Abstract: It is generally accepted in scholarship that in the mid-14th century, the newly founded monastery Na Slovanech near Prague (later known as Emmaus) was settled by Croatian Glagolitic monks who were members of the Benedictine order, and that the monastery initially operated as a Benedictine monastery. While no one questions the Benedictine affiliation of the Croatian Glagolitic monks, scholars have mainly discussed which monastery on the Croatian coast they may have come from. The Benedictine designation may have been uncritically applied and accepted here. This article analyzes the extant fragments of liturgical manuals preserved from the “Na Slovanech” monastery to determine whether they are truly of the Benedictine type. These fragments were recently collected and published together, which facilitates analysis. The analysis shows that the manuscripts for the Divine Office are undoubtedly of a non-Benedictine type, as they clearly indicate they were intended for a Liturgy of the Hours organized according to secular use, not monastic Benedictine use. If the Croatian Glagolitic monks and their local brethren at the Na Slovanech monastery prayed their daily prayers (Divine Office) using the books from which these fragments remain, then they did not pray them as the Benedictines had done for centuries.

Author: Ćosić, Dajana – Vela, Jozo

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2026.19.1.30-38

Publication order reference: Dajana Ćosić, MA; Old Church Slavonic Institute in Zagreb, Demetrova 11, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0009-0002-6633-4372
Jozo Vela, PhD.; Old Church Slavonic Institute in Zagreb, Demetrova 11, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0009-0002-3080-6083

Source: Konštantínove listy, 2026, vol.: 19, issue: 1, pages: 30-38 (PDF file)

Keywords: NA SLOVANECH MONASTERY; PRAGUE EMMAUS MONASTERY; BENEDICTINES; CROATIAN GLAGOLITES; CROATIAN CHURCH SLAVONIC; MEDIEVAL LITURGY; MEDIEVAL DIVINE OFFICE; MONASTIC USE; SECULAR USE

Language: ENGLISH

Recommended Citation:
Ćosić, Dajana – Vela, Jozo. 2026. About the So-Called Benedictines in the Na Slovanech Monastery near Prague. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 19/1, 30-38.