Lilienfeld library

The Cistercian abbey Lilienfeld was founded in 1202 by the Babenberg duke Leopold VI. The construction of the medieval abbey was finished in 1263. Lilienfeld was a centre for scholarly traditions in the Middle Ages, later a strong connection with Vienna University was maintained. The monastery library contains 39000 prints, 119 incunabula and 226 medieval manuscripts, including the collection of medieval and early modern codices from the library at Stift Lilienfeld, containing religious, liturgical, devotional, and patristic texts, as well as texts on other subjects. Famous is the concordantiae caritatis codex a compiled work of abbot Ulrich von Lilienfeld, who lived in the 14th century. It is the most voluminous typological collection oft the late medieval times. To be maintained also are the works of monk Christanus von Lilienfeld (d. before 1332) a liturgical poet of hymns, rhymed offices, sequences and compilator of several religious and liturgical works. Its wealth and glory was not sufficient to prevent the dissolution of the monastery under Emperor Joseph II in 1789. After its restoration in 1790 as a substitute for loss in the course of the abolition of 1789 a bundle of 49 manuscripts from the Lower Austrian Benedictine monastery Mariazell in Österreich was awarded to Lilienfeld.