The Osterspiel von Muri (Easter Play of Muri) is the oldest known rhyming dramatic piece in German. The author is unknown. Linguistic analyses lead to the conclusion that the work originated in the middle or western region of the area where high Alemannic was spoken. The surviving portion of the Osterspiel indicates a true spoken drama, without Latin or musical elements.
Online Since: 04/15/2010
Leaf from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Martialis as well as of the Passio sanctorum Primi et Feliciani and probably was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This fascicle, consisting of only three pages, contains prayers and a text about the seven heavenly joys of Mary.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment with hagiographic content from a Carolingian manuscript that originated in Fulda and was used as manuscript waste in the Basel area in the last quarter of the 16th century.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
Leaf from the sixth volume (November-December) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Chuniberti, the Vita s. Trudonis and the Vita s. Severini; they were probably written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel(1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). More fragments from the sixth volume are also in Basel. It shows that this volume, and at least the 3rd volume (May-June) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
These five bifolia with fragments from The Song of the Nibelungs are from a mid-14th century manuscript; they were preserved because they were reused as binding material. Discovered in 1866 by a clergyman from Fanas/Prättigau, they came into the hands of the Basel philologist Wilhelm Wackernagel and today are part of the Basel University Library. The leaves show restrained rubrication; the margins are decorated with occasional reddish-brown pen and ink drawings (particularly in the shape of dragons and dragon-like creatures).
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Fragment from a Glagolitic breviary with texts for August 13th and 14th; based on the script, it can be dated to the 15th century. It belonged to Franz Miklosich (1813-1891), one of the most important Slavicists of his time, and was a gift to the Basel Antiques Collection, the precursor of the Basel Historical Museum.
Online Since: 06/25/2015
Leaf from the sixth volume (November-December) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Silvestri and was probably written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). More fragments from the sixth volume are also in Basel. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (May-June) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the volume's front matter (calendar for the month of June, an editorial introduction, and indexes for the months of May and June). The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Lower part of a leaf from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Symeonis by Eberwin of Trier and probably was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolio from the sixth volume (November-December) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the volume's front matter (calendar for the month of December). The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). More fragments from the sixth volume are also in Basel. It shows that this volume, and at least the 3rd volume (May-June) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Leaf from the sixth volume (November-December) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the volume's front matter (an editorial introduction, and indexes for the months of November and December). The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). More fragments from the sixth volume are also in Basel. It shows that this volume, and at least the 3rd volume (May-June) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Two individual bifolios with different excerpts from the work of the Greek physician Oribasius Latinus (4th century). Originally the fragments were probably from the same codex from Lorsch Abbey. They were created at the beginning of the 9th century, and in the 16th century they were used as bookbindings in the Carthusian Monastery of Basel.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
Leaf from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the vita of St. Athanasius and probably was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Waldeberti by Adso of Montier-en-Der as well as the Vita s. Macharii heremitae; probably it was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Mutilated bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the vita of Boniface by Otloh of St Emmeram and was probably written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Passio sanctorum Nerei et Achillei and of the Vita s. Maximi by Lupus of Ferrières and probably was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Mutilated bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Vita s. Willehelmi confessoris (in a version not printed in this form) as well as the Vita s. Germani episcopi; probably it was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolio from the third volume (May-June) of a Fulda Legendary that originally consisted of six volumes, commissioned in 1156 by Rugger, monk at Frauenberg Abbey in Fulda (1176-1177 abbot of Fulda as Rugger II). This fragment contains parts of the Passio s. Albani des Goswinus of Mainz and probably was written by Eberhard of Fulda. The legendary was still used in the middle of the 16th century in Fulda by Georg Witzel (1501-1573) for his Hagiologium seu de sanctis ecclesiae (Mainz 1541) as well as for his Chorus sanctorum omnium. Zwelff Bücher Historien Aller Heiligen Gottes (Köln 1554). Other fragments from this third volume are in Basel, Solothurn and Nuremberg. It shows that this volume, and at least the 6th volume (November-December) of the legendary as well, reached Basel, where both evidently were used as manuscript waste around 1580.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
