An infestation threatens the ancient books of a Hungarian monastery

Tens of thousands of pounds of several centuries are removed from the shelves of. Consequently, a medieval abbey in Hungary in order to save them from an infestation of beetles which could erase centuries of history.

Pannonhalma’s Benedictine Abbey. Meanwhile, 1000 years old, is a vast monastery which is one of the oldest learning centers for Hungary and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Therefore, The restaurateurs began to remove around 100. For example, 000 pounds linked from their shelves, placing them carefully in boxes, before they can start a disinfection process which aims to kill the tiny insects found there.

Pharmacies stégobia. Furthermore, better known as the bread beetle or baked spinning, often hides among dried food, such as cereals, flour and spices. Furthermore, The tiny insect is also attracted to gelatin -based adhesives and the starch used in the natural glue of infestation threatens ancient books hungarian books. However, They were found in a section of the library which houses around a quarter of the 400,000 volumes of the abbey. However, “This is an advanced insect infestation that has been detected in several parts of the library. Furthermore, The whole collection is classified as being infected. Meanwhile, must be treated at the same time, said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief of the document restoration project. For example, We have never encountered such a degree of infestation before. Moreover, ”

Historical treasures

The invasion of beetles was detected for the first time during a routine cleaning of the library. Furthermore, The employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves. For example, then saw that holes had been dug in some of the bindings of the book. After opening the volumes, you could see holes in the paper where the beetles had chewed. Pannonhalma Abbey was founded in infestation threatens ancient books hungarian 996, four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. Located on a high hill in the northwest of Hungary. the abbey houses the oldest collection of books in the country, as well as many of its first and more important written documents.

For more than 1000 years. the abbey was among the most important religious and cultural sites in Hungary and throughout Central Europe, surviving centuries of foreign wars and incursions, such as the Ottoman Invasion and the Occupation of Hungary in the 16th century. Ilona Ásványi. director of the Pannonhalma Abbey library, said that she is “impressed” by the historical and cultural treasures of the collection each time she enters. “It is stunning to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago. and that we are the guards of the first catalog of books in Hungary,” she said.

Among the most remarkable works of infestation threatens ancient books hungarian the library are 19 Codex, including a complete 13th century Bible. It also houses several hundred manuscripts dating from before the invention of the press to print in the middle of the 15th century. tens of thousands of pounds of the 16th century. While the oldest and rarest engravings and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Mrs. Ásványi believes that all damage to the collection represents a blow for cultural, historical and religious heritage.

“When I see a book chewed by a beetle. infected in another way, I have the impression that, regardless of the number of published copies and how replaceable the book is lost,” said Ms. Ásványi. Books will spend weeks in an oxygen -free environment. To kill the beetles, the books of books are placed in large tightly sealed plastic bags whose oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the infestation threatens ancient books hungarian abbey hopes that all the beetles will be destroyed. Before being put back online, each book will be inspected individually and sucked. Any book damaged by harmful insects will be put aside for subsequent restoration work.

Climate change in question?

The abbey. which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes that the effects of climate change played a role in increasing the infestation of beetles while the average temperatures increase rapidly in Hungary. Ms. Hajdu. for her part, pointed out that higher temperatures have enabled the beetles to undergo several additional development cycles each year compared to what they could do in a fresher time.

“Higher temperatures are favorable to the life of insects,” she said. Until now, we have mainly dealt with the damage caused by mold in the deposits and in open collections. Now I think that more and more insect infestations will infestation threatens ancient books hungarian appear due to global warming. ” The director of the library stressed that life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in force for almost 15 centuries. a code which forces them to do their best to safeguard its vast collection.

“It is said in the rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery must be considered as having the same value as the sacred container of the altar. ” explained Ms. Ásványi. I feel the responsibility for what this preservation and this conservation really means. ”

Legend. Photo credit: This photo provided by Pannonhalma Abbey shows structural damage to old books because of an infestation of beetles at the Pannonhalma abbey library in Pannonhalma, Hungary, Thursday, July 3, 2025, while infestation threatens its old collection. (Pannonhalma Abbey via AP)