin

Size: 13 x 7.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, embossed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Synopsis of universal history”. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The second part of the book is the author’s bibliography. The first page has a note in brown ink: “Martinus 7. v.”  The title page has details of the publisher: “Ingolstadii, Typis Gregorii Haenlin, Anno MDCXXXIX”. The binding is leather, with the remains of the binding bands.  Both covers are decorated with a tooled square panel surrounded by elaborate floral and geometric designs and with a floral design within the panel. The book has 593 paginated pages. The index is not paginated.

14. REVERENDISSIMO PERILLUSTRI, AC AMPLISSIMO DOMINO D. HENRICO IMPERIALIUM LIBERORUM ET EXEMPTORUM MONASTERIORUM S. LUTGER

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1663

Place of origin: Cologne

Publisher: Johannes Kriti

Size: 11 x 6.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: the book consists of four sections:

a)       the Rules of St Bernard

b)       the prayer book of the Madonna as drawn up by Pope Pius V

c)       the life of St Benedict

d)       practical exercises

Each chapter has its own index at the end of the chapter. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decoration in the text consists merely of engravings at the beginning and end of each chapter. The title page gives details of the publisher, stating that the book was published in 1663 in Johann Kriti’s press with the approval of Pope Gregory the Great in 1580.

15. VERA SAPIENTIA SEU UTILISSIMAE CONSIDERATIONES

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1684

Place of origin: Linz

Publisher: Joann Raedlmayer

Size: 13 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: in translation, the title reads: “The true wisdom, or most useful considerations.”  The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The pages of the text block are gilt-edged.  The title page and titles bear a printed floral design. The binding is leather. The title page gives the publisher’s details: “Lincii, Typis Joann. Raedlmayer, MDCLXXX9V.”  The book has 120 paginated pages and an index.

16. SACRE LITANIAE VARIAE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1681

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Sebastiani Rauch

Size: 10 x 5.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, tooled

Description: the book is a collection of sacred liturgies. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The pages of the text block are gilt-edged. The binding is leather. The spine is decorated with a tooled design, which is hard to make out, within rhomboid panels. The title page gives the publisher’s details: “Monachii typis Sebastiani Rauch, MDCLXXXI”. The book has 399 paginated pages and an index.

17. CONCORDANTIAE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1526

Place of origin: Paris

Publisher: Francisci Regnault

Size: 21 x 14 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The title page has a note in ink: “J. Dupharc Pelappehhain – Rector Hubernihheius 1677 ”and a sticker with the words “Abbeye du port salut N. D. de la Trappe.” This page also gives the publisher’s details: “Paris, Francisci Regnault, MDXXVI.”   Fragments of the old leather binding can be seen below the present board binding. The pages are not paginated.

18. MEDITATIONES SANCTORUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1520

Place of origin: Venice

Publisher: Aldus Manutius

Size: 11.5 x 6 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, board, vellum

Technique: printed, stamped

Description:  In translation, the title reads: “Holy Meditations.” The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The title page is missing, but the publisher’s details are handwritten in brown ink on an inserted page. The end page has an illegible handwritten Gothic note. The text has no decorations other than the coloured titles. The covers are covered with black leather, with elaborate stamping in the shape of a rhombus composed of scrolls with a six-pointed star in the centre. No pagination.

19. a) AVTHORI TATES ET TESTIMONIA DE BAPTISIMA

     b) DIALECTICAM ANIMADVERSIONES IOAN PISCATOR ARGENTINENSIS

Author: unknown

Date of origin: the first dates from 1571, the second from 1530

Place of origin: the first was printed in Cologne and the second in Frankfurt

Publisher: the first was published by Maternus Cholinus and the second by Andreas Wechelus

Size: 14 x 10 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the titles read: a) “Authors and witnesses of baptisms” b) “Dialectics of John Piscatori the Argentinian”. The two works were later bound as a single codex, as can be seen from the binding and the different coloured edges of the pages in the text blocks (the second has red-edged pages). The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink with red initials. The title page of the first text is decorated with a coat of arms and garland held by hands in the sky. It has 248 paginated pages. The title page has an illegible note in Gothic. The title page of the second text is decorated with a coat of arms and garland, the serpent of Aesculapius, and Pegasus. It has 155 paginated pages and an index. There are a number of illegible notes in the same hand, as on the title page of the first work. The publishers’ details are on the title pages of each of the two texts. The board binding is new.

20. PRATIQUE DE LA PERFECTION CHRESTIENNE

Author: Alphonse Rodriguez

Date of origin: 1679

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: Sebastian Mabre

Size: 26 x 19.5 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilt

Description:  In translation, the title reads: “Rituals of Christian perfection.”  The book consists of three volumes, in French, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page of each of the three volumes has an engraving consisting of a circular medallion formed by a serpent biting its own tail, within which is a landscape with architecture and swans affrontés, together holding a serpent in their bills.  The first volume has a portrait of the author as frontispiece. The text has a number of modest vignettes.  The leather binding has gilt tooling on the spine in the form of geometric and floral designs. The title page gives the publisher’s details: “Sebastian Mabre – Cromoisy MDCLXXIX”. The first volume has 652 paginated pages, the second 598, and the third 508.

21. ENCHIRIDION MILITIAE CHRISTIANE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1576

Place of origin: Antwerp

Publisher: Ludovici Fellixum

Size: 18 x 13 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: The book is a collection of papers on the hierarchy of the angelic ranks. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text are modest and consist of geometric and stylized floral details. Details of the publisher are given at the base of the title page: “Antverpiae, Apud Ludovici Fellixum, Anno 1576”. The board binding is new. The book has 345 paginated pages.

22. ROCHI PERVSINI DE EPISTOLA COMPONENDA LIBER

Author: Rocco Perusini

Date of origin: 1583

Place of origin: Dillingen

Publisher: Ludovici Fellixum (Translator’s note: Surely Ioannes Mayer)

Size: 22 x 16 x 8 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The text is sparsely decorated with floral designs and figurative initials in square panels. The title page bears the armorials of Dillingen in a square panel between the title and the publisher’s details; a central floral oval contains a swan with outspread wings. The oval is surrounded by a ribbon bearing the text “His qui diligvnt”. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the page: “Dilingae, Excudebat Ioannes Mayer MDXXXCIII”. The upper part of the title page has a partly legible note in brown ink: “Canonic B.V.M.  Anno 1680.”  The binding is leather. The book has 523 paginated pages.

23. TEOLOGIA MORALIS IN QUINQUE LIBRES DISTRIBUTA

Author: Pauli Laymann

Date of origin: 1625

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Nicolai Henrici

Size: 24 x 18 x 6 cm

Material: paper, leather, metal

Technique: printed

Description:  This book of theological morality consists of three volumes. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text are modest, consisting merely of vignettes and initials. The title page bears an engraving of Fons vitae, the fount of life, in late Renaissance style. Below the engraving are the publisher’s details: “Formis Nicolati Heinrichi, Monachii, MDXXV.” The binding is leather, with bands and a metal clasp, decorated with blind tooling. The first volume has 341 paginated pages, the second 476, and the third 525.

24. DIVI IOANNIS CHRYSOSTOMI EPISCOPI CONSTANTINOPOLITANI IN SECUNDAM EXPOSITIONEM SUPER EVANGELIUM BEATTI MATTHAEI PROLOGUS

Author: St John Chrystostom

Date of origin: 1525

Place of origin: Basle

Publisher: Andraea Cratandry

Size: 25 x 18 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, stamped

Description: A prologue to the Gospel according to St Matthew by St John Chrysostom. The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page is decorated with a stylized frame, within which is an oval medallion with a female figure, hair dishevelled, holding a knife, resembling a Renaissance Judith. The lower left corner bears an erotic scene.  Along the lower edge of the frame is a scene with peasants carrying hoes and axes, chasing a fox holding a chicken in its teeth. The end page has a vignette with the same female figure in a square panel, against a background of hills and a river. The initials in the text are figural and set in square panels. The publisher’s details are on the last page but one: “Apud inclytam Germaniae Basileam in aedibus Andraea Cratandry, Anno Domini MDXXV.” The title page bears the signature of Abbot J. Schaan.

25. SACRORUM BIBLIORUM CONCORDANTIAE

Author: Hugonis Cardinalis

Date of origin: 1685

Place of origin: Moguntia

Publisher: unknown

Size: 26.5 x 19 x 10 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, stamped

Description: The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text consist merely of decorations to the titles in the form of vignettes, banners or initials. Details of the donor are on the title page: “Sumptibus Johannis Martini Schonwetteri, Moguntiae, MDCLXXXV.” The book is not paginated.

26. BESCHREIBUNG GEISTLICHEN DES REFORMATION DER GANZEN WELT BERUHMPTEN CLOSTERS LA TRAPPE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1739

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Martin Beith

Size: 24 x 20 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description:  In translation, the title reads: “Description of the spiritual reformation throughout the world of the famous monastery of La Trappe.” The text is printed in Latin, in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The title page also features red printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Augsburg, Im Verlag den Martin Beith, 1739.” The decoration in the text consists merely of the ornate effect of the Gothic script. The binding is leather. The book has 411 paginated pages.

24. PRAXIS CATHECHISTICA

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1682

Place of origin: unknown, Bohemia

Publisher: unknown

Size: 13.5 x 9 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: The book consists of three sections:

a) Praxis cathechistica – in the form of a dialogue on matters of dogma;

b) Podvuzhenie – vemei Catolish inn Lutrish – a dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans;

c) Ivetiga sacramenta – ali Podvuzhenie – on the Old Testament. The text is printed in Czech, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page is missing, but the year of publication is added in black ink on the inside page of the front cover. Details of the publisher and place of publication are also missing. The first two chapters each have an identical tailpiece consisting of a square baroque vignette with angels, a cross, and Christ’s monogram. The end page of the book has a sheet of paper similar to tracing paper pasted over the text, in which the name Matthias Castellez Canonicus ad Lectorem and the letters OAMOGEH can be made out. The pages of the text block are red-edged. The first part of the book is paginated from 1 to 475, the second from 476 to 545, and the third from 546 to 619. At the end of the book are the unpaginated pages of a prayer book and index.

