Research within the Strahov Canonry
Over the centuries, the canonry has amassed an impressive historical wealth. In addition to the Strahov Library, which is significant both in architecture and the content of its collection, making it one of the world's important historical libraries, there is also a very significant collection of paintings and sculptures, precious objects, liturgical textiles, a historical archive, and a music archive. These collections were formed partly organically through the monastery's own activities and partly enhanced with a collecting intention. Until 1950, all collections and archives were stored directly in the monastery. After the abolition of male religious institutions by the communist regime, the state seized the canonry's historical wealth and distributed it among various institutions.
After November 1989, the monastery complex was returned to the order, and the restitution of collection items began. This challenging task, which stretched over many years, also confronted the canonry's professional staff with the necessity of building an electronic catalog for the Strahov Library, new records, and inventory of collection items, and in the last two decades, also digitalization and its comprehensive solutions. For more than thirty years, we have been striving to make the book and collection wealth accessible to the wider public, including with the support of grant programs from the Ministry of Culture. The professional platform for publishing scientific work results is the Bibliotheca Strahoviensis journal, and monographic publications related to individual collections are also published by the canonry. Part of the professional activities includes heritage care, which encompasses the management of cultural heritage, especially churches and their furnishings, or small sacral buildings, throughout the Czech Republic. We collaborate on various projects with key memory institutions and universities both in the Czech Republic and abroad. Our databases are becoming part of the scientific infrastructure. The canonry also has a scientific council.
