This 12th century manuscript with commentaries on the four Gospels is probably from Alsace. This is suggested by the history of the founding of the Benedictine monastery of St. Faith in Sélestat, added on the last pages. In 1530, the manuscript was owned by Johannes Schornegg, parish priest in Muri.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
The manuscript called “Evangelia ad Missas” contains the Gospel readings for mass during the course of the year according to the Cistercian liturgy. It was written in the second half of the 12th century and is thus older than the Cistercian Wettingen Abbey, which was founded in 1227. It is not known in which monastery this manuscript was written and decorated with multi-colored initials with scroll ornamentation.
Online Since: 12/10/2020
This liturgical book (Epistolare Cisterciense) can quite accurately be dated to around 1173 based on the script and on the succession of festivals described therein. This volume of epistles ist the second oldest manuscript among the Wettinger codices; by all indications, it was given to Wettingen Abbey as a gift from its mother house, Salem Abbey, on the occastion of its new founding in 1227.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
Death records compiled at the time of the double cloister of Muri, between 1120 and 1140. Includes, among other items, death records from Hermetschwil, seasonal monetary contributions and interest, a martyrology (Usuardus Sangermanensis), and a copy of the Benedictine Rule.
Online Since: 04/14/2008
This missal is the oldest surviving document in the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden; it is owned by the parish St. Mauritius in Appenzell. It was probably created for a church in the Diocese of Constance, its exact origins, however, are unknown. The missal is also important to the history of the region of Appenzell because it contains the only surviving copy of the deed of foundation of the parish of Appenzell from the year 1071. The volume contains separate parts (calendar, gradual, sequentiary, sacramentary, lectionary). The calendar is particularly rich in saints' days, although none is rubricated as a patron saint's day.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
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
First part of a two-volume edition of Gregory's Moralia in Iob. From the Carthusian Monastery, purchased at the Council of Basel. The main part of the manuscript was written at the turn from the 11th to the 12th century; the Tabula found at the very beginning and very end of the volume was added in the 13th century. The earlier provenance of the manuscript is not clear, but an origin in common with the second volume (B I 13a) stands to reason.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
Second part of a two-volume edition of Gregory's Moralia in Iob. This volume from the end of the 12th century, richly decorated with initials, was purchased at the Council of Basel for the Carthusian Monastery of Basel and was augmented at the monastery by the scribe Heinrich von Vullenhoe. The provenance of the volume is not certain. An erased note of ownership of the Monastery of S. Maria in Insula could refer to the Premonstratensian Abbey of Marienwerd in Goldern or to the Cistercian Abbey of Notre Dame de l'Ile-de-Ré near La Rochelle. The first volume (B I 12) probably has the same origin.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
This manuscript, sparingly decorated with foliate and figure initials, was produced at the end of the 12th century and belonged to the Carthusian Monastery of Basel. In addition to the glossed cantica ad laudes et ferialia, it primarily contains the Psalter with the glossa ordinaria, the standard medieval commentary on the biblical texts. The layout of the text is in the customary catena-style: the text of the Psalm is in the middle of the page, surrounded by interpretation in the margins and betweens the lines.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
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
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
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
This manuscript, disbound and surviving only in fragments, was used in 1543 by the printer Heinrich Petri from Basel as model for his edition of the Rabani Mauri Moguntinensis archiepiscopi commentaria in Hieremiam prophetam. Various signs from typesetting as well as traces of printing ink provide evidence for such a use. From Petri's print shop, the manuscript became part of the collection of Remigius Fäsch and, together with the other holdings of the Museum Faesch, in 1823 it became the property of the University of Basel. The original provenance of the manuscript is not clear.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
Little is known about Albin of Clairvaux, also Albuinus of Gorze or Albuinus Eremita, except that around the year 1000 he produced a compilation of moral-theological writings dedicated to a Parisian canon Arnoldus and to Archbishop Heribert of Cologne (999-1021). The present copy is from the 11th or 12th century and is bound in soft leather, which originally was probably long enough to completely cover the book, but so narrow that the body of the block protrudes above and below. In the 15th century it was the property of the Carthusian monastery of Mainz, and it came to the Basel University Library as part of the Remigius Faesch collection.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
