''Hortulus Animae'' (, , , ) was the Latin title of a prayer book also available in German. It was very popular in the early sixteenth century, printed in many versions, also abroad in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
s and
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
.
History
An earlier well-known work of devotion and of moral instruction, richly illustrated with stories, was ''"Der Selen Würtzgart"'', first printed at
Ulm in 1483. The meaning of the title is "Herb garden of the Soul", which is similar to later titles.
The first known edition of ''Hortulus Animae'', dated 13 March 1498, was printed at
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
by
Wilhelm Schaffener of
Ribeauvillé (''Rappschwihr''), followed by German versions appearing in 1501. Later editions contained woodcuts by the well-known engravers
Hans Springinklee and
Erhard Schön, with beautiful miniatures in some existing manuscript examples, like the one at
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
(Cod.
Bibl. Pal. Vindobonensis. 2706, 1907), which has been reproduced as facsimile by
Friedrich Dornhöffer. In 1501/1502,
Sebastian Brant from Strasbourg translated it into
German.
''Hortulus Animae polonice'', a Polish version written by
Biernat of Lublin
Biernat of Lublin ( Polish: ''Biernat z Lublina'', Latin ''Bernardus Lublinius'', ca. 1465 – after 1529) was a Polish poet, fabulist, translator, and physician. He was one of the first Polish-language writers known by name, and the most i ...
, printed and published in 1513 by
Florian Ungler in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, was believed to be the first book printed in the
Polish language
Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...
(it is the second). The last known copy was lost during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
The work is mentioned briefly at the end of
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
's short story "
The Man of the Crowd."
See also
* ''
Book of Henryków''
* ''
Almanach cracoviense ad annum 1474''
*
History of printing in Poland
References
External links
* ''Catholic Encyclopedia'
''Hortulus Animæ'' - Little Garden of the Soul
{{Authority control
1513 books
16th-century Christian texts
Latin religious words and phrases
Devotional literature