The European Heritage Project has added an exceptional new item to its collection: the so-called Orlach Missal, a rare missal dating from the late 11th century. As an important testament to medieval book and cultural history, the manuscript makes a valuable contribution to research into European heritage. It is the only fully preserved missal from this period. It offers a new insight into the understanding of the liturgy from the time before the Concordat of Worms (the Investiture Controversy) and reveals previously unknown liturgical settings.
In 2026, the European Heritage Project succeeded in acquiring the Orlach Missal, thereby preventing a previously agreed sale to a Chinese company. Otherwise, the work would have been withdrawn from public view for an indefinite period and permanently lost to its region of origin.
The European Heritage Project does not view cultural heritage solely as buildings and monuments. Historical books, too, can be unique testimonies to European history. They preserve knowledge, document the intellectual climate of their time and enable us to trace cultural, political and social developments across the centuries. They are indispensable sources that preserve Europe’s cultural memory and make it accessible to future generations.
The European Heritage Project does not view cultural heritage solely as buildings and monuments. Historical books, too, can be unique testimonies to European history. They preserve knowledge, document the intellectual climate of their time and enable us to trace cultural, political and social developments over the centuries. They are indispensable sources that preserve Europe’s cultural memory and make it accessible to future generations.
This unique historical book has been included in the European Heritage Project’s collection because, due to its age, rarity, historical significance and special provenance, it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Europe’s cultural heritage.
In addition to preserving the missal, the European Heritage Project has decided to make it accessible to academic research. To this end, the European Heritage Project recently welcomed experts from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), the Bavarian State Library, and specialists from across Germany in the fields of linguistics and manuscript studies for an initial joint assessment.
Over the coming months, the Missal will be intensively examined and scientifically catalogued in close collaboration with the participating institutions. The aim is to comprehensively document the manuscript’s origin, creation, linguistic features and historical context.
Following this, the complete digitisation of the manuscript is planned. This will not only ensure the long-term preservation of this exceptional cultural asset, but also make it available to researchers and interested members of the public worldwide.