28. BIBLIA SACRA

Author:unknown

Date of origin: 1611

Place of origin: Brussels

Publisher: Balthazar Sboret

Size: 24.5 x 18.5 x 5.7 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed.

Description: The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page is missing. The first page is damaged, as a result of which sections were later pasted in and the publisher’s details, with the date and place of publication, were added in black ink. The chapters begin with floral and figural initials. At the end of the text of the Bible is a tetramorph with the inscription “Soli deo honor et gloria.” Beside the tetramorph is a note in black ink: “Laurent Pintera und Johann Potozhu…” The binding is quarter-bound (board with leather cornerpieces and spine). The book has 1085 paginated pages and an unpaginated prologue and index.

29. IN FESTO SS TRINITATIS CORPORIS CHRISTI ET DEDICATIONES ECCLESIAE DOMINICANI INQUDRAGESIMA DOMINICA IV ET PSALMARUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1688

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 20.5 x 15 x 1.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: manuscript, gilding

Description: Two antiphonaries written in red and black ink in the Gregorian chant. The title is tooled on the leather binding and gilded, as is the year 1688. The binding is decorated with floral designs. The first antiphonary has 48 numbered pages and the second 52.

30. LA REGLE DE SAINT BENOIST

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1689

Place of origin: Paris

Publisher: François Muguet

Size: 13 x 1 x 1.8 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads “The Rule of St Benedict.” The text is printed in French, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page gives the publisher’s details: François Muguet. The binding is leather. The codex has 217 paginated pages and an unpaginated index.

31. TRACTATUS DE SENATORIBUS

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1648

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 13 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in Latin, in the Latin and Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The title page of the book bears the printer’s seal, which incorporates the figure of an angel with outspread wings and two swords, and the text “Typis Henningi Coleri, anno MDCXLVIII.” The binding is vellum. The book has 100 numbered pages.

32. MISSALE SACRI ORDINIS CISTERCINENSIS

Author: Cardinal Richelieu

Date of origin: 1643

Place of origin: Paris

Publisher: unknown

Size: 36 x 26 x 8 cm.

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: The Cistercian missal is written in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The decorations in the text consist of floral and figural vignettes and initials. The title page has the donor’s baroque-style composition of the Madonna seated on the throne with Christ in her arms. To the left and right of her two Cistercian monks are kneeling, one holding an abbot’s crook and the other a cross. The publisher’s details are below this composition: “Lvtetiae parisiorvm, Sumptibus Sebastiani Cramoisy, Architypographi Regij, MDCXLIII”. The text of the missal is followed by an unpaginated text that has been pasted in, printed in various types of lettering. The missal has 489 paginated pages.

33. SANCTI BASILII MAGNI OPERA OMNIA

Author: Basil the Great

Date of origin: 1616

Place of origin: Antwerp

Publisher: Henricus Aertfsius

Size: 35 x 24 x 9 cm.

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: The book consists of the collected works of Basil the Great of Cappadocia. The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The text is decorated in palces with printed floral and figural designs and initials. The title page is printed in red and black. The central part of the title page bears a circle and a pair of compasses. Within the circle is an open book with a symbolic Latin text. At the base of this circle is an oval with EVROPA inscribed in the top half and AFRICA in the bottom half. The circle also contains an inscription: “Orbem perpetim ars nvtrit” and Christ’s monogram. Around the central circle is a freeform floral design. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Apud Henricum Aertfisium, Antverpie, MDCXVI.” The book has a board binding and 527 paginated pages.

34. DREIFACHE KRONE DERMUTTER GOTTES MARIA

Author: Francisco Poieroso

Date of origin: 1664

Place of origin: Lucerne

Publisher: Gottfrid Hautten

Size: 21.5 x 17.5 x 9.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The book consists of four sections:

a) Über die dreifache kron: 560 paginated pages;

b) Das Maria die muter got: 312 paginated pages;

c) Brundtlicher bericht des dritten tractats: 300 paginated pages;

d) Brundtlicher bericht und innhalt des wirdten tractats: 320 paginated pages;

Each section has a contents page at the end. The book is in German, in the Gothic script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink. The text is decorated here and there with vignettes and banners. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Luzern, Gottfrid Hautten, 1664.” Two pages are engraved. The first engraving is below the title. The upper part features Christ with a cross, God the Father with a globe, and the Madonna. The lower part portrays a monk before a table at which a nobleman is seated. The table bears the inscription “Autore R. P. Francisco Poieroso.” The printer’s coat of arms is at the bottom of the page. The second engraving is on the page preceding the third chapter.  It consists of a scene of the Assumption of the Virgin. The book has a leather binding to which are attached metal clasps.

35. DE LA SAINTETE ET DES DEVOIRS DE LA VIE MONASTIQUE

Author: Abbot De Rance

Date of origin: 1683

Place of origin: Paris

Publisher: François Muguet

Size: 25.5 x 19 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilding

Description: The book consists of three volumes, the third of which has a separate title: “Eclaircissemens de quelques difficultez de la vie monastique.” The book is in French, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title pages of all three volumes bear engravings in rectangular panels showing three different versions of Christ’s sermons. The vignettes in the text are austere and only a few initials are richly decorated. In the third volume, a frontispiece with an engraving illustrating the monastic life precedes the title page. The book is leather-bound, with the spine decorated with gilt quadrifoils and rhombuses. The publisher’s details are on the title pages of each volume: “Chez François Muguet, Paris MDCLXXXIII.” The first volume has 460 paginated pages, the second 547, and the third 516.

36. ENCHIRIDION SEV MANVALE EPISCOPORVM

Author: Bartholomaeo Gavanto

Date of origin: 1639

Place of origin: Venice

Publisher: Iuntas press

Size: 22 x 16 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Book of Treatises on Episcopal Duties.” The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears an elaborate frame surrounding a stylized crown. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Venetis MDXCCCIX, Apud Iuntas.” The binding is board. The book has 331 paginated pages.

37. RELATIONE DELLA CORTE DI ROMA

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1664

Place of origin: Rome

Publisher: unknown

Size: 14.x 5 7.4 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, board, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in Italian, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text are austere. The title page has been lost, and has been replaced by an inserted sheet with a note of the year and place of publication, but with no details of the publisher. The covers are board covered with vellum. The book has 126 numbered pages.

38. DIVI AURELII AUGUSTINI MEDITATIONES

Author: unknown

Date of origin: unknown

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 8.5 x 5.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in Italian, in the Latin script, in black and red (for the initials) printer’s ink. The book has 409 paginated pages.

39. PRIVILEGIA MONASTERIORUM EX IVRE COMMUNI DEDUCTA

Author: Ludvic Engel

Date of origin: 1664

Place of origin: Salzburg

Publisher: Ioann Bapt.

Size: 13.5 x 7.5x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The title page has an engraving of the personification of religion holding an oval cartouche with an inscription in the right hand and a cross with the crown of thorns and a censer in the left.  Below the engraving is a note in ink: “B. Sbraman del. P. Sul sa. (?)” The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Typis e sumptibus Ioann Bapt. Salisburgi, MDCLXIV.” The binding is vellum. The book has 377 numbered pages and an index.

40. OPUSCULA SACRA POSTHUMA

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1683

Place of origin: Salzburg

Publisher: Joann Adamus Hercknerus

Size: 13.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sacred works on death.” The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink, and consists of four chapters. The text has no decorations. The title page gives the publisher’s details: “Apud. Joann Adamum Hercknerum 1683.” The binding is vellum, with clasps.

41. THEATRUM PATIENTIAE

Author: Philip  Boschiero

Date of origin: 1616

Place of origin: Cologne

Publisher: Ioannis Crithii  (Translator’s note: surely the publisher is Arnoldus Kempensis, while Ioannis Crithii provided the funds)

Size: 16 x 10 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printed, embossed

Description: The book is in in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. The title page bears a handwritten note: “I.G.+10 Pars mca Deus A.S.V.D. Boskiero.” The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Excudebat Arnoldus Kempensis, sumptibus Ioannis Crithii, MDCX.” The binding is leather. The front cover has an oval medallion with a bishop’s mitre, abbot’s crook with three banners, and four oval cartouches. The book has 428 numbered pages.

42. RITUALE SACRAMENTORUM ROMANUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1584

Place of origin: Rome

Publisher: unknown

Size: 28 x 21.5 x 6.5 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printing

Description: The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red printer’s ink. It is decorated with bold initials in square panels interwoven with elaborate floral designs around the initial. The binding is plain undecorated board.

43. CISTERCIENSER JAHR

Author: Iosephus Meglinger

Date of origin: 1700

Place of origin: Constanz

Publisher: Franz Xavier Strauben

Size: 17 x 10 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printing

Description: The book is in German, in the Gothic script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink.  The title page has an engraving captioned as “Ecce examen apum.. . ac favux mellis, J. G. Seiller sculptus.” The engraving portrays a monk releasing bees from a hive, and facing Christ crucified. A city can be seen in the background. The title page also bears the publisher’s details: “Franz Xavier Strauben, Constanz, 1700.” The binding is plain undecorated leather. The page has 492 numbered pages.

44. SANCTI GREGORII PAPE PRIMI OPERUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1608/1613

Place of origin: Rome

Publisher: Vatican Press

Size: 17.5 x 12 x 5.5 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printing

Description: The book consists of two sections. It is in Latin, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears the figures of St Peter and St Paul. There are no other decorations in the text. The title page also bears the publisher’s details: “Romae, ex Typographia Camera Apostolica” (book one) and “Ex Typographia Vatican” (book two), Anno domini MDCXIII.” The first book is numbered from 1 to 1040, and the second from 1041 to 1862.

