History of the Library
The Central Archdiocesan and Faculty Library is a higher education and general scientific library within the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo.
Diocesan Library
The first indirect mention of the library dates back to the 15th century, when the Bishop of Đakovo requested a calligrapher (caligraphium), first from Pécs and later from Buda. Since the 15th century in Đakovo, alongside the bishop, there was also the Cathedral Chapter, one of whose tasks was the care of books and documents. Moreover, during that time there was also a Franciscan monastery in Đakovo, an institution where books were always read and preserved. After the liberation of Slavonia from the Turks in the 18th century, the bishops returned to Đakovo and the re-establishment of the library began.
The Diocesan Library was, for the most part, housed in the Bishop’s Palace. In 2004, the book collection was relocated to the new library building.
The collection of today’s Diocesan Library was formed primarily through the donations of individual bishops, canons, and professors. The book collection today consists of:
- The Library of Bishop Josip Antun Ćolnić with 700 volumes of valuable books;
The Library of Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer with 4,600 volumes of books and brochures, 450 books with dedications, 1,100 bound volumes of journals and newspapers, and 640 unbound and incomplete annuals;
The Library of Bishop Stjepan Bäuerlein with 11,000 volumes of books and journals.
The Central Archdiocesan and Faculty Library currently comprises: the Manuscript and Rare Books Collection, the Local History Collection, the Serial Publications Collection, the Collection of Academic Theses, the Ephemera Collection, the Music Collection, and the Reading Room Collection.
In total, the library’s holdings include more than 150,000 volumes of books and journals. The books cover subject areas such as philosophy, biblical studies, theology, history (both ecclesiastical and national), liturgy, literature, as well as lexicons, encyclopedias, and more.
Seminary Library
The Diocesan Seminary in Đakovo was founded on 6 November 1806. At the same time as the Seminary was established, a library was also founded. When speaking of this library, we are actually referring to several libraries whose collections, through their merger in 1934, created the holdings of the Seminary Library – the Library of Theology in Đakovo – today the Library of the Catholic Faculty of Theology. These were: the Seminary Library, the Professors’ Library, the Library of the Clerical Youth Association, and the Library of the Marian Congregation of Theology Students in Đakovo.
From the founding of the Seminary in 1806 until 1912, the library was located in the former Franciscan monastery in Đakovo, where Bishop Antun Mandić had opened the Theological Seminary and the Higher Theological School. In 1912, the old building was demolished and a new one was built between 1912 and 1914. The library remained in that building until it was moved to the new facility in the summer of 2003.
The Central Diocesan Library (CDL) was founded on 15 April 1996 by decree of the then Diocesan Bishop Msgr. Ćiril Kos. The foundation stone was blessed by Bishop Msgr. Ćiril Kos on 6 November 1996. Construction works on the future library began in June 1997. The construction and furnishing of the library continued, with some interruptions, until 2005. On 10 May 2005, the newly built and equipped library was blessed by the Diocesan Bishop Msgr. Marin Srakić, PhD. By decision of the Diocesan Bishop on 31 December 2005, the name “and Faculty” was added to the Central Diocesan Library. From that date, the official name of the library was “Central Diocesan and Faculty Library” (CDFL). Following the proclamation of the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek, the library was later renamed the “Central Archdiocesan and Faculty Library” (CAFL).
The building of today’s CAFL is located next to the St. Bonaventure College, which was built in 1857 by Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer for the education of Bosnian Franciscans in Đakovo. After “denationalization,” this building was adapted and reconstructed in 1994 for the needs of what was then the Higher Theological School – Theology in Đakovo, and since 2005, for the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, as part of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek.
