The “Missal According to the Rite of the Roman Court” is Now on Permanent Display at the Manuscripts Museum of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt
A reprint of the “Missal According to the Rite of the Roman Court” (Missale Romanum Glagolitice), the oldest Croatian book printed in Croatian Church Slavonic and Glagolitic script, and the first liturgical book in the world printed in a language and script other than Latin, is now on permanent display at the Manuscripts Museum of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt.
The reprint of one of the most important books in Croatian cultural and literary history was presented as a gift from the Republic of Croatia to the Library of Alexandria. It was handed to the Library’s director, Ahmed Zayed, by the Head of the Office of the President of the Republic Orsat Miljenić. Until now, the Manuscripts Museum of the Library of Alexandria – a collection regarded among the world’s most important – had never exhibited a manuscript in the Croatian language. President Zoran Milanović previously presented a reprint of the “Missal According to the Rite of the Roman Court” to Pope Leo XIV during his official visit to the Vatican in October last year, highlighting the enduring significance of this book for Croatian history and heritage.
Simultaneously with the presentation of the Missal, the exhibition “Klović: Croatian Renaissance Dream in Egypt” was inaugurated at the Library of Alexandria. Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Egypt, and curated by Diplomatic Counsellor Dr. Daniel Rafaelić, the exhibition displays enlarged miniatures by Julije Klović from the “Farnese Hours,” featuring ancient Egyptian motifs, alongside a facsimile of the “Hours” itself.
A professional seminar on the preservation of manuscript heritage, titled “Reviving Echoes: Early Print Restoration”, was also held, during which Egyptian experts from the Department for Academic Cooperation and the Conservation Laboratory shared knowledge and exchanged experiences with representatives of the Croatian Conservation Institute and the Croatian State Archives.
In addition to the Head of the Office of the President of the Republic Orsat Miljenić, the event was attended by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Arab Republic of Egypt Tomislav Bošnjak.
FOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Library of Alexandria