The so-called Liber ad honorem Augusti by Peter of Eboli is one of the most famous and most requested manuscripts in the Burgerbibliothek Bern. The manuscript is exceptionally richly illustrated; it is from a workshop in the circle of the imperial court in southern Italy. Neither the scribe nor the illustrator is known, but, the text was doubtlessly corrected by the author himself. The text, an epic poem in Latin in about 1700 distichs that has survived only in this manuscript, is divided into three books. The first two books describe the prehistory of Sicily and its conquest by the Staufers; the third book contains a poem in praise of the parents — Emperor Henry VI and his wife Constance, daughter and heir of King Roger II of Sicily — of the famous Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II, who was born on 26 December 1194 in Jesi near Ancona.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
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
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
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
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
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 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 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 manuscript is probably from Murbach Abbey; it is an example of the transmission of texts by the medium of the medieval scroll. The Rotulus von Mülinen contains more than 460 recipes, incantations and blessings in Latin, with selective interlinear glosses in Old High German. In addition there is an isolated recipe purely in Old High German Contra paralysin theutonice. The verso side contains an extensive glossary with over 1500 lemmas from the field of medicine, partly provided with Latin and Old High German explanations.
Online Since: 03/17/2016
Bifolium from a manuscript of Gregory the Great's Homiliae in Evangelia. This fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript of Ambrose's Hexameron, namely the beginning of Bern, Burgerbibiliothek, Cod. 585. This fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Ten leaves from a manuscript in two parts containing the medical treatises of Isaac Judaeus and Johannes Afflacius. This fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
A collection of fragments from three different parts that contains various excerpts of texts by Remigius Altissiodorensis (A), Bernardus Silvestris (B), and Hildebertus Cenomanensis (C). The fragment, encompassing 16 leaves, came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Two bifolia from a collection that contains, alongside a fragment of Guido of Arezzo's Versus de musicae explanatione, other rhetorical, metrological, and philosophical treatises. This fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the bequest of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia of a manuscript, likely produced in France, of the Disticha Catonis, also containing the Ecloga Theoduli. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Single leaf of a manuscript produced in France and containing commentaries on Horace's Satires and Ars poetica. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Two bifolia from a manuscript produced in France containing Horace's Odes; on f. 1r there is a collection of Latin sayings. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 from the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
A single leaf from a manuscript produced in France and containing Priscian's Partitiones. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
4 leaves from a manuscript possibly produced in Fleury with grammatical content, including a Carolingian commentary on Donatus. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
9 leaves (probably 1 quire) of a manuscript produced in France. The fragment contains passages from the eighth book of Martianus Capella's De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii, as well as grammatical excerpts. It came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
A ten-leaf fragment of French origin, coming from two different codicological units. Part A (the two outer bifolia) contains a text on the twelve gems as well as various medical treatises. Part B holds parts of the second book of Isaac Judaeus' Practica, in the Latin translation of Constantinus Africanus, as well as a few medical recipes. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three leaves from a manuscript produced in France. The leaves chiefly contain a text, probably excerpted from various sources, on the twelve gems as well as medical recipes. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Bifolia from a manuscript produced in France that, on the basis of a beautiful majuscule explicit, may have contained Jerome's commentary on Matthew. There follows a short orthography, an excerpt from Augustine, as well as the text by Eugenius Toletanus on the ten Egyptian plagues. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Bifolium from a manuscript produced in France. The fragment contains the accessus to Cicero's De amicitia as well as the beginning of a glossed version of Horace's Ars poetica. It came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Two bifolia from a manuscript produced in France. The fragment contains, in addition to Walter Map's Praedicatio Goliae and the beginning of Hugh of Saint Victor's De quinque septenis, one or two homilies that have not yet been identified. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
