Historic Monastery Library in Hungary at Risk Due to Pest Infestation
In the heart of Hungary, the Pannonhalma Archabbey, home to the country's oldest library, is currently grappling with a severe beetle infestation that has threatened around 100,000 volumes in its collection. The rise in average temperatures, linked to global warming, has allowed these storage pests, known as book beetles, to undergo multiple development cycles annually, escalating their population and damage potential.
The book beetle, a tiny type of weevil, is not specific to libraries and can infest paper in various human dwellings. It is capable of infesting animal feed as well, feeding on the gelatin and starch adhesives used in bookbinding, and chewing through books' pages and spines. This destructive pest, often only 2 to 3 millimeters long, has created extensive damage in the library, with books showing extensive chewing and holes made by beetles.
About a quarter of the abbey's 400,000-volume collection is affected, though the oldest and rarest prints, such as a Bible edition from the 13th century, were already stored separately and under protected conditions before the parasite infestation. The abbey has responded by placing infected books in hermetically sealed plastic sacks devoid of oxygen for six weeks to kill the beetles using a nitrogen environment. Afterward, each book is individually inspected and vacuumed, and damaged books are set aside for restoration.
The abbey regards this as a significant cultural loss, emphasising the sacred responsibility to preserve their heritage. The preservation efforts are also framed by the Benedictine Rule, which regards all monastery property as valuable as sacred objects. Archabbot Cirill T. Hortobagyi, the prior of the monastery, attributes the beetle infestation to climate change.
Pope Francis has explicitly stated that climate damage has become a personal problem for every human being. This infestation at the Pannonhalma library underscores the global impact of climate change on cultural heritage preservation. The library is expected to remain closed until the end of the year as efforts continue to combat this destructive infestation.
The abbey's employment policy, in collaboration with the community policy, will prioritize the hiring of specialists in pest control and restoration to address the ongoing book beetle infestation and ensure the preservation of the library's collection. In parallel, the abbey will establish an environmental-science department to conduct research on climate-change implications and its impact on the library, thereby fostering a health-and-wellness environment that discourages future pest infestations.
