HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Egbert Psalter (also known as the Gertrude Psalter or Trier Psalter) is a
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...
Psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters wer ...
preserved in the municipal museum of
Cividale Cividale del Friuli ( fur, Cividât (locally ); german: Östrich; sl, Čedad) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Udine, part of the Northern Italy, North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia ''regione''. The town lies above sea-level in the foo ...
, Italy (Ms. CXXXVI). The psalter is an example of the illuminated manuscripts associated with the
Ottonian Renaissance The Ottonian Renaissance was a renaissance of Byzantine and Late Antique art in Central and Southern Europe that accompanied the reigns of the first three Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (or Saxon) dynasty: Otto I (936–973), Otto II (9 ...
. It was originally created around the year 980 by the monks of the
Abbey of Reichenau Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives). It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, with patronage that included Char ...
(a monk named Ruodprecht is mentioned in the original dedication) for Archbishop
Egbert of Trier Egbert (c. 950 – 9 December 993) was the Archbishop of Trier from 977 until his death. Egbert was a son of Dirk II, Count of Holland. After being trained in Egmond Abbey, founded and controlled by his family, and at the court of Bruno I, Archb ...
. In the mid-11th century, the book passed to
Gertrude of Poland Gertrude-Olisava (c. 1025 – 4 January 1108), princess of Poland, was the daughter of King Mieszko II of Poland and Queen Richeza of Lotharingia, and the great-granddaughter of German Emperor Otto II. Early life The exact time and place of Ger ...
, wife of Iziaslav of Kiev. She included her prayer book as part of the
codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...
and commissioned its illuminations, which curiously blend
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and Romanesque traditions. In the 12th century, the codex was in the possession of the Andechs-Merania family, and was given to
Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...
either by her mother,
Gertrude of Merania Gertrude of Merania ( 1185 – 28 September 1213) was Queen of Hungary as the first wife of Andrew II from 1205 until her assassination. She was regent during her husband's absence. Life She was the daughter of the Bavarian Count Berthold IV ...
, or by her aunt, Saint
Hedwig of Andechs Hedwig of Silesia ( pl, Święta Jadwiga Śląska), also Hedwig of Andechs (german: Heilige Hedwig von Andechs, la, Hedvigis; 1174 – 15 October 1243), a member of the Bavarian comital House of Andechs, was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and o ...
. According to a 16th-century note on folio 8r, Saint Elizabeth gave the codex to the cathedral of Cividale in 1229. The book features a large picture of
Apostle Peter An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
venerated by Gertrude and her son Yaropolk, whose Christian name was Peter. It is known that Yaropolk was the first to build a church to St Peter in
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
and that he placed an image of that saint on his coins. In 1075 he was sent by his dethroned father to
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...
in order to secure the Pope's support in recompense for bringing Russ (Ruth) under the patronage of St Peter ("patrocinium beati Petri"). There are two letters of
Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...
to the king of
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and to Svyatoslav II of Kiev admonishing them to return the Kievan throne to Iziaslav.


See also

*
List of illuminated manuscripts This is a list of illuminated manuscripts. 2nd century *Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, cod. suppl. gr. 1294 ( Romance Papyrus) 3rd century *Oxford, Sackler Library, Oxyrhynchus Pap. 2331 ( Heracles Papyrus) *British Library, Papyrus 3053 ...


References


External links


Egbert Psalter
overview and full reproduction of the codex: Cividale del Friuli, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, CXXXVI. {{Authority control Ottonian illuminated manuscripts Illuminated psalters 10th-century biblical manuscripts