What did the monks copy and preserv in monasteries?

Answer 1

The simplistic answer is "books" but the truth is more complex.

Medieval monastic scribes had access to much older books dating back to Carolignian and Byzantine times, which were themselves often copies of classical Roman and Greek texts; these were copied and re-copied, but often with updates and changes added; 12th century scribes at Canterbury made many copies of the much older Utrect Psalter, but often added their own (12th century) illustrations instead of copying the originals.

Monastic scribes also copied legal documents, charters, cartularies, letters, wills, land grants and many other manuscripts that were not books. In the case of a legal document, each of the people mentioned in the case expected to have a copy of the text so many copies had to be made, as well as another for filing away.

It was in the interests of each monastery to preserve the documents that granted its own land and holdings, or later donations of land and property from benefactors. Without documentary evidence to support the claims to such land, the king would be in a position to confiscate it.

Among the many books in monastic libraries would be the writings of the fathers of the Church such as Lanfranc, Bede, Sts Benedict and Jerome, Augustine of Hippo and Gregory the Great. There were also classical Latin writers: Cicero, Ovid, Homer; Bibles, books of psalms, the Gospels and discourses on The Bible stories; there were books of herbs, medical texts, geographies and books on mathematics, science, logic and the law.

Answer 2

The simplistic answer is "books" but the truth is more complex.

Medieval monastic scribes had access to much older books dating back to Carolignian and Byzantine times, which were themselves often copies of classical Roman and Greek texts; these were copied and re-copied, but often with updates and changes added; 12th century scribes at Canterbury made many copies of the much older Utrect Psalter, but often added their own (12th century) illustrations instead of copying the originals.

Monastic scribes also copied legal documents, charters, cartularies, letters, wills, land grants and many other manuscripts that were not books. In the case of a legal document, each of the people mentioned in the case expected to have a copy of the text so many copies had to be made, as well as another for filing away.

It was in the interests of each monastery to preserve the documents that granted its own land and holdings, or later donations of land and property from benefactors. Without documentary evidence to support the claims to such land, the king would be in a position to confiscate it.

Among the many books in monastic libraries would be the writings of the fathers of the Church such as Lanfranc, Bede, Sts Benedict and Jerome, Augustine of Hippo and Gregory the Great. There were also classical Latin writers: Cicero, Ovid, Homer; Bibles, books of psalms, the Gospels and discourses on The Bible stories; there were books of herbs, medical texts, geographies and books on mathematics, science, logic and the law.