45. AUCHFERTIGUNG PHILOTHAEA

Author: R. P. Tobias Lohner

Date of origin:  1678

Place of origin: Dillingen

Publisher: Johann Caspar Bencard

Size: 16.5 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, vellum

Technique: printing

Description: In translation, the title reads: “The completion (of the scale) according to Philothaeus”. It is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Sumptibus Johann Michael Sporlin, Academischen buchhandters Johan Caspar Bencard, Dillingen MDCLXXVIII.” The binding is vellum. The book has 355 paginated pages and an index.

46. SCIENTIA SANCTORUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1685

Place of origin: Dillingen

Publisher: Johan Caspar Bencard

Size: 16.5 x 10 x 3.56 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printing

Description: The book consists of two sections. It is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The frontispiece before the title page has an engraving of Christ’s sermon. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Typis et sumptibus Joann. Caspari Bendard, Dilingae, MDCLXXXV.” The board covers have leather cornerpieces and spine. The first section has 423 numbered pages and the second 542.

47. CORNUCOPIAE LINGUAE LATINAE ET GERMANIAE SELECTUM

Author: Adami Friedrich Kirschi

Date of origin: 1784

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: unknown

Size: 21.5 x 13 x 9.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printing

Description: The dictionary consists of three sections:

a) Linguae latinae et germaniae;

b) Germanico-latinum;

c) Notarum romanorum ac litterarum;

The dictionary is in Latin and German, in the Latin and Gothic scripts, in black printer’s ink.  Each chapter has a headpiece consisting of a vignette of stylized palmettes. The dictionary consists of religious, legal and medical terms. The inside of the first cover has a note in black ink. “Adami Frid. Kirschi Cornucopiae linguae latinae et germaniae selectum.” The binder is board reinforced with leather (half-bound, quarter-bound?).

48. PROCESSIONALE S. ORDINI CISTERCIENSIS

Author: Conscriptum F. Bernardo

Date of origin: 1717

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 20.5 x 16.5 x 2 cm

Material: paper, wood, vellum

Technique: manuscript

Description: Antiphonary, Gregorian chant. The notes are handwritten in red ink. The title page gives the author’s details: “Conscriptum F. Bernardo, Lankamerer Prof. Waldgass, Anno 1717.” The covers are leather-covered wood. The antiphonary is paginated successively to page 135 and thereafter intermittently.

49. ARS – SEMPER GAUDIENDI AD VERAM ANIMI QUIETEM

Author: D. D. Francisci Josephi

Date of origin: 1691

Place of origin: Linz

Publisher: Joannis Redlmayer

Size: 13 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm

Material: paper, board, silk

Technique: printed

Description: Written in Latin, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Typis Joannis Redlmayer, Lincij, MDCLXCI”. There is a vignette of a bouquet of flowers in a basket at the end of the text. The board covers are covered with yellow silk. The book has 127 numbered pages.

50. INTRODUCTION A LA VIE DEVOTE PAR SAINT [FRANÇOIS] DE SALES EVEQUE ET PRINCE DE GENEVE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1709

Place of origin: Brussels

Publisher: Pierre Foppens

Size: 16 x 9.5 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printing, gilding

Description: The book is in Latin, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears an engraving of the bust of the saint in an oval medallion. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “A. Brusselle chez pierre Foppens, 1708”. The covers are leather-covered, with gilt floral designs that are badly rubbed. The book has 477 numbered pages.

51. JUS PASTORUM TITULARUM

Author: D. Z. B. Van Espen

Date of origin: 1716

Place of origin: unknown

Publisher: unknown

Size: 15 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: The book is written in Latin, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page gives the details of the author and year of publication but not the publisher’s details. The only decoration is a vignette of a basket of flowers on the title page. The binding is leather with gilt decoration on the spine. The book has 568 numbered pages.

52. BEISTLICHES SEELEN NETZ

Author: Alexio Riederer

Date of origin: 1706

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Johann Jacob

Size: 15 x 9.5 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, tooled

Description: In translation the title reads: “Aid for spiritual traps”. It is written in German and printed in Gothci script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink.  The only decorations in the text are banners and initials. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Johann Jaxio, Munchen, 1706.” The binding is leather with tooled decoration – a rectangular panel with a quadrifoil and foliar design in the centre. The decoration is repeated on the front and back pages. The book has 695 numbered pages.

53. BIBLE

Author:

Date of origin: 1791

Place of origin: Lubaci

Publisher: Joan Frid. Edger

Size: 16.5 x 10 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The text is in Czech, in the Latin script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink.  The only decoration in the text is the copper [?] title – a cross and floral garland. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joan Frid. Edger, Labaci, 1791.” The binding is leather. The book has 842 numbered pages.

54. MARIANISCHES ORAKEL

Author: Pater Sebastian Sailer

Date of origin: 1766

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Rieger & Sons

Size: 17.5 x 11 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Book of the Oracles of the Madonna”. The book is in German, in the Gothic script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink. The titles in the text are decorated with banners and vignettes. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaus Rieger und sohnen, Augsburg, 1766.” The binding is board, with leather cornerpieces. The book has 688 numbered pages.

55. INSTRUCTION PASTORALE

Author: L’archévêque de Lyon

Date of origin: 1766

Place of origin: Paris, Lyon

Publisher: D. de la Roche, P. G. Simon

Size: 17 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation the title reads: “Pastoral instruction.” The book is in French, in the Latin script, printed in black printer’s ink. The only decoration in the text is a coat of arms on the title page, where there is also an oval green stamp with the inscription “Biblioth. Resid Argent.” and the publisher’s details at the bottom of the page: “A. de la Roche, P. G. Simon, Lyon, Paris, MDCCLXXVI”. The covers are leather-covered and decorated with a gilt floral design in a square panel. The book has 476 numbered pages.

56. PREDIGTEN AUF ALLE SONNTAGE DES JAHRES

Author: Thomas Vogt

Date of origin: 1808

Place of origin: Gmund

Publisher: Johann Georg Ritter

Size: 18.5 x 9 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Book of sermons for all the Sundays in the year.” The book is in German, printed in Gothic script in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Johann Georg Ritter, Gmund, 1808”. The board covers have leather cornerpieces. The book has 440 numbered pages.

57. DIE KUNST DAS MENSCHLICHE LEBEN

Author: Dr Christoph Wilhelm Hugeland

Date of origin: 1797

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Schmidbauer

Size: 16.5 x9.5 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “The art of humane living.” The book is in

German, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. There are no decorations in the text.  The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Schmidbauer i com. Wien, 1797”. The binding is leather with gilt decoration of foliar designs in square panels. The book has 338 numbered pages.

58. INSTITUTIONES THEOLOGIAE DOGMATICAE

Author: Engelbert Klupfel

Date of origin: 1789

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Johann Paul Kraus

Size: 18 x 11.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “On the decrees of theological dogma.” The book is in German, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. No decorations. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joan Paul Kraus, Vindobonae, MDCCLXXIX”. The book has 512 numbered pages.

59. AECHTKATHOLISCHE AUSLEGUNG DER AN JEDEM TAGE HEILIGEN FASTE

Author:  unknown

Date of origin: unknown

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Alens Doll

Size: 17.5 x 11 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Interpretation for every day of Lent”. The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The first page has an engraving of Christ’s sermon, below which is a six-line caption in German, in italic Latin script. The illustration is signed “Mansfeld fec[it].” Between pages 586 and 587 is an insert measuring 10.6 x 6.5 cm with the text “crucifixus est.” The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Alan Doll, Wien.” The binding is board. The book has 608 numbered pages.

60. GEIST BENEDICTI

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1760

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Johann Theodor Osten

Size: 16.5 x 10 x 4 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads “The Benedictine spirit.” The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Johann Theodor Osten, Munchen, 1760.” The board binding is covered with leather. The book has 599 numbered pages and an unpaginated index.

61. KLAGEN ODER NACHT GEDANKEN

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1780

Place of origin: Speier

Publisher: edition of the printers’ association of Speier

Size: 16.5 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Book of complaints or night thoughts.” The book is German, printed in the Gothick script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears an engraving with the figures of two boys. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Im Verlage der Gesellschaft, Speier, 1780.” The binding is board. The book has 412 numbered pages.

62. RETRAITE SPIRITUELLE

Author: Le père Bourdaloue de la Compagnie de Jésus

Date of origin: 1739

Place of origin: Paris

Publisher: edition of the printers’ association of Paris

Size: 17 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Spiritual retreat.” The book is in French, in the Latin script, printed in black printer’s ink.  The text has decorations of vignette-style, banners and initials. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Chez les Libraires associez, Paris, MDCCXXXVIII.” A sheet is pasted to the inside cover with the words: “Abbaye du port salut N. D. de la Trappe, preor Laval.” The covers are leather, decorated with a gilt floral stylized design in a square panel. The book has 406 numbered pages and an index.

63. SEISTLICHE ABUNGEN NACH DER WEIS UND MANIER

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1735

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Frantz Moritz

Size: 16 x 9.5 x 4.5 cm

Material: paper, board, vellum

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in German, in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The first page has an engraving. There are no further decorations in the text. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Frantz Moritz Augsburg, 1735.” The board covers are vellum-covered. The pages are numbered in unbroken sequence to page 259, after which the pagination begins again at 36, continuing to page 295, although there is no break in the text.

64. KATECHITSCHE REDEN

Author: Joseph Lauber

Date of origin: 1797

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Dollischen press in Vienna

Size: 17.5 x 10 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Catechistic speeches.” The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The inside cover bears a note in brown ink: “Ex libris Ed. Schinzel N. III”. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Dollischen Buchhandlung, Wien, 1979.” The board covers are reinforced (half-bound? Quarter-bound?) with leather. The book has 540 numbered pages.

65. MANNE CELESTE DE L’AME OU MEDITATIONS SUR DES PASSAGES CHOISIS

Author: Les pères Seigneurie de la Compagnie de Jésus

Date of origin: 1714

Place of origin: Brussels

Publisher: Simon T’Serstevens

Size: 17 x 10 x 4 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “The holy manna of the soul or reflections on selected passages.” The book is in French, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink.  The book is decorated on the title page with an elaborate medallion, and on the first page of the text with a floral baroque initial. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Simon T’Serstevens, Bruxelles, MDCCXIV.” The binding is leather, decorated with a gilt palmette in a rhombus. The book has 592 numbered pages.

