Genève, Bibliothèque de Genève
This manuscript from the 15th or 16th century unites texts by various authors: Isidore of Seville, Jerome, Eusebius of Caesarea as translated by Rufinus of Aquileia, Paulus Orosius and St. Bernard, presented in one codicologically unified volume.
Online Since: 04/15/2010
This 15th century manuscript contains 137 letters from Pope Gregory the Great, who during the Middle Ages was known mainly for his Moralia in Job. The letters written during his tenure as Pope (590-604) are an indispensable source for the history of the High Middle Ages and were passed down continuously throughout the Middle Ages. Part of the Bibliothèque de Genève's collection at the end of the 17th century, this copy, carefully written on paper in small cursiva, has remained unfinished, as can be seen from the dozen blank sheets at the end and from the fact that the large initials at the beginning of each letter were not executed.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
This manuscript, written in the Abbey of Murbach (France, Upper Rhine) about 830, contains the biblical commentaries of Hrabanus Maurus on the Books of Judith and Esther and the Book of Maccabees. The manuscript is valuable for its age as well as for the picture poem inserted into the commentary on the Book of Judith. It depicts Queen Judith, the wife of Ludwig the Pius, sanctified by the hand of God.
Online Since: 03/22/2012
This missal, copied in the early 12th century at the Mont-Saint-Michel Priory in the Tarentaise Valley, follows a model from Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy. The calendar contains almost all of the saints venerated in Normandy, and the Ordinary of the Mass follows the tradition of Mont-Saint-Michel. The missal seems to have been in use at least until 1233, when the last necrological note was added to the calendar. It was purchased by Abbot Claude Vittoz, priest of La Giettaz (Savoy), who left it to the Bibliothèque de Genève in 1750.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
According to the calendar and the sanctoral, this missal was meant for the use of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. Produced in the 14th century, the manuscript was restored in the 15th century and increased by several leaves, a sign that it was still in use at this time. An old miniature showing, among others, a crucifixion and a historiated initial depicting Pentecost – both original – was painted over with an image of angels bearing the coat of arms of Geneva (f. 95r). After the Reformation, this missal, together with other books from the Cathedral Chapter, was stored at the city hall (Hôtel de Ville), before it was finally transferred to the Bibliothèque de Genève in 1714.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
The incipit of the temporal (f. 1r: Incipit missale secundum usum maioris ecclesie gebennensis) indicates that this missal was meant for the use of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. This very neat volume, containing no calendar, no Sanctorale and no Commune Sanctorum – with the exception of one erased column of text (f. 145v) – was probably produced in Geneva in the 15th century. According to Huot, this is the oldest liturgical manuscript to have entered the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève at the end of the 17th century.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
Urbain Bonivard, prior of Saint-Victor in Geneva from 1458 to 1483, produced this missal in 1460. The missal follows the liturgical practices of Cluny; the miniatures are the work of Janin Luysel and Guillaume Coquin. During the Reformation the manuscript disappeared from Geneva and only came to light again in 1912 when the city of Geneva bought it at an auction in Munich.
Online Since: 12/09/2008
In addition to the usual services, this small-format book of hours following the practice of Paris contains several texts in French (a prayer to St. Roch, Les quinze joies de Notre-Dame and Les sept requêtes à Notre Seigneur). It is richly illuminated with full-page as well as smaller miniatures attributed (Gagnebin, 1976) to the workshop of the Coëtivy Master (now identified as Colin d’Amiens). Although some illuminations are slightly damaged, they attest to the high quality of their execution, especially in the intercession of the saints (ff. 201r-220v). This book of hours was meant for a man (the prayers are addressed in the masculine, f. 21r and 25v), perhaps for a certain Jean Novelli, whose name, together with the date 1460, is mentioned on the 18th century binding.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This 15th century Book of Hours following the custom of Paris also contains a complete biblical Psalter. The miniatures are attributed to the final period of the workshop of the Duke of Bedford (around 1435-1460). Each month in the calendar is preceded by a Latin verse in hexameter listing the two unlucky days of the month (January 1 and 25, February 4 and 26, March 1 and 28, April 10 and 20, May 3 and 25, June 10 and 16, July 13 and 22, August 1 and 30, September 3 and 21, October 3 and 22, November 5 and 28, December 7 and 22). This manuscript was part of the "collection Petau," founded by two counselors of the parliament of Paris, Paul Petau († 1614) and his son Alexandre Petau († 1672); in 1720 the volume was bought by Ami Lullin (1695-1756) from Geneva, who, after his death, bequeathed it to the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
The calendar of this book of hours for use in Rome contains prayers to Saint Clarus (2 January) and for the dedication of the Church of St. Peter in Geneva (8 October), which are particular to the diocese of this city. At an unspecified time, the manuscript suffered substantial damage: pages were torn out or torn apart, and illuminated initials were cut out. Only two of the original five illuminations have survived, placed at the beginning of the Hours of the Cross (fol. 15r) and the Penitential Psalms (fol. 74v), respectively. They were probably created mid-15th century in Geneva or the immediate surroundings.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This book of hours in the Parisian fashion is richly illuminated and was made for the diocese of Nantes in the third quarter of the 15th century. It was owned by the Petau family during the 17th century. In 1720 it was purchased by Ami Lullin of Geneva and donated to the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 12/09/2008
