The Monte Cassino Digitorium was conceived as a gathering point for the rich history and beautiful manuscript codices of the Monte Cassino Scriptorium between 1058 and 1105 CE. These works illustrate the high point of the Cassinese script and the revolutionary work of the monastery's two most famous abbots: Desiderius (abbot 1058-1087, later Pope Victor III) and Oderisius I (abbot 1087-1105). This time period was the peak of popularity and prosperity at Monte Cassino and largely contributed to its ultimate fame. The collection of manuscript digital surrogates which we hope to acquire represents this high point of medieval codicology.

For the purposes of this prototype, our collection is limited to 10 records, the content of which was retrieved from The Scriptorium and Library at Monte Cassino, 1058-1105 by Francis Newton (1999). In addition to the codices, we include some background information and extensive webliography and bibliography for casual users not as familiar with the specific subject matter and those interested in further study.

Our mission includes:

• Providing open and free access for the scholarly and laymen community to explore, in an emulation of context, some extant codices of this time and place.
• Preserving, through the use of digital surrogates and supported data migration schedules, these important images and hence the objects themselves for future generations.
• Creating a collaborative environment where repositories from around the world are welcome to showcase and share their vital collections, even as a common interface unites them all.

Preservation

The project attempts to take great care in its preservation program of our digital surrogates, adhering to standards and encouraging our contributors to do the same as we together preserve the past in the future. For information on the preservation procedures which we follow and the criteria for which we request our contributors to adhere to, please see the information on our Digitization Workbook (PDF, 745K).

The Institutions

There are currently no outside institutions participating in this project. For information on becoming a part of our project, please see the information on and contact us through our blog. We are also seeking funding in the form of grants. If you think your institution might be interested in helping to sponsor this project, please see our letter of inquiry (PDF, 64K).