66. SCIENTIA CORDIS

Author: P. Alphonso Wenzl

Date of origin: 1701

Place of origin: Regensburg

Publisher: Joan Aegidii Raith, Regensburg

Size: 16.5 x 10.5 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed.

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Wisdom of the heart.” The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title of the book is decorated with an elaborate initial.  There are only a few other modest decorations in the text. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joan Aegidii Raith, Ratisbonae, MDCCI.”  The binding is leather. The book has 338 paginated pages.

67. COMPENDIUM THEOLOGIAE DOGMATICAE ET MORALIS

Author: D. Ludovica Habert

Date of origin: 1771

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaei Reger et filiorum

Size: 17 x 10.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Compendium of theological dogma and morals.”  The book is in Latin in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaei Rieger et filiorum, Augustae Vindelicorum, MDCCLXXI.” The binder is leather. The book has 608 paginated pages.

68. CHRISTLICHER WANDERSMANN

Author: D. Ludovico Habert

Date of origin: 1711

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Christoph Barthl

Size: 17 x 10.5 x 4.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Edifying Christian travelogue.” The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black and red (title page) printer’s ink. The frontispiece is an engraving with the caption “Pete abeo ut vias tuas dirigat.” There is an illegible note in brown ink beside the engraving. The decorations in the text are few and modest. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Christoph Barthl. Cath. Augspurg 1753.” The binding is leather. The book has 520 paginated pages and a contents page.

69. BEMERKUNGEN UBER DIE SONNTAGLICHEN EVANGELIEN

Author: Sebastian Mutschelle

Date of origin: 1795

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Joseph Lentner

Size: 17.5 x 10.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board, buckram

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Remarks for the Sunday Gospel.” The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text are few and very modest. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joseph Lentner, Munchen 1795.” The covers are board. The spine is reinforced with buckram. The book has 432 numbered pages.

70. KANZELREDEN AUF ALLE SONN UND FESTAGE

Author: Johann Nepomuck Tschupick

Date of origin: 1786

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Nicholaus Doll

Size: 17.5 x 10.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Formal speeches for all Sundays and holy days.”   The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. It consists of seven volumes. Each has an engraving with a scene from the Old or the New Testament. The binding is board, with leather cornerpieces and spine.

71. GOTTLICHE HEILIGE SCHRIFT

Author: Heinrich Braun

Date of origin: 1788, 1789

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Riegers

Size: 21.5 x 13.5 x 5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Holy divine Scriptures.” The book consists of ten volumes, but only the first, second, third and tenth have survived. The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The decorations in the text are few and modest. The first page of the first volume has an engraving with the caption: “Das esetz und die Propheten, Matth. 7.12”. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthuas Riegers sel. Sohnen, Augsburg, 1788, 1789.”

72. BETRACHTETE EVANGELIUM

Author:unknown

Date of origin: 1785

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Joh. Thomas Edlen

Size: 19.6 x 12.5 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Reflections on the Gospels.” The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The title page of the first volume bears an engraving with a scene from Christ’s sermon. The title page of each volume bears the printer’s mark: the figure of an antique-era writer in an interior with four pillars, with crowns instead of capitals, between which is the inscription “Labore et favore.”  Beside this inscription is another held by a dragon: “Altius.” The publisher’s details are on the title page: “John. Thomas Edlen, Wien 1785.” The covers are leather-covered and decorated with simple vertical gilt lines.

73. PREDIGTEN

Author: Adam Rerns

Date of origin: 1785

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Riegers

Size: 18 x 11 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description.  A book of sermons, in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink.  The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaus Riegers sel sohnen, Augsburg, 1785.” The titles are decorated with vignettes but the initials are simple. The binding is board with leather cornerpieces.

74. PREDIGTEN UBER DEN CATECHISMUS

Author: Beda Mahr

Date of origin: 1777

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Riegers

Size: 11.5 x 19 x 4.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Catechistic sermons.” The book consists of two volumes, and is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaus Riegers sel sohnen, Augsburg, 1777.” The binding is leather-covered board. The first volume has 769 numbered pages and the second 923.

75. EXPLICATION DES EVANGILES EN FORME D’HOMILIE

Author:

Date of origin: 1776

Place of origin: Metz

Publisher: Jean Baptiste Collignon

Size: 17 x 10 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Interpretation of the Gospels in the form of homilies.”  Volumes two, three and four have survived. The book is in French, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Jean Baptiste Collignon. Metz, MDCCLXXVI.” The decorations in the text are modest, and consist of initials and banners. The binding is leather-covered board. Volume two has 563 numbered pages, volume three 492, and volume four, 455.

76. CONCILIUM TRIDENTINUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1766

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaei Rieger et filiorum

Size: 20 x 13.5 x 5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “The Council of Trent.” (Translator’s note: not “Trinidad”, as in the Bosnian) The book is in Latin, printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The inside front cover has a pasted-in sheet with a baroque vignette incorporating the letters “I.AE.ST.P”  The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Matthaei Rieger et filiorum, Augustae Vindelicorum MDCCLXVI.” The binding is leather with a gilt geometric design. The book has 736 numbered pages.

77. LES VIES DES PERES DES DESERTS D’ORIENT

Author: Michelange Marin

Date of origin: 1761

Place of origin: Avignon

Publisher: Veuve Niel & Sons

Size: 17 x 10 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Lives of the Desert Fathers.”  The book consists of nine volumes (one missing). The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Veuve Niel et fils, Avignon, MDCCLXI.” The bindingn is leather with a gilt stylized floral design on the spine. Numbered pages: Vol. 1: 556; Vol. 2: 549; Vol. 3: 623; Vol. 4: 622; Vol. 5: 591; Vol. 6: 570; Vol. 8: 587; Vol. 9: 553

78. PREDIGTEN

Author: Ludvig Bourdaloue

Date of origin: 1760, 1761, 1763, 1764, 1767

Place of origin: Prague

Publisher: Walterischen buchhandlung

Size: 20 x 12.5 x 2-4 cm

Material: paper, leather

Technique: printed, gilded

Description: Sermons. Volumes one, two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, twelve and thirteen have survived. The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page. The first volume has an engraving on the first page: a half length portrait of the author, with signature. The leather binding is decorated with gilding. The volumes have the following pagination: Vol. 1: 556; Vol. 7: 385.

79. PREDIGTEN AUF ALLE SONN UND FESTTAGEDES JAHRES

Author: Adam Rerns

Date of origin: 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Mattheus Riegers & Sons

Size: 18.5 x 11 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons for all Sundays and holy days.” The sermons are in 22 volumes groups together in six annuals with four books in each.  The  book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink.  The decorations in the text are few and modest, but each title page has an engraving.The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaus Riegers sel sohnen, Augsburg.” The binding is board with leather cornerpieces.

80. PREDIGTEN

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1788

Place of origin: Brussels

Publisher: Johann Friedrich Korn

Size: 20 x 12.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons.” The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. There are few decorations in the text. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Johann Friedrich Korn, Breslau, 1788.” The book has 438 numbered pages.

81. DIE GOTTICHE HEILIGE SCHRIFT DES ALTEN UND NEUEN TESTAMENTES

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1789

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Riegers

Size: 17 x 10 x 4.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The frontispiece is an engraving of the Assumption of the Prophet, with below it the signature “Al/Mayr. Fc.A.V.” The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Matthaeus Riegers, Augsburg, 1789.”  The board covers are leather-covered. The book has 653 numbered pages.

82. RITUALE CONSTANTIENSE

Author: Francisco Konrad

Date of origin: 1766

Place of origin: Konstanz

Publisher: Episcopal press, run by the official printer Antonius Labhart

Size: 22 x 19 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: A book on the Cistercian rituals. The book is in Latin, in the Latin script, in black and red (tltle page) printer’s ink. The frontispiece is a portrait of the author. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Constantiae Ex Typographia Episcopal, per Antonium Labhart, Anno MDCCLXVI.” The binding is leather. The book has 322 paginated pages.

83. SONNTAGS PREDIGTEN, FASTEN PREDIGTEN

Author: Adrian Gretsch

Date of origin: 1796, 1806

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Johann Thomas Edlen

Size: 19.5 x 12 x 1.5 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sunday sermons” (Vols 1 and 3) and “Sermons for fast days” (Vol. 2) The  book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink.  The title page is decorated with a vignette incorporating “Instrumenta martyria” and the text “Fides spes et charitas.” The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Johann Thomas Edlen, Wien 1806/1796”. The binding is board. The first volume has 295 numbered pages, the second278, and the third 332.

84. JEGENDSCHULE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1808

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Martin Veith, Michael Rieger

Size: 17.5 x 11 x 2 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: Primer. The book is in German, printed in the Gothic script, in black printer’s ink.  The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Martin Veith und Michael Reiger’schen, Augsburg, 1808”. The binding is board. The book has 388 numbered pages.

85. PREDIGTEN UBER DIE GANZE CHRISTLICHE MORAL

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1795

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Nicolaus Doll

Size: 19.5 x 12 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons on Christian morality.” It consists of volumes two, three, four, five and six. The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The text is decorated with vignettes, and on each title page, between the publisher’s details and the title, is an engraving in rectangular panel with a scene from the Old or the New Testament and the printer’s stamp. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Nicolaus Doll, Augsburg, 1795.” The binding is board with leather cornerpieces. Volume 2 has 571 numbered pages, vol. 3 has 582, vol. 4 has 588, vol. 5 has 576, and vol. 6 has 655.

86. TRIDUM SACRUM EXERCITIS SPIRITUS

Author: Franz Neumayer

Date of origin: 1761

Place of origin: Augsburg and Ingolstadt

Publisher: Joannis Franc. Xav. Craetz et Thomea Summer

Size: 19 x 13 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed, tooled

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Spiritual exercises.”The text is printed in Latin, in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears an engraving of a knight at prayer. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joannis Franc. Xav. Craetz et Thomea Summer, Augustae et Ingolstadii 1761.” The binding is leather. The spine has a tooled floral decoration. The book has 270 numbered pages.

