Einsiedeln, Stiftsbibliothek
The Abbey Library of Einsiedeln is rightfully considered a typical monastery library. Around the Holy Scripture as its center point are arranged the spiritual, theological sciences in an inner circle, around these in an outer circle are arranged all other sciences, from history, philosophy and jurisprudence to the natural sciences and medicine. Such comprehensive breadth was already documented in manuscripts from the early days of the monastery, as well as in ones from the so-called historical collection of the post-Reformation period, and the same remains true today for the modern library. The abbey library’s collection today includes about 1,200 manuscripts (of these about 580 are from before 1500), 1,100 incunabula and early printed works (until 1520), and 230,000 printed volumes from the 16th to the 21st century. Numerous current journals and periodicals offer the most up-to-date research from a large variety of disciplines.
This manuscript contains Gregory the Great’s Moralia in Job. It is assumed the manuscript originated in Disentis, since its Carolingian minuscule is very similar to that of manuscript 126, written by the scribe Subo of Disentis. Therefore this manuscript, too, should be dated to the first third of the 9th century. The manuscript has been held at Einsiedeln since the 17th century, as attested by an ex libris on p. 3.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
This manuscript contains the homilies of Gregory the Great on the prophet Ezekiel. It is written by various hands in a minucule which in general is close to the Raetian minuscule. Some researchers attribute the manuscript to a Swiss or Raetian scriptorium. A part of pages 204 and 206 and the entire page 214 are written in uncial script. The mansucript contains numerous initials with geometric and vegetal elements, similar in style to the Remedius-Sacramentary (Cod. Sang. 348). The maniculae by Heinrich von Ligerz confirm that the manuscript was in Einsiedeln in the 14th century already.
Online Since: 04/23/2013
This manuscript contains the Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam of Ambrosius of Milan. It was produced in Engelberg as a commission for Abbot Frowin (1143-1178), a fact indicated by the dedicatory verse on 1. It also contains three illuminated initials with the motive of tendrils generally used during Frowin’s tenure.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
This manuscript contains works by Isidore, Hucbaldus and Bernoldus as well as the Gospel of Nicodeum, copied at various times in Italy and Einsiedeln.
Online Since: 07/31/2009
This two-part composite manuscript contains various grammatical texts. Probably the two parts were combined when the manuscript was rebound in the 14th century; since then, it has been in the Abbey Library of Einsiedeln. The first part (2-110) was probaby copied in Reichenau in the 3rd third of the 9th century. The second part (111-215) is older and was perhaps written in Reims in the 8th/9th century. Certain scholars (Bruckner) suggest that the script of the second part may be Raetian.
Online Since: 04/23/2013
This manuscript contains the Venerable Bede’s Expositio of the Gospel of Mark (pp. 2-341) and a Tractatus de cruce domini (pp. 341-351) here attributed to Ambrose, but actually by John Chrysostom. According to A. Bruckner, the manuscript originated in the Rhaetian area; however, Hartmut Hoffmann assumes as origin St.-Germain-des-Prés. The ex libris on p. 3 attests to the manuscript’s presence at Einsiedeln since the 17th century.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
A manuscript collection containing letters of Pope Gregory the Great as well as commentaries on Boethius. The text contains both Latin glosses and numerous Old High German glosses in cryptographic script. The manuscript was written during the second half of the 10th century in Einsiedeln.
Online Since: 07/31/2009
This manuscript contains the Tractatus super epistolam ad Titum, Expositio in epistulam Pauli ad Philemonem and Expositio in epistulam ad Hebraeos by Alcuin. It was probably produced at the time of Reginbert in the scriptorium at Reichenau.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
This collection contains, together with other texts, a collection of Canons of ecclesiastical law called the Collectio Quesnelliana. It was probably produced in a scriptorium in northeastern France and was later held by the Court Library of Charlemagne. In the 11th century it was placed in the Cologne Cathedral library, where it was annotated by Bernold von Konstanz. It was later owned by suffragan bishop of Constance Jakob Johann Mirgel (1559-1629) before making its way, together with a group of his books, to the cloister at Einsiedeln.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
A 12th century manuscript (1170-1190), probably copied in Switzerland (Einsiedeln?) or in Austria. It contains the introduction In prima parte agitur (fol. 1r-7ra) and the Decretum by Gratian [Σ-group, cf. C. Wei, A Discussion and List of Manuscripts Belonging to the Σ-group (S-group)] (fol. 7ra-217va); an additio (from fol. 167vb to C.29: Adrianus papa Eberhardo Salzeburgensi archiepiscopo. 'Dignum est et a rationis... [JL 10445: 1154-59]); various excerpts of glosses (scraped on fol. 21a) and excerpta of the Summa by Rufinus (cf. R. Weigand, Die Glossen zum Dekret Gratians. Studien zu den frühen Glossen und Glossenkompositionen, Roma 1991, pp. 737-740); fragments of the Glossa Ordinaria by Bartholomaeus Brixiensis (France, middle of the 13th century) were copied onto the erasures on fol. 6va-9va.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The Panormia contains a collection of canon law texts, attributed to Ivo of Chartres, which apparently was edited after 1095. The codex probably originated in Einsiedeln and was written by a single scribe who used a regular and calligraphic Carolingian script. The text is divided into eight books, each introduced by an initial; of these eight initials, only one is executed in red, while for the others the preliminary drawings remain visible.
