Manuscript on parchment (thick), composed of two distinct parts, of 1) Calendar-obituary giving the names of nuns, lay sisters, and benefactors of the Benedictine abbey of Notre-Dame de Saintes in Charente Inferieure in Southwestern France. The main body of this section dates from the fourteenth century, but was still being supplemented in the sixteenth century. 2) A version of the Usuard Martyrology; the body of the text written in the 12th century. 3) Rule of St. Benedict, feminine version.
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century (?), France. An early resewing on three double, twisted, tawed skin supports laced into wide grooves in oak boards and pegged with rectangular or square pegs. Covered in brown sheepskin with corner tongues, blind-tooled with diagonals in an outer frame. Spine leather wanting. Leather on boards much worn., ff. 3, 46 excised., First part of the manuscript has been extensively patched and repaired., Part I: Initials, dates and headings in red. Part II: Two decorated initials, ff. 47r and 129r, 6-line, in red, green and blue. Decorative headings in brown ink touched with red and green, or red touched with blue. Small initials, 4- to 1-line in red, some with foliage scrolls in red or contrasting color. Headings in red., and Script: Part I (ff. 1-46): Written in a variety of scripts ranging from gothic bookhand to batarde. Part II (ff. 47-168): Written in elegant late caroline/early gothic bookhand.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines
Subject (Topic):
Benedictine nuns, Christian martyrs, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Monasticism and religious orders
Manuscript on parchment containing 1) Benedictus Casinensis (500-550), Regula. 2) Promise formula of the novice upon his entry in religion. 3) Decrees of pope Pascal II (1099-1118) and emperors Charlemagne (?800-814) and Lothar I (823-855) against alienating the goods of a church or monastery. 4) Alberic, bishop of Rimini (1158-1177), Letter to the prior and convent of Vangadizza, on the death of abbot Liutald. 5) Computistical notes and tables: (a) Table of the regulares lunae; (b) dates of the seven embolismi of the Nineteen-Years Cycle; (c) discussion of the three years of the Cycle in which epacts and embolismi differ; (d) table of the seven embolismi for all the years of the Nineteen-Years Cycle; in the first column the epacts; (e) a short table summarizing the data of table (d). 6) Obituary of the abbey of Vangadizza. 7) Liturgical instructions for observing the anniversary of Martin, first abbot of the monastery.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century (?). Parchment over pasteboard. On the flat spine the handwritten 19th century inscription: "Regulae S. Benedicti et Kalendarium antiquum M.S.", Headings in red. Plain initials in red of various sizes (mostly 2-3 lines), sometimes with penwork decoration in the same colour (on f. 29 r in an initial a human head is drawn). On f. 4r the text of art. 1 opens with a 6-line zoomorphic initial "M" with two birds on a rectangular background. On f. 1r its preface opens with a 10-line historiated initial "A" , depicting St. Benedict explaining his rule to a monk, on a rectangular background. Both initials are in liquid gold, red, ocre and blue, and are followed by large display script in red, blue and ocre., Script: Copied by various hands, all writing Southern Praegothica. In art. 1 the changes of hands and layout often go together with the appearance of singletons, different layout and bad textual connection between successive pages and deserve a close analysis. In the Obituary (art. 6) the entries are added by many different, sometimes informal hands., and The lower margin of f. 25 and the outer margin of f. 58 are replaced with modern parchment.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines and Vangadizza (Abbey : Badia Polesine, Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Monasticism and religious orders