Mmmonk
Mmmonk unites the circa 820 medieval manuscripts from the Flemish abbeys of St Bavo, St Peter, Ten Duinen and Ter Doest. Discover an intellectual and artistic treasure trove, going back to as early as the 6th century!
Operating funding for heritage libraries scrapped entirely by Flanders
€47 million is to be cut from the cultural budget in Flanders, with the cultural heritage sector bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. Museums, heritage organisations, archives, heritage libraries, national service organisations, the organisation for intangible cultural heritage and the sector support centre are all affected.
As a result, 25 years of cultural heritage policy are being dismantled.
Cuts are always difficult to absorb, but when funding is reduced by 30%, 50% or even 100% (!), it feels like nothing less than a death sentence. That is the overwhelming feeling across the sector. Organisations – and therefore people – are being hit at the very core of their work and their sense of purpose: what you do, what you stand for, is unimportant and irrelevant. The ecosystem that we have collectively built up over recent decades, with so much care and dedication, is being swept away.
Do you believe that the cultural heritage sector is valuable and important? Then you can help us – and yourself and society as a whole – by making your voice heard, including on social media using the hashtags #StopCultuurbesparingen (#StopCultureCuts) and #LaatHetLichtAan (#KeepTheLightOn).
For more information, open letters and reactions, please visit this page by FARO, the Flemish Institution for Cultural Heritage.
Thank you in advance for your support!
News
Registration Mmmonk School 2026 opened!
Join us online on 3 and 10 December 2026 (4–6 pm CET) for four engaging webinars exploring the medieval book!
In Memoriam Albert Derolez (1934-2026)
The Mmmonk project partners announce with great sadness the passing of Albert Derolez, internationally renowned medievalist and expert in the study of medieval manuscripts. His exceptional knowledge of and passion for the Liber Floridus and other manuscripts in the Mmmonk corpus will leave a profound and enduring impression.
Our manuscripts in exhibition 'Bigger Picture' BRUSK
'Bigger Picture - Connected Worlds of Bruges 900-1550' shows how medieval Bruges was connected to the wider world. The exhibition will also feature numerous manuscripts, including books from the Mmmonk corpus.
About abbeys and manuscripts
Mmmonk Highlights
A selection of highlights from the Mmmonk collection.
History of the collections
Read about the history and profile of the manuscripts and abbeys.
Virtual tours
Take a tour through the manuscripts and learn more about their authors, scribes, materials, readers and libraries.
Children discuss medieval manuscripts
Five children share their thoughts on six Medieval manuscripts. Can they make sense of a world of miniatures, gold, droleries, parchment and Latin?
Mmmonk School
Mmmonk School is a webinar series with basic introductions by experts on various aspects of the medieval book, e.g. heraldry, bookbindings, miniatures, dating formulas, reading culture...
IIIF Workshop
IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) facilitates the use of digital images in research, teaching and communication. Follow a step by step workshop which requires no technical knowledge.
Annotation demo on Liber Floridus
Discover our proof-of-concept for the visualisation of IIIF annotations on medieval manuscripts.
Contemporary Art Exhibition
Six artists created art pieces based on the Mmmonk manuscripts. Discover their art in the exhibition at Bruges Public Library from 1 December 2022 until 4 February 2023 or get a sneak peak on our website.
What is Mmmonk?
Mmmonk stands for Medieval Monastic Manuscripts – Open – Network – Knowledge. It is a collaborative project between Bruges Public Library, Ghent University Library, Major Seminary Ten Duinen in Bruges and Ghent Diocese. The project is funded by the Flemish Government (Department Culture, Youth and Media). Mmmonk unites the circa 820 extant medieval manuscripts from four important Flemish abbeys on a digital platform using the international IIIF protocol. Learn more about our goals, funding, corpus, methods and partners.