The Imperial Chronicle is the most successful 12th century German text. This fragment from Basel is from the first quarter of the 13th century and contains version B in Alemannic. The remaining three bifolia - one single bifolium and one fascicle of two bifolia — had been used as binding manuscript waste; the single bifolium served as inner cover for manuscript A III 30 from the Dominican Monastery of Basel.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This bifolium from a late Medieval mystical manuscript has been preserved as a book cover. It contains parts from the “Sieben Vorregeln” and from the “Spiegel der Tugend” by the Franciscan David of Augsburg (c. 1200-1272) as well as a section from the “Geistlicher Palmbaum” (from the “Palmbaumtraktaten”?). The fragment shows clear signs of wear due to its secondary use.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
These twelve leaves are what have survived from a large-format gradual that was produced around 1460 in the Upper Rhine region (probably in Basel); they contain chants for the mass, changing according to the liturgical year. The decoration with initials and miniatures (e.g., the birth of Christ, the entry into Jerusalem, or the depiction of the resurrection) refer to the respective liturgical holiday, whereas the initial for Ecce advenit dominator dominus wrongly depicts the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Its decoration places this gradual in the later circle of the so-called “Vullenhoe-group”.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Probably a fragment of one of the Isidore codices from the Monastery of Fulda, which reached Basel during the 16th century, before the abduction and destruction of the library during the Thirty Years' War. There it apparently served as a possible textual source for a planned edition of Isidore's works. The codex was produced in Fulda around the second decade of the 10th century. In 1624 this bifolium was used as a document cover.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
Fragment with hagiographic content from a Carolingian manuscript that originated in Fulda.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
These fours strips of parchment were detached from a vocabulary manuscript from the Carthusian Monastery of Basel. They had been used as reinforcing strips in the host volume. Laid out side by side, the strips constitute a part of a scroll of German Sangsprüche. The texts are nine verses by Marner, three verses by Konrad von Würzburg, and eight verses by the Kanzler. The texts were written down around 1300 in the East Alemannic speaking region; the fragments probably were repurposed only a short while later, since the host volume can be dated to 1400.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment from a Salvianus manuscript, which evidently came to Basel from Fulda at the beginning of the 16th century in order to serve Johannes Sichardus in 1628 as a master copy for printing in the printshop of Henricus Petrus. The manuscript was produced in the first quarter of the 9th century in Fulda. In the second half of the 16th century it was used in Basel as manuscript waste for bindings.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
Fragment of an agrimensor manuscript, which evidently came to Basel from Fulda at the beginning of the 16th century in order to serve Johannes Sichardus in 1628 as a master copy for printing in the printshop of Henricus Petrus. Poggio Bracciolini should have seen it in Fulda in 1417. The manuscript was produced in the first half of the 9th century in Fulda. In the second half of the 16th century it was used in Basel as manuscript waste for bindings. The publication of this fragment by Martin Steinmann in 1992 refuted the hypothesis, held until very recently, that the manuscript Rom, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana Pal. lat. 1564 had been the model for Sichardus.
Online Since: 10/08/2015
Three leaves from different manuscripts of the Babylonian Talmud from the 14th and 13th century respectively, used as binding material. Two of the leaves contain fragments from the Mishnah Berachot from the Order Zeraim; the third leaf comprises a piece of the Tractate Avoda Zarah from the Order Nezikin, which regulates the relations between Jews and non-Jews and which discusses the problem of idolatry (“foreign worship”).
Online Since: 06/25/2015
This late 13th or early 14th century fragment of a French Trouvère manuscript probably was once part of the same codex as Paris, BN français 765. It contains 20 chansons, among them 14 by Thibaut de Champagne; all chansons are attested in a parallel version. 14 songs include square notation.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
10th/11th century fragment of unknown origin, containing parts of the Mainz continuation (up to the year 887) of the so-called Annales Fuldenses with entries for the years 871, 872 and 876. Based on the reading of the text, this exemplar belongs to a group of manuscripts that also contain the so-called Bavarian continuation of the Annals for the years 882 to 901.
Online Since: 09/23/2014
Remnants of a manuscript of the Summarium Heinrici as well as of the glossary of plants appended thereto, with interlinear glosses in German. Prior to 1875, Hermann Hagen detached them from three book bindings from the Stadtbibliothek of Bern. Other parts are located in the Zentralbibliothek of Zurich and the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek of Bonn.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Folium from a manuscript of the Collectanea rerum memorabilium by Gaius Julius Solinus; it contains parts of the Descriptio Indiae. Prior to 1875, Hermann Hagen detached it from a host volume from the Stadtbibliothek of Bern.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment of a manuscript that originated in Fulda around the second quarter of the 9th century, containing Cetius Faventinus' (late 3rd/early 4th century) extracts from Vitruvius' De Architectura. It cannot be determined when the codex left Fulda. Two Fulda library catalogs from the beginning and the middle of the 16th century still list a Faventinus manuscript.