87. PREDIGTEN UBER SONNTAGHLICHE UND FEIERTAGLICHE EVANGELIEN(118)

Author: Jozef Anton Bordoni

Date of origin: 1775

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Joseph Wolf

Size: 17 x 10 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons for the Sunday and holy day Gospels.”   The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. Volumes one, two, four, five and six have survived. The text is decorated with vignettes, fruit and figural initials.  The title pages bear an engraving of a cartouche with the instruments of the Passion or figural scenes from the Gospels. Each title page has a note in brown ink: “Ex libris Josephi Gebhardi Parochi in Wangen, 1785,” along with the publisher’s details: “Joseph  Wolf, Augsburg, 1775.”  The covers are board with leather cornerpieces and spine. Volume 1 has 440 numbered pages, vol. 2 has 476, vol. 4 has 416, vol. 5 has 476 and vol. 6 has 420.

88. BIBLIA SACRA ODER DIE HEILIGE SCHRIFT DES ALTEN UND [NEUEN TESTAMENTES?]

Author:

Date of origin: 1789

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Johann Thomas Edlen

Size: 18 x 11.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The book is in German, except for a small part printed in Latin. It is printed in the Latin script, in black printer’s ink. The title page bears an engraving portraying the four Evangelists, two seated and two standing. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Wien, Johann Thomas Edlen, 1789.” The binding is board, with leather cornerpieces. The book has 703 numbered pages.

89. LOB TRAUER SITTENREDEN

Author: Esprit Fleschiers

Date of origin: 1764/65

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Joseph Wolf

Size: 17.5 x 10.5 x 4 cm

Material:  paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Eulogies and customs.” The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The first volume begins with an Imperial charter (Privilegium Caesarum), following by two eulogies (each with 400 numbered pages) and a contents page. The title page bears an engraving of Adam and Eve. Volume 3 contains the third and fourth eulogies with 440 and 368 numbered pages respectively and contents page.  Volume 7 contains the seventh and eighth eulogies each with 250 numbered pages and a contents page. There are few decorations in the text in each of the volumes. The covers are board. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Joseph Wolf, Augsburg, 1764 (Vols. 1 aqnd 3) and 1765 (vol. 7)”.

90. COMPENDIUM THEOLOGIAE UNIVERSAE

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1765

Place of origin: Nancei [Nancy?]

Publisher: Claudio Lesaure

Size: 18 x 11 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: The book consists of eight volumes, it is in Latin, in the Latin script, printed in black printer’s ink. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Claudio Lesaure, Nancei 1765”. The covers are board with leather cornerpieces.

91. HOMILEN UBER DIE SONNTAGHLICHEM EVANGELIEN

Author: A. G. Dietl

Date of origin: 1789

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Johann Baptist Strobl

Size: 18.5 x 11.5 x 4 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed.

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Homilies for the  Sunday Gospels.” The book consists of two volumes. It is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The frontispiece is a signed portrait of the author. Between the title and the publisher’s details on the title page (“Johann Baptist Strobol, Munchen 1789) is an illustration of Christ’s homily.  The binding is board. Volume 1 has 374 numbered pages and volume 2 has 423.

92. PREDIGTEN FUR DAS HANDVOLK

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1785

Place of origin: Vienna

Publisher: Thomas Edlen

Size: 18.5 x 11.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons for peasants.” The  book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. There are no decorations in the text other than on the title page, which bears a vignette with a female figure or personification, with the inscription “Labore et favore.” The publisher’s details are below the vignette: “Thomas Edlen, Wien, 1785.” The binding is board. The book has 383 numbered pages.

93. INSTITUTIO CLERICORUM

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1767

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: unknown

Size: 17 x 10.5 x 3 cm

Material: paper, board, buckram

Technique: printed

Description: The  book consists of four volumes. It is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The decoration in the text is sparse, amounting to no more than a few initials and vignettes. The edges of the pages are gilt. On the inside front cover is a partly illegible note in brown ink: “Pfanner Schmid in Krich. . . 1864.” The details of the donor funding the printing are on the title page: “Sumptibus Ignati Wagner, Augustae Vindelicorum, 1796.”  The board covers are covered with red plush.

94. UBUNGEN DES GEISTES

Author: J. M. Sailer

Date of origin: 1799

Place of origin: Munich

Publisher: Catholic City Hospital Press in Munich, Joseph Lentner

Size: 20o x 12 x 4 cm

Material: printed

Technique:

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Spiritual exercises.” The  book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The frontispiece is an engraving of a female figure at prayer. There is another page before the first page of text with an engraving of a hermit.  Both engravings are signed Hauber. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Bucmmission be Joseph Lentner, Mannhein und Munchen.” The board binding has leather cornerpieces and spine. The book has 565 numbered pages.

95. SITTENREDEN

Author: Franz Karl Kienle

Date of origin: 1790

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Matthaus Riegers

Size: 16 x 9.5 x 3.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “Sermons on morality.” The book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. The only decoration in the text is a medallion on the title page – a lamb on an altar. The publisher’s details are at the bottom of the title page: “Matthaus Riegers, Augsburg, 1790.” The binding is board with leather cornerpieces. The book has 662 numbered pages.

96. VERZIHNISZ DER KANZELREDEN DES JOHANN NEPOMUCK TSCHUPICK

Author: unknown

Date of origin: 1787

Place of origin: Augsburg

Publisher: Nicolaus Doll

Size: 18 x 10.5 x 2.5 cm

Material: paper, board, leather

Technique: printed

Description: In translation, the title reads: “List of formal speeches by Johann Nepomuck Tschupick.” The  book is in German, in the Gothic script, printed in black printer’s ink. There are no decorations in the text apart from one floral title. The publisher’s details are on the title page: “Nicolaus Doll, Augsburg, 1787.” The covers are board with leather cornerpieces. The book has 440 numbered pages.

 

3. Legal status to date

            According to a document of the Institute to Protect Cultural and Natural Monuments in Banja Luka, no. 360, of 30 December 1987, the complex of the Mariastern Trappist Monastery in Delibašino selo, together with its movable heritage, was registered as an asset of cultural and historical as well as natural heritage, enjoying the status of prior protection until its final proclamation as a property protected by the Executive Authority of the Municipal Assembly of Banja Luka. The elucidation of the said document describes the Mariastern Trappist Monastery as consisting of the church, the old orthopaedics building, the «Gostinjac» wing and the building for the priests with adjoining area, courtyard and cemetery(119).

            The Provisional List of National Monuments of the Commission lists the Mariastern church and Trappist monastery in Banja Luka and its movable property under the name Church and the Monastery of the Trappist Fathers in Banja Luka, under serial number 16.

 

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

            During the powerful earthquake of 26 and 27 October 1969, reaching 7 and 8 degrees on the Mercalli scale, with its epicentre in Banja Luka, the complex of the Trappist Monastery in Delibašino Selo was also damaged. The church building was badly damaged: there were cracks in the altar area and the transept, as well as horizontal cracks on the exterior walls of the central nave where the barrel vault of the central nave meets the walls. The canopy of the tabernacle(120), the Abbot’s seat and all four stucco reliefs on the crossing were totally destroyed. The altar was extensively damaged, the mensa of the altar broken, and the reliefs of lambs on the interior walls of the apse were cracked. The stone altars in the side aisles were damaged. The relief compositions on the walls of the main nave of the church, the capitals of the columns and the wooden furniture suffered no damage(121).

            Works to repair the damage began in 1971. During structural repair of the church building, three strong reinforced concrete buttresses each were added to the north and south façade of the church. These buttresses were so placed that their top front sections was in line with the structural join between the barrel vault of the central nave and the walls of the nave, with the lower section of the buttresses abutting onto the exterior walls of the side aisles.

            In 1975 the Restoration and Conservation Institute of Croatia carried out works on all the reliefs in the church.

            The sculpture of the Crucifixiion in the monastery cemetery was exposed to the elements and was quite badly damaged as a result. Prior to relocating it in the altar area of the church, in 1981, conservation and restoration works were carried out on it under the supervision of the Restoration and Conservation Institute of Croatia.

 

5. Current condition of the property

            The building is inb good physical condition, and is maintained on a regular basis. There is visible damage to the north-western part of the building close to the downpipes, caused by damp.  There is clear evidence of rising damp where the parapets of the church are in contact with the soil.

            The conditions in which the museum exhibits are housed are not suitable.

            Some of the movable heritage items are outside the monastery, but it is not known where.

 

III – CONCLUSION

            Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.

            The Decision was based on the following criteria:

A.         Time frame

B.         Historical value

C.         Artistic and aesthetic value

C.i.        quality of workmanship

C.ii.       quality of materials

C.iii.      proportions

C.iv.      composition

C.v.       value of details

C.vi.      value of construction

D.         Clarity

D.i.        material evidence of a lesser known historical era

D.ii.       evidence of historical change

D.iii.      work of a major artist or builder

D.iv.      evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner

D.v.       evidence of a typical way of life at a specific period

E.         Symbolic value

E.i.        ontological value

E.ii.       religious value

E.iii.      traditional value

E.iv.      relation to rituals or ceremonies

E.v.       significance for the identity of a group of people

F.         Townscape/ Landscape value

F.i.        Relation to other elements of the site

F.ii.       meaning in the townscape

F.iii.      the building or group of buildings is part of a group or site

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.       material and content

G.iii.      use and function

G.iv.      traditions and techniques

G.v.       location and setting

G.vi.      spirit and feeling

G.vii.     other internal and external factors

H.         Rarity and representativity

H.i.        unique or rare example of a certain type or style

H.iii.      work of a prominent artist, architect or craftsman

I.          Completeness

I.i.         physical coherence

I.ii.        homogeneity

I.iii.        completeness

I.iv.        undamaged condition

 

            The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

ـ           Copy of cadastral plan;

ـ           Copy of land register entry and proof of title;

ـ           Photodocumentation;

ـ           Drawings.