Online Since: 09/23/2014
Originally, this codex constituted a whole together with Einsiedeln 281. It was created in the 8th/9th century in the Raetian-Lombard area. The first part (p. 1-256) was written in Carolingian minuscule, the second (p. 258-430) in Raetian minuscule, the third (p. 431-526) in Raetian or Alemannic minuscule. The maniculae (bookmarks) by Heinrich von Ligerz confirm that the manuscript was in Einsiedeln in the 14th century already.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
This collection contains various council documents (pp. 1-41) and the Collectio vetus gallica (pp. 41-166), the oldest systematic collection of canons from Gaul at the time of the Franks. The first part contains Old High German glosses from the 10th century. In the 17th century, the codex was in the area of Constance, as can be inferred from the ex libris of Bischop Johann Jakob Mirgel (1598-1644) on the front inside cover of the binding; shortly thereafter it reached Einsiedeln, as attested by the 17th century ex libris (p. 1).
Online Since: 04/09/2014
This is an especially lovely exemplar, written in France (Paris?) or Flanders, of The Mirror of Human Salvation, or Speculum humanae salvationis. The work itself exists in over 200 manuscript copies and numerous print editions. The Mirror of Human Salvation is divided into the prefiguring of salvation (Old Testament), the story of salvation as told in the New Testament (from the Annunciation to the Judgement Day), the 7 Stations of the Passion, the 7 Sorrows and the 7 Joys of Mary. At this time, four leaves and the opening portion are missing.
Online Since: 11/04/2010
A collection of homiletic and pastoral texts dated with the years [14]52, [14]54 and [14]55, which came to Einsiedeln from the Lake Constance area. The main work are those by Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl: Sermones de sanctis, De tribus partibus poenitentiae, De indulgentiis, De oratione Dominica; a collection of writings in Latin by Marquard von Lindau OFM; and texts by Jordanus von Quedlinburg OESA: Sermones de communi sanctorum, Sermones ad religiosos et religiosas.
Online Since: 12/21/2010
This composite manuscript consists of five parts. The first part (1-93) contains an exemplar of the Benedictine Rule, which was probably brought to Einsiedeln by Saint Meinrad († 861). From the viewpoint of textual-criticism, the text belongs to the group of Textus receptus of the Benedictine Rule, as it is found in northern Italy and in Montecassino in the 8th/9th century; noteworthy are the many interlinear glosses. The other parts of the composite manuscript contain: a Martyrologium (93-108), a Breviarium Apostolorum (98-99), two hymns (100), and a poem composed by Heinrich von Würzburg (109-148).
Online Since: 04/23/2013
The principal text in this manuscript is the Explanatio Dominicae Orationis by Engelberg’s Abbot Frowin (†1178), who probably commissioned the volume, as indicated by the verses on the last page (468). The manuscript was probably brought to Einsiedeln at the beginning of the 17th century.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
This manuscript, together with Cod. 247(379), 248(380) and 249(381), constitutes the four volumes of a collection of lives of the saints and passions of the martyrs, arranged according to the liturgical year. Without a doubt these four volumes were used in Einsiedeln, where most likely they also were produced. Each life is introduced with a large rubricated initial, and numerous glosses and maniculae by Heinrich von Ligerz were inserted along the margins. The original endpapers, now removed, left traces of a liturgical text with neumes on the inside of the cover and traces of an illuminated initial on the inside of the back cover.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
Contains an anonymous commentary on the Benedictine Rule, which today is attributed to Hildemar of Corby. The first part (f. 79r-106r) was written in the 9th century in Northern Italy, while the second part (f. 107r-169v) was written in the 10th century in Einsiedeln.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
This manuscript contains the third part (Collationes 18-24) of the Vitae et collationes patrum by John Cassian. The text is introduced by a full-page miniature, showing a medallion with Cassian in the middle, in the process of writing his work, surrounded by four abbots on a checkered background: Piamun and Giovanni with a round nimbus, Pinufius and Theonas with a square one. This manuscript was part of a group of codices that were created during the term of Abbot Thietland (961 until about 964).
Online Since: 03/17/2016