Online Since: 09/23/2014
Bifolium from a manuscript of the Viaticus by Constantinus Africanus, from a handbook for traveling doctors, translated from Arabic. Prior to 1875, Hermann Hagen detached it from a host volume from the Stadtbibliothek of Bern.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
A love letter in Middle High German, which came to the Burgerbibliothek Bern from the estate of Dr. Friedrich Emil Welti.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Two bifolia from Gregory the Great's Regula pastoralis, possibly originating from central Switzerland. Donated to the City Library of Bern in 1914 by the historian and librarian Carl Josef Benziger (1877-1951) from Einsiedeln.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
Bifolium from a manuscript of Gregory the Great's Moralia in Hiob, probably written in France; in the 16th century it was used as binding for orders and statutes of the County of Lenzburg. Initially the property of the von Hallwyl family, it was later acquired by Wolfgang Friedrich von Mülinen (1863-1917) and then presumably purchased by the City Library of Bern in 1937 along with the Mülinen Collection. In 1954 it was removed from the host volume (BBB Mss.Mül.377).
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf from a Carolingian Bible, later used as book binding material. Place of origin unknown (possibly from southern Germany); also unknown are its provenance and the circumstances of how the fragment came to be in the Bern library.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Two fragments of leaves from a Thebaid manuscript by Statius, probably from Central Switzerland. Later used as binding manuscript waste for the print Hunger, Conrad: Unser liebe Frauw zue Einsidlen, Lucerne 1654, and owned by a Ueli Fässler around 1665. Acquired in 1920 by the student Ernst Burkhard at the Brockenhaus in Bern and donated to the City Library of Bern.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf from a manuscript of Gregory the Great's Moralia in Hiob, perhaps written in Northern Italy, later used as book binding material. Provenance and acquisition of the manuscript are unknown.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Remnants of a manuscript of the Willehalm by Wolfram von Eschenbach. In August 1928, Hans Bloesch detached it from codex Mss.h.h.XIV.144.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Bifolium from a manuscript of Ambrose's Hexameron from the Upper Rhine area/Switzerland, later used as a book binding material. Provenance and acquisition of the fragment are unknown.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf of a manuscript of Gregory the Great's Homiliae in Ezechielem, probably written in Alsace (Murbach?). Of unknown provenance, the fragment reached the City Library of Bern before 1674, and here it was removed from the host volume (MUE Klein p 92), probably in the 1930s.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf of a manuscript that was probably written in France, containing letters by Pelagius. Origin unknown. As part of the collection of Leonhard Hospinian (MUE Hospinian 208), the fragment came to the City Library of Bern, where it was removed from the host volume in 1935.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Two fragments of a single leaf from a manuscript of Flavius Josephus' Antiquitates Iudaicae. Place of origin and provenance of the fragments are unknown.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf from a Bible that was perhaps produced in Eastern France; later it was used as binding for a 1561 printed volume from Strasbourg. Before 1674, the fragment came from unknown provenance to the City Library of Bern, where it was removed from the host volume (MUE Klein f 217) in October 1934.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf from a manuscript of unknown provenance containing Gregory the Great's Moralia in Hiob. The fragment arrived in Bern in 1632 as part of a printed volume (MUE Bong IV 251) that had been the property of Jacques Bongars; it was probably removed from the host volume in the 1930s.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Fragments (1 bifolium, 1 single leaf) from a manuscript of Clement of Rome's Recognitiones, possibly from Germany; around 1495 Johannes Vatter, bookbinder for the Dominican monastery of Bern, used them as pastedowns for volumes printed in Basel. After the dissolution of the monastery in 1528, the host volume (MUE Inc. I.88) found its way into the Bernese library under unknown circumstances. In February 1935 the fragments were removed by librarian Hans Bloesch.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Remnants of an Alcuin's Bible from the Dominican Monastery of Bern, which were used around 1495 by the bookbinder Johannes Vatter as pastedowns for various incunables that are currently held in Bern and Solothurn. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528, the host volume (MUE Inc I 85) became the property of Eberhard Rümlang (ca. 1500–1551) and Wolfgang Musculus (= Müslin, 1497–1563), who donated the volume to the Bern library in 1556. Around 1945, the fragments were removed from the host volumes by Johannes Lindt. Reunification of the fragments : [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 5 (Biblia latina).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
Fragment of a manuscript of the Institutiones grammaticae by Priscian, probably from the South of Germany; 10 more leaves from this manuscript can be found in Paris BN lat. 10403. f. 6–15. These four single leaves, inserted into a printed version owned by Jacques Bongars, came to Bern in 1632, where they were detached from their host volume in the 20th century.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