A heavily damaged leaf from a manuscript produced in France, containing a list of French kings as well as Archbishops of Tours. The additions to the list extend into the second quarter of the 13th century. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
4 bifolia (probably 1 quire) from a manuscript produced in Fleury. The content of the texts, which are partly designed as a student-teacher dialogue, ranges from orthography and grammer to the Artes liberales and the ages of the world to a glossary of the parts of the body. The fragment came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
18 leaves (two whole quires and one bifolium) from a manuscript of the Cistercian abbey of Vauluisant. Additional parts of the manuscript are in Paris, BnF latin 2820. The fragment contains the end of Aelred of Rievaulx's Compendium speculi caritatis and the beginning of Alcuin's Compendium in cantica canticorum. In 1632, it came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Four bifolia of a manuscript probably produced in the Orléans region and containing Ambrosius Autpertus' De conflictu vitiorum et virtutum. The quire, which came from the Celestine abbey of Notre-Dame at Ambert, constituted the beginning of Bern, Burgerbibliothek Cod. 612. The fragment belonged to the Daniel family and came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
5 bifolia (=1 quire) from a manuscript produced in France and containing the beginning of Constantine the African's Viaticus. In 1632, the simply-decorated fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Single leaf of a manuscript produced in France and containing the Gesta Treverorum. Other parts of this manuscript can today be found in Paris (BnF, latin 5873) and in the Vatican (B.A.V., Reg. lat. 1283). In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
A single leaf with Gregory the Great's Moralia in Hiob, that, together with Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 132, ff. 1-4, served in the 11th century to complete the text of this manuscript (ff. 5-149). Palimpsest: the original manuscript from the beginning of the 9th century contained Clement of Rome, Recognitiones. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Bifolium of a manuscript probably produced in the area of Soissons, which contained a Marian miracle of Hugo Farsitus as well as an excerpt of the Vitae patrum. According to an ownership mark, the bifolium was later in the Carthusian monastery of Arvières-en-Valromey (Ain). In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript produced in France containing excerpts on different theological themes. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Two bifolia from a small-format manuscript made in France containing various theological excerpts related to a collection of sententiae from the school of Anselm of Laon. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript probably produced in Fleury. Other parts of the manuscript can be found in Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 170. The fragment contains parts of the vita of saint Placidus and his disciples. In 1632, it came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Four bifolia (likely 1 quire) of a manuscript produced in France that contained John of Avranches' explanations of the Divinum officium and Amalarius of Metz's Ordo missae. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Single leaf of a manuscript probably produced in Micy with the miracles of saint Maximinus. The fragment subsequently belonged to Pierre Daniel and later came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Bifolium of a Liber poenitentialis, not further identified, probably produced in Eastern France. It contains parts of book 24, as suggested by the running number written in the upper margin. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Four bound bifolia from a medical manuscript, likely produced in Eastern France, containing excerpts from an antidotary and from Isaac Judaeus' De diaetis universalibus. The two leaves added at the end present excerpts from the Liber alter de dynamidiis, other excerpts of a theological nature, and medical recipes. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Four bifolia (1 quire) from a manuscript written in France with the Beniamin minor by Richard of Saint-Victor. Unfortunately, the origin cannot be determined more precisely from the partly cut owner's note on folio 1. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript possibly made in Eastern France, which contained Isidore's Sententiae and was extensively annotated. