Digital images of 70 parchment manuscripts which constitute the collection of the Romanat Qeddus Mika'el Church. It is a typical Ethiopia church manuscript library with the books dating into the period from the second half of the 16th century (i.e., possibly predating the foundation of the church) until our time. In present condition, the collection includes categories of the Ethiopian Christian literature, common for the libraries of rural churches: biblical books (esp. Psalters), many liturgical (service) books including collections of hymns; hagiography and homiletic works; a few theological works; a couple of “protective” (magic) texts; many marginal notes scattered in the manuscripts.
The purpose of all the books of the collection was mostly religious; they were meant for the use in liturgy on common and festive days, and in other Christian rituals (Baptism, Marriage, Penitence, Burial etc.). Most of the books of the collection were written in North Ethiopia; a few (including one of the most valuable) were written in the area of Gondär.
Most of the books entered the library of the church as donations (commissioned or bought by the faithful, then given to the church; or bequeathed to the church by the owners). In this respect, particular attention should be given to the Four Gospel book (004), Synaxarion (002) and the Book of the Rite for the Passion Week (020). The Four Gospel book could have been donated to the church at the occasion of its foundation or re-establishment.
Having started with a small number of books, the collection grew in size (esp. in the 19th-20th cent.), probably due to the favorable location of the church, near the road. The extension of the library happened also probably due to the wondering monks and nuns who started to settle at the church, and a traditional church school that emerged in Romanat. The custom of donating parchment manuscripts to the church continues practically until our time.