These three documents are from the previous binding of Cod. 120 (now 120-1 and 120-2), from which they were removed during restoration. They are two documents from the imperial court of the tribunal of the Counts of Sulz in Rottweil (no. 1 and 3) and a fragment of a bill of sale issued in Strasbourg.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
Two leaves that originally belonged together, from a copy of a document dated 8 March 1439; in 1935 they were removed during the restoration of Cod. 207 at the Burgerbibliothek Bern. In the text on f. 1r and 2r, Charles, Duke of Orléans and of Valois (1394-1465), and Jean the Bastard of Orléans (= Jean de Dunois, 1402-1468) are mentioned.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Remnants of an Alcuin's Bible from the Dominican Monastery of Bern, which were used around 1495 by the bookbinder Johannes Vatter as pastedowns for various incunables that are currently held in Bern and Solothurn. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528, the host volumes (MUE Inc. III.15, Vol. 3–4; the strip of Cod. 756.70e is from MUE Inc. I.6), perhaps as part of a bequest of books by the Venner [standard bearer] Jürg Schöni in 1534, became part of the Bern library. Around 1945, the fragments were removed from the host volumes by Johannes Lindt. Reunification of the fragments: [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 5 (Biblia latina).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
Remnants of an Alcuin's Bible from the Dominican Monastery of Bern, which were used around 1495 by the bookbinder Johannes Vatter as pastedowns for various incunables that are currently held in Bern and Solothurn. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528, the host volume (MUE Inc. III.15, Vol. 1) perhaps as part of a bequest of books by the Venner [standard bearer] Jürg Schöni in 1534, became part of the Bern library. Around 1945, the fragments were removed from the host volumes by Johannes Lindt. Reunification of the fragments: [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 5 (Biblia latina).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This fragment was removed from Cod. 172 during the restoration of the previous binding; presumably it originated in the legal office of Pierre Daniels in Orléans, as attested by the fact that his name is on the document.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
Bifolium from a manuscript probably made in Germany, containing Gregory the Great's Homiliae in Ezechielem. The fragment was purchased by the City Library of Bern in 1937 as part of the von Mülinen family's collection, although it is not recorded in Gottfried v. Mülinen's catalogue, which was compiled in 1837.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Remnants of a manuscript of the Arabel by Ulrich von dem Türlin, which constitutes the backstory to the Willehalm by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Purchased by the Burgerbibliothek in 1937 from Hans Peter Kraus, antiquarian book dealer in Vienna.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
The two fragments come from the previous binding of Cod. 125, from which they were removed during restoration; presumably they contain parts of a plenarium with musical notation.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
Fragment from a choir book with neumes (Proprium Sanctorum) for Benedictines in the Diocese of Constance, with a large initial H for the Matins of Candlemas (f. 1vb). This leaf is from a manuscript that was perhaps produced in Engelberg for the monastery of Augustinian Canons Regular at Interlaken; since the 16th century it served as the cover of a book of accounts in Meiringen. In 1940 it was acquired by the City Library of Bern through an exchange with the State Archives of Bern.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Single leaf with a splendid initial from a richly illustrated manuscript of Flavius Josephus' Antiquitates Iudaicae from the monastery of Engelberg; around 1600 it was sold by Abbot Andreas Hersch or Abbot Melchior Kitz to the Zurich bookseller and bookbinder Johann Felix Haller (active 1603-1637) and was then used by him as manuscript waste for a historical work by Hans Felix Grob the Younger (1572-1653). It is unclear when this volume reached the City Library of Bern and when it was assigned the shelf mark Mss.h.h.XXIa.25; the binding manuscript waste was removed by Johann Lindt in 1941.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
This fragment, consisting of 1 leaf, contains an excerpt from a missal with neumes, which probably originated in the Strasbourg area based on its contents, the celebration of St. Arbogast. Around 1650 it was re-used, presumably in Bern, as dust cover for a school notebook of Niclaus Frisching (BBB Mss.h.h. XXIV.183), from which it was removed in 1944.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
Bifolium from a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew by Hrabanus Maurus, from the Loire region and written largely in Tironian notes. The provenance initially suggests that it may be part of the Bongarsiana, but apparently the City Library of Bern purchased the fragment only in 1937 with the collection of the von Mülinen family; the fragment was discovered in December 1954 in a collection of papers that were part of the family library.
