e-codices newsletter


The e-codices newsletter provides information about the latest updates, highlights, and activities of our project and appears about 4-5 times per year.
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The e-codices team

 
 
In this issue
  1. 77 new manuscripts
  2. Special manuscript: Schaffhausen, Stadtbibliothek, Ministerialbibliothek, Min. 17
  3. Carthusian manuscripts of Switzerland
  4. Rhaetian manuscripts
  5. Fragmentarium – Launch
 
 
October 2017

Issue N° 30
 
 
 
 
snm/LM045751/recto

Genève, Bibliothèque de Genève, Ms. fr. 168, f. 1r – Livres du roy Modus et de la royne Ratio
 
1. 77 new manuscripts
 
The new update adds 77 more digital manuscripts from nine different libraries; with this, we have published a total of 1,885 manuscripts from 76 collections online.
 
 
 
2. Special manuscript: Schaffhausen, Stadtbibliothek, Ministerialbibliothek, Min. 17
 
This is the third volume of Augustine’s Enarrationes in psalmos with commentaries on Psalms 101-150; it is several years older than the associated first two volumes Min. 15 and Min. 16. The great importance of this codex, created at Allerheiligen Abbey, is due to the abbey’s register of books from about 1100 (f. 306v), which lists books that were acquired under Abbot Siegfried (deceased 1094) and during the early years following his death or that were copied in the abbey’s scriptorium.

Since 2009, e-codices has published 48 codices from the Ministerialbibliothek online; 38 of them — including this volume — can be traced in the Allerheiligen Abbey register.
 
snm/LM026117/161v

Schaffhausen, Stadtbibliothek, Ministerialbibliothek, Min. 17, f. 2v – Augustinus
 
 
 
aev/S-0109/bindingK

Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, B IX 36, f. 2r – Carthusian Statutes
 
3. Carthusian manuscripts of Switzerland
 
Nine Carthusian monasteries are known to have existed in the area that today constitutes Switzerland. In western (French-speaking) Switzerland there was a Carthusian monastery in La Lance on Lake Neuchâtel; in the Gruyère District there was one in Valsainte (the only currently active monastery), one in La Part Dieu, and one more in Val de la Paix near Murten; one in Géronde in the canton of Valais; and finally one in Oujon in the canton of Vaud. In the German-speaking area of Switzerland there was a Carthusian monastery in the city of Basel, one in Thorberg (canton of Bern) - currently a correctional facility - and one in Ittingen, which today has become a “unique conference and cultural center.”

Most of these Carthusian monasteries owned only a small number of manuscripts, and only a few of these have survived until today. An exception is the monastery of St. Margarethental in the city of Basel. Its library listed about 500 manuscripts when Basel become Protestant during the Reformation. Later (in 1590) these manuscripts went to the Basel University Library, and about 90% of those manuscripts have survived. In the coming years, the Basel University Library will publish a large number of these manuscripts on e-codices.
 
 
 
4. Rhaetian manuscripts

In late 8th and early 9th century Churraetia, a typical script was in use, which in paleography is identified as Rhaetian script. This pre-Carolingian script shows influences of Alemannic minuscule, which was used for instance in the more northern St. Gall, and of Italian scripts, even the Beneventan script from southern Italy.


e-codices has already published the most significant textual witnesses of this script. The current update augments that collection with more fragments from the Abbey of Saint John in Müstair.


 
 
Fragmentarium Launch Event

Dr. Cornel Dora, Abbey Librarian of Saint Gall presents one of the most precious fragment volume of the library – Cod. Sang. 1394 – containing the Vergilius Sangallensis and the Vetus latina to participants of the 2nd Planning Meeting preceding the Launch of Fragmentarium.
 
5. Fragmentarium – Launch
 
On Friday, 1 September 2017, Fragmentarium – Digital Research Laboratory for Medieval Manuscript Fragments officially opened its doors to the public in a ceremony at the St. Gall Abbey Library. Over the coming weeks, months and years, we will be publishing online more and more fragments, reconstructions and studies of fragments.

The launch attracted great media attention, including several long newspaper articles, reports on five radio stations, as well as a piece in the program Journal on the Swiss public television channel.
 
 
 
e-codices
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