Finis Africae secret

The Finis Africae secret is the closely guarded knowledge of how to access the most forbidden section of the abbey's library, a hidden room known as the finis Africae. This secret, known only to the librarian and his assistant, becomes the central object of desire and the cause of a series of murders, as various monks attempt to uncover the forbidden book it contains: the lost second book of Aristotle's Poetics.

Nature and Location of the Secret

The finis Africae is a hidden, windowless heptagonal room within the library's labyrinth, located in the south tower. The library itself is a vast, complex structure, and the finis Africae represents its most inaccessible and dangerous part. The room is not merely a physical space but a spiritual and intellectual boundary, a place where the most dangerous and heretical texts are kept. The secret of how to enter it is passed down from librarian to assistant librarian, and is considered a sacred trust. The room's name, "finis Africae" (the end of Africa), is a reference to the library's geographical arrangement, where the south tower, representing Africa, houses books considered to be of falsehood or heresy. The room is the ultimate destination within this zone, a place where the most dangerous knowledge is sealed away.

The Mechanism of Entry

The entrance to the finis Africae is concealed behind a distorting mirror in a room of the south tower. The mirror is framed by a carved stone inscription: "Super thronos viginti quatuor" (Upon the twenty-four thrones). The secret to opening the mirror-door lies in the word "quatuor" (four). The mechanism requires pressing the first and seventh letters of this word, which are 'q' and 'r'. This is the "primum et septimum de quatuor" (the first and seventh of the four) that Venantius of Salvemec recorded in his coded notes. The mechanism is a cleverly designed lock that only those who know the specific letters to press can operate. The mirror itself is a door that swings open on its left side, revealing the hidden room beyond.

The Forbidden Book and Its Consequences

The finis Africae was created to house a single, supremely dangerous book: the only surviving copy of the second book of Aristotle's Poetics, which deals with comedy and laughter. Jorge of Burgos, the blind, elderly monk who had been the true master of the library for decades, had discovered the book during a trip to Silos in his youth and had hidden it there, believing it to be a threat to the Christian faith. He feared that the book's teachings on laughter would undermine the fear of God and the authority of the Church. The secret of the finis Africae was thus the secret of the book's location. The murders of Adelmo of Otranto, Venantius of Salvemec, Berengar of Arundel, Severinus of Sankt Wendel, and Malachi of Hildesheim all stem from attempts to either discover or protect this secret. The book itself was poisoned by Jorge, so that anyone who tried to read it would die, a trap that claimed Venantius and Berengar.

Revelation and Destruction

William of Baskerville, through his investigations, deduces the secret of the finis Africae. He realizes that the key to the mirror-door is the word "quatuor" and that the first and seventh letters must be pressed. He and his novice, Adso of Melk, enter the room and confront Jorge, who has barricaded himself inside. Jorge, having already killed the abbot, Abo, by trapping him in a secret passage, admits to his role in the murders. He then begins to destroy the book by tearing out its pages and eating them. In the ensuing struggle, a lamp is knocked over, setting the library on fire. The fire destroys the entire abbey, including the finis Africae and its secret, which is lost forever. The secret is ultimately consumed by the very flames that Jorge's actions inadvertently unleashed, a final, ironic end to a mystery that had cost so many lives.