Cosmas / Kosmas

Originally, I considered writing these few lines in Czech only. I assume that no foreigner who is not interested in the history of the early Middle Ages in Central Europe knows the name Cosmas. On the other hand, every Czech over the age of twelve will recognize this name.

But then I thought that my writing might have one or two foreign readers. So let's see if I can enrich their minds in some way.

I studied history. I have former classmates in many places. So I get to go to places that ordinary people don't get to go to. Or at least I get to go somewhere for free. This was the latter case.

This year we commemorated the 900th anniversary of Kosmas' death. But who was he, actually?

Czech children learn about him from the third grade of elementary school. They learn about him as the oldest Czech chronicler, who wrote a book called Chronica Bohemorum, The Czech Chronicle. Of course, he wrote in Latin.

I assume that children whose mother tongue is English know the name Beda Venerabilis, who was a learned monk who wrote Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People) sometime at the turn of the 7th and 8th centuries.

German and French children are probably familiar with Historia Francorum, the chronicle of Fredegar. Russian children will know the name Nestor, who was a contemporary of Cosmas in Kievan Rus.

And everyone on the planet knows the names Herodotus and Thucydides. Or am I very much mistaken?

However, I have no idea who the oldest historian is in Romania, Hungary, or Albania, for example. Would anyone like to write to me about this?

And why is it good to know? Why is it good to know the history of individual nations and ethnic groups around the world? Will I learn more about a nation by sitting down with one of its current members for a few hours in a pub over a beer?

I can't answer that question. I'll stick with Cosmas.
At a time when the average human lifespan barely exceeded thirty years, he was called an octogenarian.

He is truly exceptional. He introduces himself with his titles and positions, mentions his career. He also writes about his wife and son. (At that time, the era when priests were still allowed to marry was coming to an end.) All of this was unusual at the time.

He would not have called himself a chronicler. By the standards of his time, he was a historian. He wrote down the history of his nation from its beginnings (from the confusion of languages during the construction of the Tower of Babel) to the year of his death.

His original work has not been preserved. But the text was copied by hand. Many variants were created. The scribes made mistakes, both intentional and unintentional. Some felt the need to add or remove something. The chronicle took on a life of its own.

Cosmas' modern methodology is fascinating. He divided his work into three parts.

• Mythical tales told by elders. These are legends. Cosmas recounts what is being told, but he himself states that no one can guarantee their veracity.
• Accounts of eyewitnesses. Kosmas was not personally present, but he spoke to people who were. Or he has documents relating to the events in his possession.
• What he experienced himself. Here, Cosmas acts as a direct witness. But he was often not just a witness, but a participant in the events. He was not an uneducated priest, but a high-ranking church dignitary who studied abroad and served as a diplomat in the service of the monarch. He traveled extensively.

However, Cosmas is not objective. He is an employee of the ruling dynasty. And so he sides with this dynasty and favors it.

However, it will take at least 200 years before another Czech historian and chronicler reaches Cosmas's level of writing about events. Kosmas's chronicle will be copied and later printed well into the 16th century as a basic source of information about my country's past.

The exhibition was held in several locations within the Jesuit college, which was built in the 16th century. The most important exhibits were located in the chapel, where photography was strictly prohibited. The room was darkened to prevent damage to the 800-year-old parchments.

Only 15 visitors in half an hour. It's a nice place, and I found the exhibition enriching for me.

I followed the rules as best I could.

I don't know whether to start writing about the chapel itself.

Václav Vavřinec (Wenceslaus Laurentius) Reiner was an important Czech Baroque painter of the 17th century. But who knows him outside the Czech Republic?

This is another part of the exhibition in a different location. These are incunabula, or early printed books. Completely new works from the end of the 15th century. Here, photography was allowed without restriction.

I don't know if anyone is interested in my writing.

I will end today with an overall photo of part of the Jesuit college in Prague. The photo shows a signpost. I want to write about one of the places mentioned on it next time, when I feel like writing something again.