A historic event for Croatian cultural heritage took place in December 2024 in Munich. The National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) successfully acquired a 1725 antiphonary at an auction held by a prestigious house specialising in rare books and manuscripts.

Given the exceptional contribution of the Pauline Order to the written culture of northern Croatia, as well as their role in higher and academic education, there was no doubt that the National and University Library in Zagreb should secure this valuable codex. With this acquisition, NSK’s collection of Pauline manuscripts has been further enriched, contributing to the preservation and study of Croatian cultural heritage.

Originating from the Pauline monastery in Remete, in northern Zagreb, this 300 year old codex with an antiphonary is a major addition to the manuscript collection of the National and University Library in Zagreb. Written by a member of the Pauline Order, Marko Silvestar, the antiphonary contains three groups of antiphons, following the customary structure of liturgical books.

Also included in the codex are Te Deum, a well-known hymn which in Western Christianity is traditionally attributed to St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, and three chants for the Feast of Candlemas – an antiphon and two responsories with verses added at the end by another author.

The notation of the Remete Pauline antiphonary is distinguished by the exceptional elegance of the script used for the Latin text of the chants. Even more striking is the refinement of the pen strokes, highlighting the scribe’s skill and deep familiarity not only with the Pauline cursive neumatic notation but also with the musical repertoire itself.

Since its arrival at NSK, the codex has undergone restoration and digitisation (publicly available at http://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:238:972631), making it an invaluable addition to the Library’s collection of Pauline manuscripts and liturgical codices, which are of great significance to Croatia’s tradition of Pauline music.