Librije, St. Walburga’s Church, Zutphen, Netherlands

On the pillars Master Wilhelm painted representations of the four Evangelists, St. Barbara, St. Catherine, St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Walburga and several other saints. He also decorated the corbels near the vaults On a pillar near the entrance of the library a figure of Christ is represented as Salvator Mundi (Redeemer of the World) with the words: “Ego sum via veritas et vita”
(I am the way, the truth and the life, John 14: 6). The reading desks (lecterns) date from the 1560s. On the sides of the desks facing the windows are various paintings by Master Wilhelm: the Holy Trinity, the Lamb of God, a martyr, etc. In some of the windows we can see coats of arms of churchwardens. To the far right of the entrance are the coats of arms of Conrad Slindewater and Herman Berner, the founders of the Librije. The reason for chaining the books was a purely practical one. The Librije was open to the general public. Anyone could obtain a key and sit and study the books for as long as the church was open. But the books had to stay where they belonged…