 

Bibliography

            During the procedure to designate the architectural ensemble of the Church and Monastery of the Trappist Fathers Mariastern in Banja Luka with movable property as a national monument, the following works were consulted:

 

before 1924.      Plan of the ground floor, from the Design for the Monastery Church and of the east and west wing

 

1933.    Zaplata, Rudolf: Trapisti u Bosni za turske vlade (1869-1878), (The Trappists in Bosnia During Turkish Rule [1869-1878]), Documents from the Archive of the Austrian Consul General in Sarajevo, Zagreb, 1933.

 

1964.    Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: Dolazak Trapista u Delibašino selo kod Banja Luke i njihova djelatnost, (The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their Activities), Banja Luka.

 

1965.    Popović, Ljubinko: "Popis inkunabula koje se nalaze u Bosni i Hercegovini", (List of  incunabulas in Bosnia and Herzegovina), Librarianship magazine no.66, pp 17 to 41, Belgrade, 1965.

 

1966.    Slavko, Batušić. Christoph Schwarc. Enciklopedija likovnih umjetnosti, (Encyclopaedia of Fine Arts) 4, 1966., Zagreb.

 

1972.    Tihić, Smail: "Kolonija trapista i crkva «Marija Zvijezda» u Delibašinim Selu kod Banja Luke", (Trappists colony and church of Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luka), Naše starine, Annual of the Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, XIII, Sarajevo, 1972, pp.179-192.

 

1982.-1984.       Catalogue of movable items and collections in the church and the  Mariastern Trappist Monastery in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luka, Institute to Preserve Cultural and Natural Monuments of Banja Luka, 1982-1984, Banja Luka.

 

1990.    Ševo, Ljiljana: Prijedlog za kategorizaciju predmeta iz zbirki samostana Trapista «Marija Zvijezda» u Delibašinom selu u Banjoj Luci, (Proposal for the Classification of the items in the collection of the Mariastern Trappist Monastery in Delibašino selo in Banja Luka). unpublished documentation of the Institute to Preserve Cultural and Natural Monuments of Banja Luka, 1990.

 

1994.    Ćosić, Prof. Dr Anto: 125th Anniversary of the Trappist Abbatial Church of Mariastern in Banja Luka,  Bishop’s Ordinariate Banja Luka and the Trappists Abbatial Church of Mariastern Banja Luka

 

1998.    Hall, James. Riječnik tema i simbola u umjetnosti, (Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art). Zagreb, 1998.

 

1999.    "Trapisti bez sira", (The Trappists with No Cheese), Svjetlo riječi, Year XVII, No: 200, November 1999, p.28.

 

2000.    "Veritas na kavi u samostanu trapista Marija Zvijezda", (Veritas having coffee in the Mariastern Trappist Monastery), Veritas, Herald of St. Antony of Padua, no.10/2000, Zagreb.

 

2000.    Vlah, Valter: Katastarski i zemljišno knjižni propisi kroz povijest, (Cadastral and land registry regulations through History), Zagreb University, Faculty of Geodesy, Zagreb, 2000.

 

2000.    Werner Müller: Atlas arhitekture, (Atlas of Architecture) 2, Zagreb, 2000.

 

2001.    Domović, Želimir: Rječnik stranih riječi, (Dictionary of foreign words), Belgrade, 2001.

           

            Web site of the Cistercian Order ( Site de la Famille cistercienne) http://www.Cîteaux.net

2004.    Katkić, Nermina and Šabić, Lejla: Architectural survey – Ground plan of the ground floor in the Trappists church of Mariastern in Banjaluka, Sarajevo, 2004.

 

(1) Translator’s note: I follow the Catholic Encyclopaedia in using the German form both for the monastery and for the convent after which it was named. See entry on Franz Pfanner, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11785c.htm

(2) The period from the 3rd  to the 5th century saw the emergence of the first form of monastery life, which is associated with groups of hermits, cenobites. In the fifth century St. Basilius wrote the first rules for cenobites and thus the first monasteries or communities of monks began to appear. In the West the first to write a monastic Rule was St. Benedict, who established a monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy in 529 CE.

The term monk – denoting persons who live according to a Rule – regulares – is a collective term for both men and women who have made three vows, of poverty, of obedience and of chastity, and who live in community. They are usually are named after to their founder, on whom depends their purpose, order and lifestyle. In the East, monks still today live in accordance with the Rule of St. Basilius. In the West a number of new monastic movements (orders) emerged, almost invariably following the breakdown of a particular social or cultural system, as a reaction to the state of affairs in the monkhood itself or in society at large, and as an attempt to find new solutions. It was thus that in the 11th century reform-oriented movements emerged within the Benedictine Order – The Carthusians in 1084, and the Cistercians in 1098, later to be reformed again into the Trappists in 1663. In the 13th century several so called mendicant orders were created (a more correct name would be preachers as this was their original intention), who became involved in the life of newly established cities in Europe; this was thus the turning point from a hermit-like way of life to that of the friars – the Franciscans in 1208, the Dominicans in 1215, the Carmelites in 1210, the Augustinians in 1256. In the 16th cntury the Jesuits were created in 1540, the Teatins in 1524, the Barnabites in 1530. In the 18th century several caritative-cum-educational orders were established: the Passionists in 1741, the Redemptorists in 1732, the Oratorians, the Lazarists. The Salesians were founded in the 19th century. All friars may for the most part divided into two groups: monks (eremits, hermits), who live apart from each other and from society, and cenobites (monastic friars) who live together and who are present in society.

The CISTERCIANS (Latin: ordo cisterciensis) are an order founded in 1098 as the result of a reform of the Benedictines by St. Robert in Cîteaux in France; the order was later reorganized by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. They wear white robes consisting of a long habit, scapular, hood and mantle.

The Cistercian order played a significant role in the Church in the twelfth and thirteen centuries. St Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux in France, and St. Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx in northern England, are regarded as the founders of the Order.

In the mid 17th century Abbot de Rancé of the French monastery La Trappe reformed the Cistercian Order. The Trappist Order does not exist by that name in the Catholic Church. Its members are so called after the famous monastery of La Trappe (the Abbey is 84 miles from Paris and 9 miles from the small town of Mortagne, in the Orne Region, belonging to the diocese of Séez which is part of the former Province of Normandy), even though they are in fact Cistercians  who found a new way to reach people, God and themselves by way of prayer, work and silence (Latin “Ora et labora” – prayer and labour). Prior to the French Revolution of 1789, several other Cistercian monasteries carried out reforms. During the French Revolution the monks of La Trappe Monastery fled to Switzerland, Russia and northern Germany.

According to 2002 data there are 101 men’s monasteries with 2,398 Trappist friars and 70 women’s monasteries with 1,418 sisters.

A letter dated 6 February 2003, signed by Dom Philippe Vanneste, Senior Superior of the Mariastern Abbey, Dom Bruno Gooskens, Abbot of the Mariawald Abbey, and Dom Bruno Olivera, Abbot General of the Trappist Order, addressed to Dragan Mikerević, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, uses the following term for the monastery of the Trappists in Banja Luka,: Abbey of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance "Mariastern" in Delibašino Selo – Banjaluka.

(3) The founder of the Trappist Monastery in Delibašino Selo, Franz Pfanner, baptised as Wendelin, was born on 21 September 1825 in Langen, Vorarlberg, in western Austria. He was ordained in 1850, and took the friar’s habit of the Trappists Order in 1863 in the Mariawald Abbey (Heimbach, Germany), becoming became sub prior of the Abbey in 1864.

In 1869 he established the Mariastern monastery in Banja Luka. In 1879, at the invitation of Bishop Richards of the English Cape Colony in South Africa, Pfanner began his missionary work with an intention to establish a new monastery. In 1883 he founded the Mariannhill monastery in Natal, 120 km from Durban. In 1885 this monastery was designated as an abbey and Pfanner was appointed as abbot. In 1893 Pfanner retired to the Emmaus missionary station, where he died on 25 May 1909.

(4) On 23 July 1867 the prior of the Mariawald Monastery, Eduard, issued Pfanner and Brother Zacharias with a permit to travel and identify a site for a new settlement for the Trappist friars (“Missus est in Hungariam ad indagandum locum novae fundationis cum fratre converso Zacharia, die 23. Julii 1867”; Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page 14)

(5) There were several bankrupt households in Hungary whose owners, for political reasons, had been expelled from the country and lived abroad. Pfanner and Zacharias visited these estates in Hungary intending to purchase one of them, but failed to gain the approval from Ostrogon Bishop Ivan Simoria, who did not want a Trappist community to be founded in Hungary (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, pages 15-16).

(6) In 1869 Pfanner submitted an appeal to the Croatian Government and the Croatian Assembly to found a Trappist monastery in Croatia. With the intention of winning the favourable opinion of the Trappists on the part of members of parliament, he wrote a Pro memoria on the Trappists in which he set out the history of the Order, its laws, and its modus operandi and self-funding; this was printed and disseminated across Croatia. After rowdy debate in the Croatian Assembly at its session of 14 April 1869 the Parliament rejected the appeal of the Trappists by majority vote ( Ibid, pages 20 to 25).

(7) On learning that a monastery in Lower Styria was for sale, Pfanner visited the site and then left for Graz to negotiate with the state authorities on the purchase of the monastery. He also travelled to Vienna, but he received a negative response from the relevant Ministry (Ibid, page 25)

(8) Pfanner first learnt about this Law from a conversation with a Slavonian priest who visited the monastery of the Sisters of Mercy in Zagreb as a guest, and upon Pfanner’s arrival in Banja Luka, in May 1869, the Austrian consular agent in Banja Luka, Dragančić, informed him about this legal provision: “According to an instruction given by the Consulate General in  Sarajevo, no. 5116, of 10 December 1868 sent to the Consular Agent’s Office in Banja Luka, Austrian citizens are permitted to purchase land in  Turkey following the agreement between the Vienna and Constantinople governments. The Convention is dated 5 November 1868” (Ibid, pages 26-27).

(9) His first attempt to buy real estate in Klašnice, 15-odd kilometers north of Banja Luke, failed (Ibid, pages 29 to 31).