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Four bifolia of a manuscript that belonged to the abbey of canons regular of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris. The quire with the Glossae in Vetus Testamentum (Leviticus and 1 Kings) and the Quaestiones Hebraicae in librum I Regum by Hieronymus forms the beginning of Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 554. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript produced in France, which contained the treatises De tropis loquendi by Peter the Chanter and De schematibus et tropis by Bede. On the last leaf is a collection of French medical recipes. As can be seen from a note on f. 1r, Pierre Daniel and Pierre Pithou exchanged ideas about the content of the text. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Three bifolia from a manuscript probably made in France. Additional parts of the manuscript are in Vatican City, B.A.V., Reg. lat. 477. The Bernese part contains Alcuin's Confessio de Trinitate, a poem by Hildebert of Lavardin, and the beginning of the Passion of the Apostle Andrew. An ex-libris with a book curse is unfortunately barely decipherable. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
Single leaf of a manuscript made in France with a fragment of the Leges Langobardorum. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
The upper half of the illustrated side contains a naked Job and his three friends, the lower half shows the author, Gregory the Great, inspired by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and a Benedictine monk, portrayed in the usual manner of Petrus Diaconus, the latter probably drawn by a different artist. On the back is a Leonine couplet, which attributes the leaf unambiguously to Engelberg. The leaf is, according to P. Karl Stadler's 1787 description, the original opening of the first volume of the Moralia Iob by Gregory the Great (Engelberg, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 20, here immediately before f. 1). In the mid-19th century it was owned by Jacob Heinrich von Hefner-Alteneck (1811-1903) and was faithfully reproduced in his book Trachten des Mittelalters (1840-54, Vol. 1, Plate 57, p. 76f). In November 1953 the leaf was purchased from the J.H. Wade Fund for the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Online Since: 12/19/2011
During the entire middle ages in the occident, the texts of Aristotle and Boethius were well circulated and inspired a large number of thinkers. These two great philosophers are brought together in this volume, written in a variety of different hands. The first portion, which can be dated sometime in the 11th or 12th century, contains the works of Aristotle. It also includes an extremely interesting schema (fol. 27) and initials accented in green and decorated with scrollwork. The text of Boethius, which is dated somewhat later, was copied during the 12th century. In this text one also finds some contemporaneous corrections as well as glosses from the 14th century.
Online Since: 06/02/2010
This French manuscript, probably incomplete, contains the commentary on the Psalms (Ps. 101-117, f. 1r-110v and 113r-136v) by Augustine of Hippo. De meditatione by Hugh of Saint Victor was inserted between Ps. 108 (f. 110v) and Ps. 109 (f. 113v). This manuscript probably comes from the manuscript collection of Hautecombe Abbey in Savoy, which was acquired by Archbishop Giacinto della Torre of Turin (1747-1814) for thearchdiocese's seminary library, which was later dispersed. The manuscript was acquired in 1957 from the book dealer Hoepli in Milan by Martin Bodmer.
Online Since: 06/23/2014
This manuscript was created in the German area in the 12th century. It contains the Venerable Bede's († 735) commentary on the Gospel of Mark. The codex belongs to the libray of the Benedictine Abbey of Gladbach near Cologne.
Online Since: 10/07/2013
This codex from southern Germany is composed of two parts bound together in one German binding in 1569. The first part of the manuscript contains about a hundred leaves from the 12th and 13th centuries. It begins with a calendar featuring numerous constellations and full page illustrations. Following are prayers and liturgical songs. The second part consists of thirty leaves containing a series of Latin prayers in carefully wrought late 14th century Gothic script.
Online Since: 12/20/2007
This manuscript contains the Song of Songs with a lacuna (6.5-8) due to the loss of a sheet. The Glossa ordinaria is written on the first sheet (1r-1v); it contains a heretofore unknown commentary. Placed alongside this is the first part of the Song of Songs (f. 2r-29r. until Ct 6.8), which in the beginning (f. 2r-v) is surrounded by another unknown commentary. The last sheets (f. 29v-30) contain excerpts from the prologue to the interpretation of the Song of Songs by Rupert of Deutz. The beginning of the Song of Songs is adorned with an initial depicting Solomon and the Shulamite.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
While Cicero is regarded today mainly as a philosopher and politician, he was regarded during the middle ages mainly as a teacher of public rhetoric. This is demonstrated by CB 52, most likely of French origin, which consists of copies of "De inventione" and a work long attributed to Cicero, "Rhetorica ad Herennium". The manuscript dates from the beginning of the 12th century.
