From Chests to Shelves: Library of the Volodymyr Basilian Monastery and College in the 16th–19th Centuries

This article examines the history of the formation, functioning and development of the Basilians’ book collection in Volodymyr from the 16th to the first third of the 19th century in the context of the monastery’s educational and cultural activities. Based on the analysis of inventory descriptions from 1705, 1799, 1816 and 1819, the evolution of the library collection is traced from a relatively small collection (301 volumes in 1705) to a substantial educational and religious book repository (760 volumes in 1819). The research revealed that the formation of the book collection occurred through various channels: institutional book transmissions, targeted purchases, donations from benefactors, and bequests and inheritances of books from deceased monks. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the collection’s thematic structure, which included theological, educational, scientific and historical literature in various languages. According to the 1816 catalogue, a wide geography of publishing centres was established – from London to St. Petersburg, with a predominance of publications from Warsaw (30), Venice (28), Vilnius (20) and Rome (21), indicating the monastery’s active integration into the European intellectual space. Chronological analysis of the collection revealed the predominance of 18th-century publications (122 titles), comprising over 50% of the total volume, whilst maintaining a significant number of old printed books from the 16th–17th centuries. The library functioned, as a complex mechanism of knowledge transfer through four key dimensions: intellectual (translation activities, creation of new texts), educational (supporting the learning process), cultural (synthesis of Eastern and Western Christian traditions) and temporal (preservation and transmission of knowledge to subsequent generations). The research confirmed the significant role of the Basilian library in Volodymyr, as an important cultural and educational centre of Volhynia, which served the intellectual needs of the monastic community, teachers, students and regional elite until the monastery’s closure by Russian authorities in 1831.