(10) Ibid, page 36; Ćosić, Prof. Dr Anto: 125th Anniversary of the Mariastern Trappist Abbey in Banja Luka, Banja Luka 1994, page 12

(11) In 1928 the Trappists transferred the “cradle” hut into the garden of the new monastery, where it remain to this day. In 1959 the shed was in 1959 given a sheet metal roof, and now only some of the beams and the door and doorframe are original (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, pages.15-16) .

(12) Translator’s note: in English, the convention is to use “florin” for the Austrian forint and “forint” for the Hungarian.

(13) Latin. postulans; a person who applies to be accepted into the monastery, an applicant, one seeking a place; Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1137

(14) lat. vestiarium; premises where robes are kept; Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1471

(15) Austrian citizens, as well as Turkish citizens, could buy estates on the same conditions, but the right to possession by religious officials might be subject to their marital status: unmarried friars purchased estates with the intention to leave it to their churches, but the Law on the Right to Land Ownership related to the person. As there were no lay priests in Bosnia the Turkish Government recognized only unmarried friars (Franciscans) and married Orthodox priests (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, pages 40-41).

(16) In 1874 th same convent donated another 1,000 florins to Pfanner (Ibid, pages.42-43)

(17) (lat. Congregatio de propaganda fide, name of the Association which in 1623 Pope Urban VIII established in Rome in order to disseminate the Catholic religion, Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1172)

(18) Lat. rescriptum, the written response of a ruler or a high-ranking body to subordinate bodies and institutions on questions, appeals etc.; in Roman law: emperor's order, Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1236

(19) German. fathom; Ćosić, Anto: 125th Anniversary of the Trappist Abbey «Mariastern» in Banja Luka, Banja Luka, 1994,  page 46

(20) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964,  page 60

(21) This, a “Gift from religious Slovenians in Kranjska in 1872” was made in the workshop of Ignac Hilzer in Bečko Novo Mjesto; Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: Arrival of the Trappists to Delibašino selo near Banja Luka and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964,  page .63

(22) (lat. regula, a principle determining a modus operandi; Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1221)

(23) The Grand Council passed a decision prohibiting the ringing of bells henceforth and ordering that the bells be removed. After this decision Pfanner suspended the bell-ringing but did not remove the bells. In the spring of 1872 there was a persistent severe drought in Bosnia, with people of all faiths praying for rain, and the Trappists’ request to pray for rain and ring the bells during prayer was temporary approved (until rain fell), considering that the Turks regarded the Trappists as pious dervishes who enjoyed God's great mercy. The ringing of the bells continued in the monastery even after the rains came, resulting in new charges and a new lawsuit before the civilian authorities and the regional authorities; the charges even came to the knowledge of the  Sublime Porte in Constantinople (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, pages.64-65).

(24) (lat. congregatio, a merger of several monasteries of the same Order into a organized entity; Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 725)  

(25) dunum, a unit of land measurement; 1 dunum=1,000 m2

(26) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, pages 68-69

(27) 1 jutro=1600 fathoms; 1Viennese fathom=1,896484 metres; Vlah, Valter: Cadastral and land registry regulations through history, Zagreb University, Faculty of Geodesy, Zagreb, 2000

(28) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page 70

(29) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964,  page 76

(30) Zaplata, Rudolf: The Trappists in Bosnia during Turkish Rule (1869-1878), Zagreb, 1933,  page 222

(31) While it was in operation a total of 4,500 orphans of different nationalities spent timein the orphanage, where they were provided with an education and professional training. The beneficiaries of the orphanage would leave only after they were able to earn their own living. Every orphan learned some craft, and when they left the orphanage the Trappists would send them out into the world equipped with the knowledge and tools they needed to pursue the craft they were trained for.

(32) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page 133

(33) Bonaventura Bayer, baptised as Joseph, born on 12 Dec 1818 in Amorbach in Bavaria; he came to Mariastern in 1874 from France

(34) Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897), famous 19th century doctor who had a revolutionary approach to the treatment of ailments by natural medicine and baths

(35) The Trappists wanted to collect a toll for the maintenance of the bridge, but the Government did not accept the proposal: the bridge should be open to all users, and the Government was prepared to contribute the sum of 4000 florins to its construction. The Abbot rejected this proposal from the Government (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page 138)

(36) Baptised Franjo Ksaver, born on 22 Oct 1847 in Grundsheim, Württemberg. He came to Mariastern on 22 Dec 1877, and was ordained to the priesthood on 2 May 1886. From 1880 he was a steward, and in 1888 he was appointed Prior. He also ran the orphanage from 30 June 1890 to 11 Oct 1891. He was consecrated Abbot on 15 April 1894 by the Bishop of Banja Luka, fra Marijan Marković (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964,  page 144)

(37) Ibid, page 146

(38) school for apprentice craftsmen

(39) lat. juvenilis, juvenile (Domović, Želimir: Rječnik stranih riječi, Belgrade, 2001, page 646)

(40) (lat. noviciatus, temptation, period which the person who wants to join any priest order must spend as a novice or intern and which for Catholics usually lasts 1-2 years; Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade 2001, page 962).    

(41) Baptismal name Gregor, born on 9 Nov 1884 in Tübingen, Würtemberg, Germany. He completed his higher education in Rome, and was engaged in philosophy, metaphysics, biology, theology, mathematics and physics. He was ordained to the priesthood on 25 December 1912, and appointed as Abbot on 29 May 1920 (Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page 149)

(42) During the visit to the Monastery on 24 March 2004 a draft design for additional buildings, drawn up in Mariastern in 1926, was found.

(43) A bulldozer was used during the works on the church (Ćosić, Prof. Dr Anto: 125th anniversary of the Mariastern Trappist Abbey in Banja Luka,  Bishop’s Ordinariate Banja Luka and the Mariastern Trappist Abbey, Banja Luka, 1994, page 38)

(44)  In 1894 the founder registered the Brewery in Banja Luka for industrial beer production.

Searching for a way to overcome their lack of preparation to to sail the waters of industrial and banking capital, on the advice of their lawyers the Trappists decided to found a joint stock together with their limited partners. The brewery with all its capital was merged with the industrial community Dalmacija in 1921.

(45) Brother Ignacius brought the recipes for making cheese from the famous French monastery of Port du Salut. Their method of making cheese was conveyed from generation to generation, was always known to 2-3 Trappists, and was kept secret. A daily amount of about 400 kg of the famous Trappist cheese was supplied to the market. The cheese was exported, and was also delivered to the royal family in Belgrade and Bled (the royal family’s summer house). As much as 4,000 litres of milk would be bought from neighbouring villagers to make cheese, and 30 churns of milk produced in the monastery complex were sold a day in Banja Luka (Ćosić, Prof. Dr Anto: 125th anniversary of the Mariastern Trappist Abbey in Banja Luka,  Bishop’s Ordinariate of Banja Luka and the Mariastern Trappist Abbey, Banja Luka, 1994, page 38-39)

(46) lat. liquidatio, commercial calculation, clearing, sale, cost calculation; elimination and termination of some operations or jobs all related with it; debt payment (Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 812)

(47) lat. expropriatio, legal term for the forcible seizure of property from natural persons in the public interest, especially land, factories and all other means of production (Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 358)   

(48) Gavranović, Prof. Dr. Berislav: The Trappists’ Arrival in Delibašino selo near Banja Luke and their activities, Banja Luka, 1964, page150

(49) Catalogue of movable items and collections of the church and the Trappist Monastery Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luke, Historical overview, Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments and Nature in Banja Luka, 1982-1984, Banja Luka, page 7

(50) During the 24 March 2004 visit to the monastery a draft-copy of the present layout of the first floor of the east wing of the monastery was found. Architectural technician Budimir Božidar signed the draft, which was drawn up in June 1982. During subsequent review of the condition of the building it became evident that part of the upper storey and attic floor in the east wing of the Monastery was connected by a covered way, via the staircase between the east wing of the monastery and the church, with the church and “physically” used by the Trappists (the copy of the cadastral plan and land registry entry supplied did not state that this part was in the possession of the Trappists, nor was the “flooring study” on ownership supplied).

(51) Catalogue of movable items and collection of the church and monastery of the Trappists Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luke, Historical overview, Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments and Nature in Banja Luka, 1982-1984, Banja Luka, page 7

(52) Taken from the official web site of the Cistercian Order (Site de la Famille cistercienne) http://www.Cîteaux.net/elenchus/moines/27.htm)

(53)  In accordance with the data of the Banjaluka Diocese

(54) Based on the axiom that human work is a precondition for life the Cistercians normally build their monasteries close to water sources so as to use natural energy and water power, which is used to make the production process more cost-effective and efficient, and ultimately to more free time available for study, prayer and contemplation. 

The description of the monastery in Clairvaux, France, nicely illustrates these principles: “The river enters the Abbey as far as is possible given the coffer dam built across it.  It flows first to the mill, where it is used to grind corn under the weight of the millstones and for the separation of the fine-ground flour from the chaff. From there it flows to the next building and fills the cauldron, where it is heated for preparing beer. . . But this does not mean that the river has finished its work, for it now powers the cloth-fulling machines. . . It then flows into the leather works, where the material required for the friars’ footwear is prepared with great care and effort; after this it branches into several small streams and is profitably used as it passes through various premises, helping wherever needed, whether for cooking, gardening, grinding, irrigation, laundry or milling. . . “ (Catalogue of movable items and collection of church and monastery Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luke, Historical overview, Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments and Nature in Banja Luka, 1982-1984, Banja Luka, page 3). The description of the monastery in Clairvaux is very similar to that of the original monastery in Delibašino Selo, where the Trappists laid particular emphasis on the use of the Vrbas water power, the construction of business premises and the development of the monastery’s economy.

(55) lat. latifundium, large landed estate (Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 796). Latifundium monasteries are typical of the Benedictines, unlike the Franciscans and Dominicans who built «urban monasteries».