Online Since: 03/25/2009
This manuscript, probably of French origin, contains Eusebius of Caesarea's Historia ecclesiastica in the translation of Rufinus, as well as Books I-II of Rufinus' continuation thereof.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This codex from Italy contains Gregory the Great's Homiliae in Ezechielem. The anathema Quicumque eum vendiderit vel alienaverit vel hanc scripturam raserit anathema sit is on f. 1r, as well as a partially erased ex libris that mentions a Convent of St. Agnes. The codex was purchased by Martin Bodmer in 1962; earlier perhaps it belonged to the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice and then to Abbot Celotti, to the library of Thomas Phillips, and to Sir Sydney Cocherell.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This 12th century manuscript from central Italy contains works of music theory by three Latin authors. Among these is Guido Aretinus, a Tuscan monk of the 10th century who is regarded as the inventor of solmisation. Some passages of text in the codex are based on the Institutio musica by Boethius.
Online Since: 07/31/2007
The countless marginal and interlinear glosses in CB 89 are evidence of the rediscovery of the works of Horace during the 12th century. This copy was produced in France.
Online Since: 03/25/2009
Contains Juvenal's Satires (I-XVI) with glosses which are probably from the commentary by Pseudo-Cornutus. Glued onto both inside covers are fragments from a 14th-century manuscript written in Dutch which contain part of the poetic work Martijn by Jacob van Maerlant, one of the greatest Flemish poets of the Middle Ages.
Online Since: 04/23/2013
This manuscript, which was copied in Norman Sicily, contains Origen's Commentary on the Song of Songs in the version translated from Greek into Latin by Rufinus of Aquileia (about 345-about 411). The text comprises the first four of the ten books of which Origen's original text must have consisted. It is preceded by a prologue by Jerome and is followed by short prayer by Gregory of Nazianzus, also translated into Latin by Rufinus of Aquileia. Origen's commentary, which presents Christ as the bridegroom and the Church, or also the individual soul, as the bride, influenced spiritual interpretations of the Song of Songs for centuries.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
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
This copy of the Lives of the Saints, produced during the 12th century, possibly in the German Cloister of Weissenau, is decorated with ornately detailed and illustrated initial capitals, including one notable initial in which the illuminator, "Fr. Ruffilus" includes himself (fol. 244r).
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This manuscript contains the Satires by the Roman poet Persius – Aulus Persius Flaccus (34-62). Except for the prologue, the satires are written in hexameter; there are a modest number of verses (about 650). The satires were very popular in the Middle Ages and beyond, as even Jean-Jacques Rousseau borrowed some words from them - intus et in cute (Satire III, v. 30 - fol. 5v) - to place at the beginning of his Confessions. The addition of a paragraph in French from the Gospel of Luke on the last page of the manuscript suggests that this copy of the Satires, which goes back to the 12th century, might have been copied in France.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
This manuscript, which was probably created in the St. Matthias-Eucharius Abbey in Trier, clearly belonged to the Benedictine abbey, as the ex libris on f. 1r declares. It contains, among others, the Liber antiquitatum biblicarum, which recounts Biblical history from Adam to King Saul, i.e., from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Samuel. This work was falsely attributed to Philo of Alexandria (1st century AD), the Hellenistic philosopher of Jewish culture. It also contains excerpts from the Carmina by the poet and Bishop of Tours Hildebert of Lavardin (1056-1133).
Online Since: 12/18/2014
In the foreword to CB 142, Prudentius underscores his desire to please God through the work he does, or at least though his poems. The most important works of this Latin-Christian poet, born in the 4th century in Tarragona, have been collected in this manuscript from the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century, and they reflect the light of the word of God. One may read here, among other things, the famous Psychomachia, which portrays the struggle between the allegorical figures of vice and virtue, a lesson that had a profound influence upon medieval art and poetry.