Online Since: 07/02/2020
These two fragments are from the binding of Cod. 611, from which they were removed during restoration; they are two halves of a French notarial document relating to Pierre Daniel.
Online Since: 03/17/2016
This quire of 8 leaves probably originated in the circle of John Scotus (in the area of Reims-Laon-Soissons). It contains a fragment of Augustine's Retractationes and, after that, some previously unknown exegetical texts on the Gospels. A leaf (f. 5) that is several decades older was inserted into the quire, possibly from the model used for this text; it contains another unknown text on the virtues and vices. This fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Bifolium and 3 fragments of another bifolium of a manuscript of Augustine's De genesi ad litteram, written in uncial script and possibly produced in Luxeuil; other parts were identified in Paris, BN lat. 9377. The manuscript came to Bern in 1632 from the holdings of Jacques Bongars. At the time of Hermann Hagen (around 1870), the fragments, originally bound as f. 1-2 and 227-229 in Cod. 224 (composite manuscript containing texts by Isidore), were removed and preserved separately; they were given a new binding by Johann Lindt in 1944.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
This fragment consists of 8 leaves from a large-format manuscript that has long been associated with Theodulf of Orléans. It is actually a quire from Theodulf's composite manuscript of biblical exegesis, which had until now been thought lost; its remaining parts are contained in MS Paris, BN lat. 15679. The quire, now bound, contains the end of the commentary on the Psalms as well as the beginning of the commentary on the Proverbia Salomonis. Thanks to a partially erased note of ownership, it can be demonstrated that this fragment once was the property of the Abbey of Saint-Mesmin, Micy; in 1632 it came to Bern as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
Fragment of a 14th century French Trouvère manuscript. It contains 18 jeux-partis (17 with the participation of Jehan Bretel) and a fragment of the Prise amoureuse by Jean Acart de Hesdin; all chansons except for one are attested in the parallel version. The songs have been transmitted without notation.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment of a contemporaneous French translation of the Chirurgia parva by Lanfranc of Milan. This small-format booklet is incomplete; it presents the oldest remaining witness of the work; the other four surviving manuscripts all date from the 15th century. Based on a text comparison with the Latin version, one must probably assume the loss of a quire at the front as well as at the back.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
The Latin part of this fragment (f. 1r–3r) contains a collection of excerpts from various authors regarding sins and penance, morals, etc. The French part (f. 3v–4v) contains one or two poem(s) in verse, which seem to have survived only in this fragment.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment of a small-format manuscript with sermons by Maurice de Sully. It contains sermons 27–36, however, the quires are arranged incorrectly: the text of quire 2 (f. 9–13) is followed by the text of quire 1 (f. 1–8).
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment of a panegyric on Queen Blanche of Navarre (1331–1398), consisting of almost 400 verses. The author Robin Comtet - who mentions himself toward the end of the piece - is not otherwise known. The poem seems to have been preserved only in this copy and has not yet been published.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment with an excerpt from the Continuation des Chroniques abrégées by Baldwin of Avesnes (for the years 1369–1370); the text for the events of the years 1342-1383 was adopted without changes for the Chroniques de Flandres. The additions twice contain the name of Robert Migaillot, canon at Laon, who gave this manuscript as a gift to his cousin in 1515.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Fragment (2 bifolia) of a French manuscript of Lancelot in prose. Based on the note of sale, perhaps related to the library of Jean Buridan, philosopher and professor at the University of Paris?
Online Since: 06/14/2018
This fragment contains two texts that were popular in France at the time: the French translation of the Consolatio Philosophiae by Boethius and of the confort d'ami by Guillaume de Machaut. The 8 pages are from a rich collection of fragments in the Burgerbibliothek of Bern; they were digitized as a complement to the library's magnificently decorated Machaut manuscript (Cod. 218).
Online Since: 04/23/2013
Composite manuscript consisting of four very different parts that probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars; parts B and C are from the Collège de Navarre in Paris. All parts are at least partly illuminated. All fragments have related parts in other libraries: for part A, Paris BN lat. 7709, f. 1–4; for B, Paris BN lat. 17566, f. 1–40; for C, Paris BN lat. 17902, f. 1–85; and for D, Leiden UB, Voss. Q 2 IX (f. 60).
