Comparison of Catholic and Protestant Handwritten Prayer Books From the 18th - the 1st Half of the 19th Century

The article focuses on handwritten prayer books, which represent a significant phenomenon in the context of religious reading in 1750 - 1850. The research is based on studies of twenty manuscripts of Czech and Moravian origin stored in museums and libraries. Attention is paid to a detailed analysis and a reciprocal comparison of handwritten Catholic and Protestant prayer books. It follows their physical form and examines the illustrations. It emphasises the content structure of books including the use of Biblical quotes. It introduces the way of creating texts and the relationship of manuscripts to their printed templates. It puts the topic in a socio-historical context. It also notes different roles of the handwritten prayer book in everyday life of the faithful of two confessions, as well as the indisputable importance in the Baroque folk piety.