St. Gallen, Kantonsbibliothek, Vadianische Sammlung
The Vadian Collection, which is owned by the Ortsbürgergemeinde (citizen’s community) of St. Gall, is a permanent deposit in the cantonal library; it contains, among others, about 100 medieval and 700 early modern manuscripts. The late medieval illuminated manuscripts and the 15th century humanist manuscripts from Italy are of supra-regional significance. The Vadian Collection (VadSlg) also has the most important holdings of alchemic manuscripts (15th and 16th century) in Switzerland. Many of these manuscripts are included, either at the maximal or the normal level, in the virtual union catalog HAN, maintained by the Basel University Library.
In the years 1529-1531 the St. Gall humanist, reformer, and politician Joachim Vadian wrote a history of the abbey and city of St. Gall during the high and late middle ages (1199-1491). It goes by the title Grössere Chronik der Äbte (Great Chronicle of the Abbots). In this work, Vadian describes the way the abbey town changed into a self-reliant, independent city and became wealthy from the cloth weaving industry. The historical work is simultaneously a work of heated reformist protest, exposing and often bitingly commenting upon the increasing corruption of church dignitaries and institutions, particularly the Abbots and Abbey of St. Gall since the investiture conflict.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
The manuscript today known as the “Kleinere Chronik der Äbte von St. Gallen” (Lesser chronicle of the abbots of St. Gall) is an autograph; it describes the history of the Monastery of St. Gall from its beginnings under Abbot Othmar around the year 720 up to the year 1532, that is, to the period of the Reformation. The emphasis initially is on the history of the monastery; from the 13th century onward, what appears more and more is the history of the city of St. Gall, which was able to establish its independence and the Reformation.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
This manuscript, an autograph, contains a historical-topographical description of “Turgöuw” or Eastern Switzerland (pp. 1-3) as well as of the “Oberbodensee” (pp. 201-227), that is, the villages and areas on the northern (from Bregenz to Überlingen) and southern (from Rheineck to Kreuzlingen) shore [of Lake Constance]; it further contains a historical overview of the development of monasticism and ecclesiastical institutions and of the process of their decay (pp. 3-138), a history of Saint Gall and of the monastery of St. Gall (pp. 138-193), and the history of the Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Caligula (pp. 229-323).
Online Since: 12/14/2018
This manuscript, an autograph, contains various writings on the monastic way of life and about monasticism in the past and present. It contains, among others, translations of letters by Saint Jerome and of sermons by Bernard of Clairvaux. These are argumentation aids for disputes with proponents of monasteries and convents.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
This late 15th century manuscript contains a chronicled account, written by several authors, of the history of the monastery of St. Gall in the early and high Middle Ages, as well as several theological Quaestiones. The account is preceded by a list of abbots from the founder Otmar up to Berchtold von Falkenstein (1244-1272); a second list of abbots continuing until 1503 is added at the end.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This voluminous composite manuscript brings together the Casus Sancti Galli, the history of the monastery of St. Gall from the early and high Middle Ages, and about 50 lives of saints in texts of various lengths, among them those of the St. Gall saints Gallus, Otmar and Wiborada. The manuscript was created in the 1450s, when relations between the monastery and the town of St. Gall were sorted out, and the monastery launched extensive reforms.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This chronicle of the Reformation, an autograph illustrated with numerous woodcuts, comprises seven “books”: the first book is about Christ and the Pope, and Kessler describes the old church. In the second book he describes the emergence of Luther and the new faith. Books III through VII give a detailed report about the beginning and the course of the Reformation in St. Gall and in the adjacent area ruled by the Prince-Abbots, in the Swiss Confederation and in the German Empire. Regarding volume and detail, the events in St. Gall and in Eastern Switzerland take up the largest share. Mentioned and praised over and over again are the merits of Vadian, whose work Kessler named “Sabbata” because it was written “an den Sabbaten, das sind an den Fyrtagen und Fyrabendstunden” (on the Sabbath, which are the holidays and the hours at the end of the day, after work).
