The cataloging and digitization of medieval manuscripts from the libraries of the Heilsbronn and Sankt Jobst monasteries, a project carried out over six years, was successfully completed by the University Library at the end of March 2026 as planned, with funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). These collections represent the only two monastery libraries from the Franconian Margraviates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth that have been preserved in near-complete form. The project encompassed a total of 531 medieval manuscripts from the Heilsbronn Monastery Library that were suitable for digitization, as well as 57 volumes from the former Franciscan monastery of Sankt Jobst near Bayreuth.
The Heilsbronn Monastery Library holds a total collection of 594 manuscripts. This collection consists of 413 Latin parchment manuscripts, 168 Latin paper manuscripts, and 13 German manuscripts, five of which are written on parchment and eight on paper. Nine of these volumes were created after 1500; they were therefore classified as non-medieval according to the project definition and were not included in the project. The 57 medieval manuscripts from the former Franciscan monastery of Sankt Jobst were also cataloged and digitized; of these, three are on parchment and 54 are on paper.
The formal cataloging of the holdings was carried out in the Bavarian Union Catalog. In terms of content, the manuscripts cover a broad spectrum: they include patristic literature, philosophical works, treatises on scholasticism, and numerous sermons, many of which are by Bernard of Clairvaux. Furthermore, the collection includes works on homiletics, manuscripts on canon and secular law, ancient classics, writings on grammar and history, as well as legends of the saints, biographies, and treatises on medicine and the natural sciences.
The digitized items are available in our digital collections:
In addition, they can be searched worldwide on the “Handschriftenportal” (Manuscript Portal).