This manuscript from the second half of the 15th century is a book of hours for use in the Abbey of St. Martin of Tours. Six large miniatures remain, of which two pertain to the life of Christ, two are dedicated to the Annunciation, one to St. Joseph, and the last to St. Barbara. The calendar indicates the thirteen unlucky days (dies eger) of the year. With its old crimson velvet binding, its painted decorations and careful script, this manuscript had enriched the collection of the Petau family before it came to Geneva.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This small, elegant, illuminated book of hours for the use of Rome was probably produced in the workshop of Jean Colombe, the famous book illustrator from Bourges, who was active in the last third of the 15th century. Some of the 14 miniatures that decorate the manuscript can in fact also be found in other books of hours that were illuminated by the master of Bourges, such as the cord situated in the ornate margins that frame the miniatures (Paris, BnF, n.a. lat. 3181). This motif has been interpreted in different ways, either as a sign of belonging to the Third Order of Franciscans, or as a sign of widowhood, in which case the addressee would have been a woman – but this is contradicted by the masculine forms of address in the prayers. The manuscript later became the property of Paul Petau, and in 1756 it became part of the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève as part of the bequest of Ami Lullin.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Illuminated in a Venetian workshop, this Rituale Romanum was copied during the second half of the 15th century for Archbishop Phillipe de Lévis. It contains the orations according to Roman Rite for various ceremonies such as baptism, purification, marriage, anointing of the sick, last rites, or burials. Carefully written, decorated with colorful floral borders and fine miniatures and augmented with gold leaf, the manuscript is of outstanding quality.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
This epistolary, produced in the cloister of St. Gall, was used for readings during the mass. The script is Carolingian minuscule and the initials are decorated with gold, silver, and minium. This manuscript may have been written and illuminated by Sintram at the beginning of the 10th century. The original binding was made of ivory. The manuscript apparently left St. Gall at the end of the 18th century, after being offered for sale. It only appeared again in the 1860s, when the heirs of Geneva physician Jean-Jaques de Roches-Lombard presented it to the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 12/09/2008
This manuscript contains several texts copied between the 13th and the 16th century. The oldest one is the Solemn Evangelistary of St. Pierre Cathedral of Geneva (ff. 5-28v), which, according to its illuminations (esp. f. 5r), was probably created in Paris, even though the pericopes correspond to the feast days particular to Geneva. This is followed by excerpts from the sung Gospels (with staff notation) from the 14th and 15th century, one of which is an interesting late 15th century liturgical witness for the feast of the Epiphany (ff. 37v-40r).
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Hugh of Amiens, archbishop of Rouen (1130-1164), is the author of the two theological treatises, Sur la foi catholique and Sur l'oraison dominicale, copied in this manuscript. According to the inscription on the front flyleaf, the manuscript was donated to the Cathedral of Rouen by Archbishop Rotrou of Warwick, immediate successor of Hugh of Amiens as the head of the archdiocese (1165-1183). An entry on the first page (f. 1r) attests that the manuscript belonged to Alexandre Petau before it became part of the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This sumptuous manuscript contains the Chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea translated by St. Jerome and presented in columns, together with continuations by Jerome and Prosper of Aquitaine. It was produced in about 1480 in Padua or Venice and was illuminated by Petrus V…, who created a masterful full-page illustration on Fol. 10r. A binding error unfortunately reduces the overall esthetic appeal of the volume: the first and second fascicles have been placed in inverse order.
Online Since: 04/15/2010
‘Venerable’ is the term that comes to mind for describing this manuscript. In fact, it can be considered ‘venerable’ due to its age since it is dated circa 825. Furthermore, the author of the main texts copied herein is Beda Venerabilis or the Venerable Bede (672/674, † 735), who was a monk at Jarrow Abbey in England. Copied in the Benedictine Abbey of Massay (France, Cher, near Bourges), the manuscript contains several of the Venerable Bede’s scientific works such as the Easter cycle, also known as Bede’s cycle, the De natura rerum, the De temporibus and the De temporum ratione. Various other texts were also inserted: the Annales Petaviani and the annals of the Abbey of Massay, calendar, fragments on the computus, letters.
Online Since: 06/23/2014
This manuscript contains the Latin translation of the Roman de Troie by Benoît de Sainte-Maure, prepared in 1287 by Guido de Columnis. The text is divided into 35 books, of which only 9 are introduced by miniatures, most of them whole-page miniatures (f. 1r, 5v, 16v, 46r, 72v, 83v, 89v, 107v, 124v). Set in Renaissance-style frames, the paintings illustrate various important moments in the destruction of Troy. This manuscript was part of the collection of Paul and Alexandre Petau before it became the property of Ami Lullin, pastor and theologist in Geneva, who donated it to the Bibliothèque de Genève in 1756.
Online Since: 03/22/2018