The Cathedral Library in Strängnäs is unique. It’s the only one in the Nordic Countries that is left in it’s original setting and still belongs to the church and has not been merged with other libraries.
The library contains a couple of thousands volumes and has it’s roots in the Middel Ages. Kort Rogge, bishop in Strängnäs in the late 15th century donated several beautiful manuscripts to the library. In those days most books were written by hand – a difficult and time consuming task. In one of the books Rogge himself has written the speech he gave before his teachers when he in 1460 became doctor of Canon Law at the University of Perugia.
The library grew the most during the 17th century when Johannes Matthiae was bishop of Strängnäs. He had been the teacher of Queen Kristina and after the Thirty Years' War she donated part of the literary spoils of war to the Cathedral in Strängnäs. The library was larger then and occupied twice the space of today. A great fire in the mid-19th century destroyed more than hundred volumes.
In the 17th century cathedral schools were founded in the Nordic cathedral cities. Often the cathedral libraries were merged with the schools libraries. This never happened in Strängnäs. The Cathedral kept its own library and the school created its own, which we know call the Rogge library.
In 1487 had Kort Rogge printed the famous Strängnäs Missal, for use at mass in the parishes in the diocese. It was printed in a magnificent edition of 170 copies, it was the fourth book that was printed in Sweden. Today only one printed original exists – in the Cathedral library in Strängnäs.
The missal gives us knowledge regarding mass in the Diocese of Strängnäs during the middle ages. Important feasts of different saints are described like the apostle of Södermanland Eskil as well as the Cathedrals patrons Peter and Paul.
It is printed red and black and the printer left space for the initials, so called historiated initials. They were done by hand by special artists.