Irish Gospel Book of St. Gallen
The Irish Gospel Book of St. Gallen (Codex Sangallensis 51) is an illustrated gospel book from the middle of the 8th century or from the beginning of the 9th century. It was created by Irish monks.
The Codex contains the text of the four Gospels of the New Testament on 134 parchment pages in the format 29.5 × 22 cm. The text is written in Irish half-uncials ( capital letters). The Gospel of John follows the Western text type, the other Gospels follow the Vulgate version . There are 7 full-page colored miniatures in the island style with the depictions of the four evangelists , the crucifixion of Christ, his ascension and the Christ monogram on one side of the carpet. There are also numerous ornate initials .
origin
The Irish Gospels of St. Gallen preserved in the Abbey Library of St. Gallen is one of the most beautiful Irish illuminated manuscripts still preserved today. As origin O'Sullivan suggests because of the square font and use a minuscule for a liturgical text means Ireland before, and in time it is filed by Joseph Flahive in time to the 780th Stylistically it is closely related to the Faddan More Psalter , which was discovered in 2006 as if by a miracle in a moor near Birr, also in central Ireland.
In the manuscript itself there are no more precise references to the place of origin. After all, on page 265 there is an entry in a Carolingian minuscule , possibly from the second half of the 9th century , which, it seems, imitates the Irish script. It is an indication that the band will be released no later than 9/10. Century on the mainland and probably also in St. Gallen . A connection with the donation of books by the Irish Bishop Marcus and his nephew Móengal in the period from 849 to 872 cannot be proven, but cannot be ruled out. The manuscript is now in the Abbey Library of St. Gallen Monastery .
content
The manuscript contains the four Gospels in an Irish mixed text by Vetus Latina and Vulgate . The double initial decorative pages at the beginning of the four Gospels are artistically striking. They are each designed with an impressive evangelist portrait on the left and the artistic beginning of the text on the right. At the same level are a cross panel (p. 6), another decorative page (p. 7) and the depictions of the crucified (p. 266) and the Last Judgment (p. 267) at the end of the volume. Because the pictures in Markus and Johannes (pp. 78/79 and 208/209) differ significantly in style from the others, it can be assumed that two different artists were at work.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cornel Dora, Franziska Schnoor (Ed.): At the cradle of Europe: Irish book culture of the early Middle Ages . Verlag am Klosterhof, St. Gallen, ISBN 978-3-905906-28-8 , p. 78 .
- ^ A b Farr, Carol Ann, 1949 - Author: Reused, rescued, recycled: the art historical and palaeographic contexts of the Irish fragments, St Gallen Codex 1395 . ( worldcat.org [accessed July 11, 2020]).
- ↑ a b Duft, Johannes .: The Irish miniatures in the Abbey Library of St. Gall . Graf, 1954 ( worldcat.org [accessed July 11, 2020]).
- ↑ Bracken, Damian, editor. Flahive, Joseph J., editor: The St Gall Gospels: Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Codex 51. ( worldcat.org [accessed July 11, 2020]).
- ↑ a b c Dora, Cornel, editor. Schnoor, Franziska, editor. Vanovitch, Katherine, translator .: The cradle of European culture: early medieval Irish book art: summer exhibition, 13 March until 4 November 2018 . ISBN 978-3-906819-30-3 ( worldcat.org [accessed July 11, 2020]).