(56) The original monastery was on the present-day site of the Banjaluka Brewery. The monastery building erected during the second stage of development now houses the situated Miroslav Zotović Rehabilitation Centre, and Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is within the estate belonging to the Trappist community.

(57) The plan of the basement of the monastery church and construction of the east and west wings was found during the visit on 24 Mar 2004. The plan of the basement of the church and east and west wing extensions of the monastery was not dated but was certainly produced before 1924.

(58) It was probably due to the monastery’s weakening economic position and lack of funds that the project was not carried out in full (see Historical data, period after 1924).

(59) The new monastery block  was designed by Interinžinjering Co. of Zagreb, with the signature of architect B. Antolić as project designer. During the construction works on the new monastery block there were certain departures from the original design.

(60) On cadastral plot no.69, cadastral municipality Delibašino Selo 2, municipality Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

(61) In the structural sense, the church and former monastery building (the present-Milan Zotović hospital) constitute a single entity, but in terms of property ownership, the structural  construction entity consists of the church, third-stage monastery building and monastery cemetery built on c.p. nos. 69, 70, 71, 72/1 and 72/2, Land Registry entry no. 20/0, c.m. Delibašino Selo 2, municipality Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

(62) Tihić, Smail: Colony of the Trappists and church of Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luke, Naše starine, Annual of the Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, XIII, Sarajevo, 1972, page 181

(63) The module system is the means by which the square crossing of the central nave and two transepts of the side naves is merged into a basic unit in harmony with others in layout and elevation (Werner Müller: Architectural Atlas 2, Zagreb, 2000, page 377)

(64) Set approx. 6.70 m. apart

(65) This small tower was erected as a the ultimate concession to the desire for monumentality that could be permitted by the strict rules of the Cistercian order (Tihić: 1972, page 181), and its function is known to have been symbolic, not liturgical.

(66) At a height of +0.51 m. above the floor of the church

(67) measured from the apsidal wall to the wall with the entrance door leading to the central nave and church

(68) see photo (Tihić: 1972, page 182, illus.3)

(69) The azimuth of the deviation of longitudinal axis of the church from true east-west of +21 degree (mathematical orientation of angle measurement = measuring anticlockwise) was measured on the copy of the cadastral plan provided, which is to a scale of 1:1000, plan no: 28, c.m. Delibašino Selo II issued by the Authority for Geodetics and Property and Legal Affairs of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka, of 17 Feb 2004.

(70) Bruno Diamant was born in Biberach in Württemberg in 1866. He died in Munich in 1942. He was both an architect and a sculptor. He came to Banja Luka at the invitation of his cousin Abbot Bonaventura II Bayer and stayed there ten years. The construction of the new monastery church began during his stay in the monastery in Banja Luka. His work influenced its design. It was thanks to him that the church and monastery were enriched by valuable sculptures, carved wooden furniture and movable items.

(71) Main altar sculpture

(72) After the choruses were removed there was also altars.

(73) (1090-1153), Cistercian friar and theologian, son of a noblemen of Burgundian origin, the outstanding spiritual leader of his day, who also influenced secular events (he had considerable influence on the French King Louis VI, who launched the Second Crusade under his influence). As a young man he established the monastery in Clairvaux whose Superior he was until his death. He banned sculptures and decorations in sacred places since he deemed that they had no place in the simplicity of of the monastic life and the vow of poverty. There is no portrait of him taken during his lifetime. Among his numerous attributes is a bee-hive, which he shares with Ambrosius in allusion to his eloquence; he was popularly called Doctor Mellifluus, the «sweet-talking doctor»; another is a dragon, symbolizing his victory over heresy; three mitres on the ground, since he three times refused to be ordained as a Bishop; a cross with the Instruments of the Passion, reminiscent of his various works. He is usually accompanied by an inscription: Sustine et abstine, «sustain and abstain».  (Hall, 1998, 31)

(74) He founded the monastery in Cîteaux, together with St. Robert. After Pope Calixtus II exerted pressure on St. Robert to return to the Benedictine Order, St. Stephen stayed on in  Cîteaux, as Robert’s successor.

(75) The source used for the description of the interior of the church and the movable heritage items in the monastery is data from the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska

(76) (c. 480-547), founder of the oldest western monastic order, which was named after him. He was born in Nursia in Umbria, which he left as a young man to study in Rome. He lived near Subiaco for a few years as a hermit. He founded the famous Monte Cassino monastery where he proclaimed the rule of his Order, which in time became the basis of western monasticism, requiring poverty, chastity, obedience, obligatory manual labour and the irreversibility of the vows. Benedict remained known among people for many cases of healing, so that he is often shown healing the sick. (Hall, 1998, 29)

(77) the raven symbolizes an attempt by an envious priest to poison him

(78) symbolizing the poisoned wine with which his opponents tried to poison him

(79) In 1098 Robert de Molesme left Cluny with 20 friars to found a new monastery in Cîteaux, and revived the strict rules of the Benedictine Order.

(80) Standing for the Institution of Restoration and Conservation of Croatia, which conducted works on all the reliefs in the church in 1975.

(81) Symbolizing Christ as the good shepherd.

(82) Prior to the works carried out by the Institute for Restoration and Conservation of Croatia, the reliefs were painted red, green and grey.

(83) The sculpture was exposed to the elements in the monastery cemetery and it was somewhat weathered as a result. Before moving it in side, to the the altar area of the church, in 1981 conservative and restoration works were conducted under the supervision of the Institute for Restoration and Conservation of Croatia.

(84) The altar was made of brown marble. It was in the form of a baldachin, consisting of a pyramidal canopy on four relief-carved columns. The decoration on the column was divided into a number of oblique bands, filled with vine leaf and grape motifs and ears of corn. At the corners of the canopy facing the nave of the church were winged angels. The surface of the canopy facing the nave of the church bore the inscription Tabernaculum Dei.

(85) The Apprentices’ School was active as a part of the monastery from 1893 on. A carpenter’s workshop within the School made wooden furniture.

(86) Christoph Schwarz, German painter (Munich, around 1545-1592). Studied painting in Munich and Venice. Good connoisseur of Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. Ridolphi mentions him as a pupil of Titian’s. Together with F. Sustric he introduced the artistic ideas of the Italian cinquecento, especially Venetian painting, into Bavaria. (Batušić, 1966, 185)

(87) At that time Hubert Serapion, a painter, was staying in the Monastery, so it is assumed that he painted the portraits of the four abbots at that time.

(88) Pursuant to an order by Pope Leon XIII, three congregations, Wesmall, La Trappe and Sept Fons, were merged in 1892 into the single order of the stricter Cistercians – Ordo Cisterciensium reformatorum.

(89) To the Monastery of Mariastern when, after happily overcoming difficulties, the monastery was constructed for the first prior of the monastic cloister, R. D. Francisco, Fra Salesius 1879

(90) The angels stood at the corners of the tabernacle that was destroyed in the earthquake in 1969, after which the remaining parts were dismantled.

(91) The chair backs were designed according to original masks that two Trappist monks brought from Australia, where they spent some time exploring the possibilities of founding a Trappist monastery in this country.

(92) The Alt-Deutsch style furniture was given to the Ivanić Monastery by the Caritas Organisation. The monks of that monastery later gave it to the Trappist Monastery in Banja Luka.

(93) A cloak worn by the priest at mass or in procession.

(94) A sleeveless mantle covering the body and shoulders, worn over the alb and stole, usually with a cross embroidered on the back

(95) Outer robe with wide sleeves

(96) One of the Eucharistic vestments, now consisting of a strip worn hanging from the left arm

(97) presumably “bursa”, the bag of fine material in which priests carry the items needed for the last sacraments (Trans.)

(98) Franz Pfaner brought the stole with him.

(99) The hallmark is typical of those found on metal items produced in France c. 1840.

(100) Bruno Diamant brought the chalice to the monastery .

(101) The hall-mark consisting of a square with angled corners in the centre of which is the figure of a lion is an assay and purity mark typical of the Netherlands from 1814 to 1953. If there  is a dog’s head in the centre it is the mark for Austro-Hungary from 1867 to 1922.

(102) Assay and purity mark for Germany c. 1888.

(103) The chalice was a gift to Josip Knor from his parents and brother on the occasion of his first virgin mass in 1894. (J. Knor came to the monastery in 1892).

(104) The Austro-Hungarian assay and purity stamp from 1872 to 1922.

(105) A similar seal with two oak leaves was used by workshops in St Germain in 1781.

(106) This letter is often used by craftsmen in Paris workshops.

(107) This kind of hallmark is typical of Munich workshops from 1700 and 1860.

(108) Typical of Hungarian goldsmiths in the first half of the 20th century.

(109) The crescent moon and crown are the state marks for assay and quality typical of Germany c. 1888.

(110) The crescent moon and six-pointed star are the marks of the goldsmith’s workshop of Dokkum & Halle.

(111) The monstrance was a gift  «from a benefactor» in 1892.

(112) Two such candlesticks were brought to the monastery from the monastery in Ivanjić.

(113) Legacy of Franz Pfaner

(114) Ends with May 1933.

(115) The incunabula was removed from the monastery c. 1995. Father Tomislav Topić did not wish to say where it is now.

(116) Translator’s note: the convention in English is to use the word “stamped” for works so decorated dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, and “tooled” for later works.

(117) A Greek Catholic priest who donated a large number of books to the monastery in the first half of the 19th century

(118) Two sets

(119) The document of the Institute to Preserve Cultural and Natural Monuments in Banja Luka,  no. 360, of 30 Dec 1987 was found in the Monastery Archive during the official inspection of the Monastery on 24 Mar 2004.

(120) lat. tabernaculum: a place or house of worship, a canopied niche or recess, as for an  image or icon, altar, grave etc. (Domović, Želimir: Dictionary of foreign words, Belgrade, 2001, page 1375)

(121) Tihić, Smail: "Trappists’ colony and church of Mariastern in Delibašino Selo near Banja Luke", Our heritage, Annual of the Institute to Preserve Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, XIII, Sarajevo, 1972, page 179; photos from the archives of the Museum of Republike Srpske; photos from the Monastery Archives

               

               

 

 



   


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