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Prague:: Mass at
Strahov/tour Strahov Abbey Library and lunch/travel to Berlin (4:30
drive)/hotel in Berlin
Over the course of the
trip I’ve discovered we have 6 lefties. It came to mind because we’ve eaten
together so often. This group is very considerate and the lefties always want
the ends as to not elbow their neighbors.
Lunch was great
today—again; duck and 2 types of dumplings, onion soup and dessert crepes. But
this time we had St. Norbert Amber beer offered to us. The restaurant
associated with the Abbey has many types of St. Norbert beer on their menu.
Earlier we went to Mass at Strohov. Not to minimize
it the church by any means, but it was another Baroque Abbey. Mass was in Czech
today. I didn’t understand a word. Some First Communicants were there in their
adorable little suits. And lots of incense wafted into the rafters. This church
also has many frescoes on the ceiling that are muted colors surrounded by gold,
white and pink stucco embellishments. The incense filled the air and the space
a sense of atmospheric perspective–where scenery is less vibrant and more grey
as it recedes to the horizon. Something beautiful happens to light when the air
is hazy. Outdoors, some refer to it as “God light.” Seems appropriate here.
The organ played and
children sang. Their little voices were such a stark difference from the
booming organ music we’ve heard and I wasn’t altogether prepared for it. John
and I are out of words for beautiful. The children’s singing was beautiful and
bounced through the space gracefully. Light streamed in from above and rested
in spots all over the church. I found it quite beautiful.
This Abbey, from 1143
originally, and special to us because relics of St. Norbert rest there. They’ve
added a display space that has key scenes of the life of Norbert in large
oils—the guide was quick to point out The Spider Incident and seemed to enjoy telling
the story. The new space has a large gold and glass reliquary ready to receive
remains.
St. Norbert’s remains
were in Magdeburg for quite sometime, until the church became Protestant. Some
negotiation ensued and his remains traveled to Doksany, where the nuns
“re-casketed” them as our guide told us (and planted a tree), and finally to
Strahov.
Strahov has a storied past as well. Communists
assumed the property as their own and threw out its residents, imprisoning the
Abbot. That was as recent as 1950. Ironically, because of the historical
significance of the church and library the Communists also restored it.
The library was
beautiful. Having seen the posters hanging in Fr. Andrew’s sitting area for a
year, I was glad to finally see it and take my own photos. President Kunkel
asked how old the oldest volume was, it is from the year 800. 700 years before
Gutenberg. And, if that’s not cool enough, they have somewhere around 1400
incunabula (books printed within the first 100 years of the press.) With a
couple of librarians on the trip, I believe the excitement level was a little
higher than normal. Gaping jaws, awed and inspired, I talked Sally into guest
blogging. I’m impressed that no one touched anything. Sally said she had to
clasp her hands behind her back, after all Strahov’s library is pretty
fantastic!
5 hours on the bus
today! We will be in Berlin for the final leg of the trip. We pass through more
countryside and Dresdin as I’m typing.
It has been enlightening
to see the relationships, from place to place, among the Norbertines and those
who have visited before. It is touching and evidence that family is not just by
blood.
Tomorrow we take a tour
of Berlin.