Online Since: 12/14/2018
The composite manuscript VadSlg Ms. 292 combines three independently produced parts, bound together in about 1460 at the Abbey of St. Gall. The first part is a Psalter from the 9th century; whether it was produced in St. Gall is questionable. The hymnal from the 12th century that comprises the second part contains a dedicatory illustration showing the scribe Eberhard presenting his book to Gallus, while Pope Gregory sits at a podium writing down songs that that a dove representing the Holy Spirit is whispering in his ear. The third part is a fragment containing prologues to the Psalter.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
These fragments from late antiquity are among the oldest surviving copies of the Gospels in the "Vulgate" Latin version edited by Jerome († 420). The manuscript was most likely produced in northern Italy before his death. In the early middle ages it came into the possession of the Abbey of St. Gall. These particular leaves were attached to the spine and inner side of the cover for reinforcement, as part of a new binding applied to VadSlg Ms. 292 during the reorganization of the library in about 1460.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This Evangelary with an unusual, nearly square format and full-page illuminated initials was written and decorated in the late 9th century at the Abbey of St. Gall. The binding, which was originally covered in bright silk brocade in red, yellow, and green, is equally unusual. Remnants of this material can still be found on the inner edge of the cover. The volume was annotated by Ekkehart IV during the 11th century; there are also some verses in his hand at the end.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This small-format volume from the 11th century combines a calendar, a gradual with neumes, and sung parts of the Mass with a sacramentary containing the prayers of the Mass. It was likely written in the Abbey of St. Gall; in the late middle ages it was moved to the chapel of Peter and Paul in Rotmonten near St. Gall. Numerous entire leaves and parts of leaves containing decorated initials have been cut out.
Online Since: 12/21/2010
In the works De arithmetica and De institutione musica Boethius transmitted Greek mathematics and music theory to medieval readers. The polychrome schematic illustrations in this 12th century manuscript are particularly carefully made.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This volume produced in 1420 in Florence is among the earliest manuscripts written in Humanist minuscule, and it is possible that this is a direct copy from the model written by Poggio Bracciolini, the inventor of this script. According to the judgment of Berthold Louis Ullman, it is "perhaps the best example of humanistic writing during the first decade of the fifteenth century - except Poggio's."
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This Rudolf von Ems manucript originated in the same area of Zurich that produced the Manessische Liederhanschrift (Manesse Song Script). It represents one of the most accomplished examples of south German book decoration from the time around 1300, with excellent miniatures illustrating the Chronicle of the World by Rudolf von Ems and the Stricker's epic poem about Charlemagne and his military campaign in Spain.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This volume is the second of a three-volume set, an edition of Livius written in 1442 and 1143 in Padua. It is of particular interest because the texual model is well-known: the Livius manuscript of Sicco Polentone (1375/76-1446), Chancellor of Padua, today Holkham Hall Library, MS 349. This manuscript is written in an extremely regular semi-Gothic script augmented with exquisite white vine scroll initials.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This 10th century manuscript contains the works of Horace. It is arranged in such a way as to leave lots of space for marginal glosses next to the poems. These glosses — usually together with interlinear glosses — have been added in a different ink from the main text and by various hands. The localization of the manuscript is uncertain. The only Old High German gloss might have been written in Franconia. The manuscript’s presence in St. Gall is not attested until the middle of the 17th century.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
This unimposing composite manuscript contains six works of differing content types and origins, bound together under the auspices of the librarian of St. Gall in about 1460. The individual elements were produced independently of one another during the 9th or 10th century. Some are incomplete, lacking the beginning, the ending, or both. Nevertheless, this composite manuscript received attention from early on, as some of the component parts are important for the texts they transmit. This volume contains the only early medieval transmissions of the Langobard Chronicle by Andreas Bergamensis and the life of the Irish saint Findan. The "Admonitio ad filium" by the Greek church father Basilius and the "Visio Pauli", an early christian vision of the afterlife, are among the oldest of textual artifacts.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This cartulary contains the major legal title of the Premonstratensian abbey of Weissenau near Ravensburg; the popes, emperors, kings, princes, dukes, counts, bishops and vicars mentioned in the cartulary are portrayed in the margins with their attributes of office. Prepended to the cartulary itself is a history of the founding of the monastery: appended are a tribute register and other documents.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This small mahzor according to the Roman rite was written in Italy during the 14th century. It contains a first section with abridged prayers for the festivals of the Jewish liturgical year (Pessah, Shavuot, Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atseret) and a second section, enclosing many liturgical poems accompanying the prayers. This prayer ritual was not only written for personal use, due to its size, but may have also been destined for a woman, since a word, found in the vidui (confession), situated in the manuscript at the end of the Yom Kippur afternoon prayers, ends with a feminine suffix.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This book of hours is from the workshop of the Master of Gold Scrolls, which was probably located in Bruges and specialized in the production of books of hours. It was likely made for someone in Flanders in the middle of the 15th century. Contrary to the usual sequence of texts, this book of hours features the Office of the Virgin after those of the Cross and of the Holy Spirit. When this book of hours was rebound, a series of cut-out historiated initials were inserted that pick up on the themes of the miniatures. In 1615 the bibliophile St. Gallen merchant Jakob Studer donated this book of hours to the municipal library.
Online Since: 12/10/2020