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Composite manuscript consisting of two different parts that probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars. Part A comes from an extensive collection of lives of the saints for the liturgy of Fleury, various of which have been preserved in the Vatican Library: Reg. lat. 274, f. 95–102; Reg. lat. 318, f. 1–79, 80–146, 147–258; Reg. lat. 585, f. 13–27; Reg. lat. 711.II, f. 11–18; 67–76. Part B contains fragments from Isidore's grammatical writings and probably was written in Eastern France.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The only textual witness for certain letters by Salvianus of Marseille, the complement of which is preserved in Paris BN lat. 2174, f. 113–115. This non-illuminated fragment probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Fragment of the Boethius' On Arithmetic, containing numerous schematic drawings; it probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Two bifolia from an Isidore manuscript that was probably produced in the Loire region. The fragment contains, among others, a carefully sketched wind rose as well as astronomical texts at the end that, in the context of the Aratea, are known as the “Scholia Bernensia”. It probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the collection of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Fragment of a manuscript in uncial script containing medical texts; it was probably written in Spain and came to the library of Chartres Cathedral perhaps via Italy. The remaining parts are preserved in Paris BN lat. 10233. Based on an entry by the Bernese librarian Samuel Hortin, the fragment in all likelihood came to Bern in 1632 as part of the Bongarsiana collection.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This fragment from Königsfelden Monastery consists of only 12 leaves (= 1 quire) and contains a complete calendar (necrology) with records of the days of death of the members of the donor family from the House of Habsburg, as well as that of the confessor of Queen Agnes of Hungary (Lamprecht of Austria), up until 1330. After the dissolution of the monastery, it passed into private hands in Bern in 1528, and in the 19th century, it was donated to the Stadtbibliothek of Bern.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Remnants of an Alcuin's Bible from the Dominican Monastery of Bern, which were used around 1495 by the bookbinder Johannes Vatter as pastedowns for various incunables that are currently held in Bern and Solothurn. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528, the host volume (MUE Inc. I.20) perhaps as part of a bequest of books by the Venner [standard bearer] Jürg Schöni in 1534, became part of the Bern library. Reunification of the fragments: [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 5 (Biblia latina).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
Second innermost bifolium of a quire whose innermost bifolium is preserved in Steinhausen, Archiv der Waldgenossenschaft B WG Steinhausen. It is the remainder of a Fulda manuscript from the 2nd third of the 9th century with the so-called Collectio Veronensis of the acts of the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431. The codex was obviously used as waste paper in modern times in Switzerland. When and by what route it reached Switzerland from Fulda cannot be determined; however, it may have arrived there, like a number of other Fulda manuscripts, in the first half of the 16th century as a potential text source for prints by Basel print shops. For a virtual combination of the two fragments see [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 6, Concilium Ephesinum.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
This manuscript fragment, which was used as binding for an edition of the De quattuor virtutibus by Domenico Mancini (London, R. Dexter, 1601), contains an excerpt from a sermon by Aelfric (around 950 - around 1010), who was one of the most important Anglo-Saxon authors of the High Middle Ages. The section of this sermon, which is intended for Septuagesima Sunday and which has survived in full in 9 manuscripts, contains Aelfric's almost complete English translation of the parable of the sower (Matthew 20:1-16), followed by a few lines of explanation. According to N. Ker, this fragment, which can be dated to the 2nd half of the 11th century, presents various interesting linguistic variations on the original text by Aelfric. It is the oldest Anglo-Saxon manuscript owned by the Fondation Martin Bodmer.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
Two contiguous fragments from the same leaf, which used to be part of a luxury-lectionary of the New Testament, probably copied in Constantinople in the 11th century. The two pieces were later also used for numerous clumsy drawings, graffiti and arithmetic exercises.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
These fragments of Ovid's Fasti were discovered around 1700 in the monastery school of Ilfeld and have since been known as "Fragmentum Ilfeldense". In 1956 they became part of the collection of Martin Bodmer, after they had been used as endpapers or in a book binding. The Fasti is a poem in elegiac couplets, the theme of which is the Roman calendar – only the first six months – as well as the changes introduced at the beginning of the Empire with the feast days in memory of Augustus.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
At an unknown date, this late 12th century parchment bifolium was used as binding, as attested by traces of folding in the lower margin. It contains an excerpt of the Tristia, a collection of letters in elegiac couplets written by Ovid during his exile. The text is continuous, which indicates that the bifolium came from the middle of a quire; only a few verses are missing due to a cut in the upper part of the leaf. It was purchased by Martin Bodmer in 1958 from the bookseller Kraus in New York.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