Online Since: 12/21/2009
This 12th century French manuscript contains the first six books of Virgil's Aeneid, along with the Argumenta attributed to Pseudo-Ovid. Among the famous previous owners of this codex is Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755), whose ex-libris is on f. 1r. Later the manuscript was owned by Sir Thomas Philipps (1792-1872). Martin Bodmer acquired this manuscript in 1966, during one of the auctions of the Philipps collection.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
This medical handbook by Gariopontus, who flourished in the mid-11th century in Salerno, systematically assembled in head-to-foot order writings already long known in the Latin speaking world (Galen's Ad Glauconem de medendi methodo I-II with a Liber tercius by a pseudo-Galen, the Aurelius and Esculapius derived ultimately from the texts of Soranus of Ephesus, and an extract from the Therapeutica by Alexander of Tralles) in seven books. The work exercised a strong influence on the School of Salerno. It survives in more than 65 manuscripts, and three print issues were produced as early as the 16th century. The Bodmer manuscript from the early 12th century, like many other versions of this text, features numerous glosses.
Online Since: 03/22/2012
This manuscript contains the Adnotationes super Lucanum, preceded by the Vita Lucani by Vacca, a grammarian from late antiquity whom some date to the 6th-century. The codex probably was created in the Benedictine Abbey Tegernsee in Bavaria and later was part of the library of the Princes of Oettingen-Wallerstein. As codex Wallersteinensis I.2, this text, together with four other textual witnesses, is the basis for the 1909 edition by Johannes Endt, which is still considered the reference edition today.
Online Since: 12/17/2015
The handscroll of Daihannya-haramitta-kyō, the Sutra of Great Wisdom, chapter five hundred and forty, consists of a simple sheet of paper without mounting. The complete version of the sutra encompasses six-hundred chapters. It was introduced to China from India by the monk, scholar and translator Xuanzang, who translated the sutra into Chinese in the 7th century before it was imported into Japan. The sutra is written in black ink on high-quality paper, very likely kōzo-shi, which is made using the fibre of Broussonetia papyrifera or paper mulberry tree, especially treasured and used for important documents during the early periods of Japanese history such as the Nara and Heian periods. There is a circular red seal placed over the top of the first four lines of the text, stating “Yakushi-ji-in” (seal of the temple Yakushi-ji). The sutra was written in Japan within the context of the religious rites of reproducing holy scripture to benefit the karma.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
A composite manuscript consisting of sections from three datable periods, the first from the 10th century, the other two from the 12th century. The first part (1-222) contains glosses on Priscian, the second (223-310) a collection of medical tracts assembled by Constantinus Africanus, the third part (311-357) contains the Liber Tegni by Galen (129/131-199/201).
Online Since: 12/19/2011
The content consists mostly of an anonymous commentary on the Gospel of Matthew attributed to Geoffrey Babion, together with other short texts, not all of which have been identified. The manuscript probably originated in Einsiedeln, certainly it has been there since the 14th century as attested by various annotations and marks by Heinrich von Ligerz.
Online Since: 09/23/2014
Cod. 83 is a complete breviary consisting of the following parts: calendar, antiphonary with neume notation, lectionary with biblical readings, homilary containing interpretations by the Church Fathers, hymnal, canticles from the Old and New Testaments, psalter, brief readings, prayers, preces and benedictions. Of special note is the oldest version of the Meinrad Office known to us, which is still used today. The melodies used in the antiphonary belong to the Alemanic choral dialect, still sung in the same form in Einsiedeln in the liturgy of the hours.
Online Since: 11/04/2010
This composite manuscript contains among others the De viris illustribus by Jerome and the De viris illustribus by Gennadius, the Deflorata by Isidore of Seville and, at the very end, the Tractatus de VII sacramentis, which was only added in the 12th/13th century. The 14th century binding is probably from Einsiedeln; certainly the manuscript was in the monastery library in the 17th century, as attested by the ex libris on p. 1.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
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
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