Leighton Library, Dunblane

Scotland's oldest purpose-built independent library founded in 1687

Leighton Library has 1608 edition of “Le combat spirituel” with 27 new chapters added by Theatines religious order

Added at 06:30 on 07 August 2025

The Leighton Library has a 1608 edition of “Le combat spirituel” which has 27 new chapters added by the Theatines, the religious order founded by Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (Saint Cajetan), who died #OnThisDay 7 August 1547.

The 1608 edition was a major expansion of the original 1589 Venetian version. It grew from 24 chapters to 60.

The text offers practical advice for overcoming vice and cultivating virtue, emphasizing prayer, self-distrust, trust in God, and disciplined use of one’s faculties.

It had widespread influence across Europe, and often compared to “The Imitation of Christ” (favourite book of Robert Leighton), forming part of a canon of spiritual literature aimed at guiding Christians toward holiness in everyday life.

< Leighton Library has 1678 edition of "De la recherche de la verite" by Nicolas Malebranche