These two illuminated maps probably were part of an atlas of nautical charts of the Mediterranean, also called Portolan. The first map is north-facing and shows a part of the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and of the Mediterranean on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, between the Canary Islands and northern Italy. The second map is western-facing and shows the islands of the Aegean Sea between Crete (Candia) and Thessaloniki, Greece and Asia Minor, with Troy and Constantinople sketched in anachronistically. A scale for the latitudes on the first map, graduated distance scales near the margins, rhumb lines, and wind roses decorated with fleurs-de-lis accompany the red and black coastal toponyms written perpendicular to the coasts. Their very stylized arrangement emphasizes the headlands and estuaries, and the cartographer also depicted some rivers, albeit without great precision. In the interior and rather vaguely placed are miniature pictures of cities with banners, mountains, and trees. At sea, a few ships and a marine animal appear on both maps. The names of the regions are written on banners or in larger letters. The particular style of the design of the cities, the decorations, and the writing refers back to the work of Giovanni Battista Cavallini or his successor Pietro Cavallini, who worked in Livorno between 1636 and 1688.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
The plays of Terence were highly appreciated throughout the entire Middle Ages, as attested by this 11th century manuscript written in Carolingian script, which preserves fragments from two of his six comedies, Andria and Eunuchus. The fragments are of different sizes; between the 15th and 16th century, they were used as binding for registers, as evidenced by certain signs of use and of folds, as well as by dates written beside invocations of the Virgin, of Christ or of St. Thomas.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This finely painted illustration, executed in vibrant and colorful opaque colors, has been cut out. It depicts the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple as described in the Gospel of Luke. Mary and Joseph bring the infant to the old prophet Simeon in order to receive his blessing. One of the two women behind Mary holds two doves in her right hand, which are to be sacrificed according to the requirements. In her left hand the woman carries burning candles, which indicate the feast to which this event is dedicated, i.e. Candlemas. Below Jesus, three small kneeling figures are praying: a Dominican nun and the donor couple. The scene is inserted into an N-initial decorated with scroll ornamentation at the beginning of the Canticle of Simeon for the feast of Mary: Nunc dimittis, domine, servum tuum in pace (Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word). The words visible at the top Intercede pro nobis (Pray for us [Holy Mother of God]) follow at the end of the song. An excerpt from the liturgical antiphon with the text Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis (When the days of purification were completed) is preserved on the back. This fragment was purchased at auction at Sotheby's in London by the Canton of Thurgau in 1978; it came from the collection of Robert von Hirsch of Basel (1883–1977).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This miniature was cut from a deluxe manuscript. The Annunciation of the Lord, depicted in the initial M-of the text Missus est Gabriel (Gabriel was sent), is celebrated on March 25. The Archangel Gabriel and Mary face each other in a vertically rectangular, geometrically designed border, each framed by an arch of the M. Gabriel holds a banderole with his greeting to the listening Mary AVE GRACIA PLENA (Hail Mary, full of grace). The side pillars of the letter M lead down into palmette leaves, which have been carefully cut out and thus protrude into the area surrounding the miniature. Above the palm leaves on the right there are red note lines and a single note. This illustration is from a particularly large-format book, an illustration of high painterly quality with light opaque colors in pink, green and blue tones, which are finely graded. The musical text on the back can be assigned to verses 2.2, 4.11 and 4.13 of the Song of Songs. This leaf comes from the same chorale manuscript as the miniature with the representation of the "Death of the Virgin". Both leaves show stations from the cycle of The Life of the Virgin, with T09393 illustrating the first stage and T 9394 the last. Stylistically they can be placed alongside three leaves from the collection de Bastard d'Estang in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (AD 152G, PL 842-3, AD 150H, PL 51). In 1994, the canton of Thurgau commercially acquired both fragments in Paris. Previously, they had been privately held in Switzerland.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This particularly large-format book illustration was cut from a deluxe manuscript. In the initial V-to the text Vidi speciosam on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption on August 15, the Blessed Mother lies on her deathbed, surrounded by three apostles and Jesus, who receives her soul in the form of a small female figure. A vertically rectangular frame with a repeating geometric pattern surrounds the scene. Three branches with leaves and rosettes that are trimmed back grow from the left side of the initial V. The painting in tones of bright blue and red is of high quality. The lyrics on the back are taken from Bible verses 26 to 32 of Lectio prima from the Gospel of Luke. The leaf is from the same chorale manuscript as miniature with the representation of the "Annunciation to Mary". Both leaves show stations from the cycle of The Life of the Virgin, with T 9393 illustrating the first stage and T 9394 the last. Stylistically they can be placed alongside three leaves from the collection de Bastard d'Estang in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (AD 152G, PL 842-3, AD 150H, PL 51). In 1994, the canton of Thurgau commercially acquired both fragments in Paris. Previously, they had been privately held in Switzerland
Online Since: 12/12/2019
Fragment of a leaf from a chorale manuscript. Two rectangular illustrations, arranged one above the other on the left side of the picture, show two stations from the life of Catherine: In the upper picture she denies obedience to the emperor and turns her attention only to Jesus. The picture below depicts the spiritual relationship of courtly love (Minne) between Catherine and Christ. The rest of the parchment leaf as well as the back side contain liturgical text consisting of musical notation and song lyrics. Below a red staff with black notes is the corresponding line of text. The illustrations were created in a book painting workshop in which the gradual from the Convent of Dominican nuns St. Katharinental was also made (Swiss National Museum Inv. LM 26117 / Historical Museum Thurgau Inv. T 41401). The two miniatures can be attributed to the same hand as the group of figures underneath the Initial on fol. 179v in the gradual. Fragile figures with lively gestures, refined drawing of the faces, subdued colors as well as joy in pictorial narration with original picture elements distinguish this illuminator. This leaf was acquired by the Historical Museum Thurgau in 2011 at an auction in Zurich.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
Around 1220 Konrad Fleck translated the romantic novel "Flore et Blancheflor", written in 1160 by an unknown Provençal poet, into High Alemannic. The complete work consists of about 8,000 verses. Several fragments of an early copy of Fleck's translation have survived in the parish archives of Frauenfeld. The parchment pieces had been used as a cover for a tribute register from the prebend of St. Michael.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
These fragments, which were discovered in an index volume by the archivist of Moudon in 1931, were named for the place where they were found. According to the manuscript department's entry register, the fragments were added to the collection of the Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire - Lausanne in 1950. The document contains 21 entries on plants whose medicinal powers are described. The total number of chapters in the original manuscript is not known. According to Eugène Olivier, who edited the text together with Paul Aebischer, it was not copied by a practicing physician but by a scribe, because there are reading errors such as "sanc" (blood) instead of "sint" (fat).
Online Since: 10/08/2020
Along with Heidelberg, Universitätsbibliothek Pal. lat. 921, this fragment from the Fulda Abbey Scriptorium constitutes one of two documented manuscripts of the Getica by Jordanes, written in a (continental) Anglo-Saxon minuscule; it is not, however, a part of the last leaf of Pal. lat. 921, which has been missing since the beginning of the 19th century. Along with Palermo, Archivio di Stato "Codice Basile" and Rome, Biblioteca Vaticana Ottob. lat. 1346, and together with Pal. lat. 920, this remnant of a leaf is among the oldest text witnesses of the Getica. It could be a part of a manuscript by Jordanes that had been attested in Fulda until the middle of the 16th century.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
Fragment of an evangeliary written around 800. It contains the pericopes necessary for the entire liturgical year. The surviving parts begin with the pericope for Septuagesima Sunday and suggest that, in addition to Sundays and holidays, gospels were chosen for every Wednesday and Friday, and during Lent - as in the Missale Romanum - for every day of the week. The final part contains the gospels for the votive Mass, however only four pericopes have survived. The script indicates a scriptorium in Raetia Curiensis as place of origin.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
Fragment of a copy of Gregory the Great's Homilies on the Gospels, created around 800. Two excerpts remain: the first section of text, consisting of parts of chapter 17 (17.16-17.18), is a commentary on Luke 10, 1-9, i.e. the verses concerning the sending out of the seventy-two disciples. The second section of text, containing parts of chapter 18 (18.2-18.3), refers to John 8.46-59. These verses are a commentary on a dispute between Jesus and “the” Jews as well as the high priests; it concerns the identity of Jesus or rather his claim of identity, his message and the rejection thereof.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
Fragment of a 13th century manuscript. Parts of the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo and the Agnus Dei have survived. This is followed by five lines from the trope of baptism, which begins with Quoniam Dominus and ends with coaeternum Patri. The title Tropi makes clear that the text contained more tropes.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
Handwritten fragment of the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo from the 15th century. The final part has survived with [mise]rere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
Online Since: 09/26/2017