The ''Codex Vigilanus'' or ''Codex Albeldensis'' (Spanish: ''Códice Vigilano'' or ''Albeldense'') is an

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * Illuminated (song), "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also

compilation of various historical documents accounting for a period extending from antiquity to the 10th century in

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

. Among the many texts brought together by the compilers are the canons of the Visigothic

Councils of Toledo From the 5th century to the 7th century AD, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo (''Concilia toletana'') in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "thir ...

, the ''

Liber Iudiciorum The ''Visigothic Code'' (, or Book of the Judgements; ), also called ''Lex Visigothorum'' (English: ''Law of the Visigoths''), is a set of laws first promulgated by king Chindasuinth (642–653 AD) of the Visigothic Kingdom in his second year of ...

'', the decrees of some early

popes The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

and other

patristic Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics em ...

writings, historical narratives (such as the ''Crónica Albeldense'' and the '' Life of Mohammed''), various other pieces of civil and

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, and a calendar. It is now in the library of

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

monastery, with the shelfmark D.I.2. The compilers were three monks of the Riojan monastery of San Martín de Albelda: Vigila, after whom it was named and who was the illustrator; Serracino, his friend; and García, his disciple. The first compilation was finished in 881, but was updated up to 976. The original manuscript is preserved in the library of

(as Escorialensis d I 2). At the time of its compilation, Albelda was the cultural and intellectual centre of the

Kingdom of Pamplona The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

. The manuscripts celebrate with illustrations not only the ancient Gothic kings who had reformed the law — Chindasuinth, Reccesuinth, and Ergica — but also its contemporary dedicatees, the rulers of Navarre:

Sancho II of Pamplona Sancho Garcés II (Basque: ''Antso II.a Gartzez'', c. 938 – 994), also known as Sancho II, was King of Pamplona and Count of Aragon from 970 until his death in 994. He was the eldest son of García Sánchez I of Pamplona and Andregoto Galí ...

and his queen, Urraca, and his brother Ramiro Garcés, King of Viguera. The codex contains, among other pieces of useful information, among the earliest mention and representation of

Arabic numerals The ten Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) are the most commonly used symbols for writing numbers. The term often also implies a positional notation number with a decimal base, in particular when contrasted with Roman numera ...

in the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

. They were introduced by the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

into Spain around the early 8th century. The illuminations are stylistically unique, combining

Visigothic The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

, Mozarabic, and

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

elements. The interlace patterns and the drapery show Carolingian, as well Italo-Byzantine, influence. The use of animals as decoration and for supporting columns also parallels contemporary Frankish usage. More Carolingian and less Byzantine influence is evident in the '' Codex Aemilianensis'', a copy of the ''Vigilanus'' made at

San Millán de la Cogolla San Millán de la Cogolla () is a sparsely populated municipality in La Rioja (Spain). The village is famous for its twin monasteries, Yuso and Suso (Monasterio de San Millán de Yuso and Monasterio de San Millán de Suso), which were declared a ...

in 992 by a different illustrator.Guilmain, "Forgotten," 36–37.

Notes

Sources

{{commons category, Codex Vigilanus *Guilmain, Jacques.
Interlace Decoration and the Influence of the North on Mozarabic Illumination (in Notes).
''The Art Bulletin'', Vol. 42, No. 3. (September, 1960), pp 211–218. *Guilmain, Jacques.
Zoomorphic Decoration and the Problem of the Sources of Mozarabic Illumination.
''Speculum'', Vol. 35, No. 1. (January, 1960), pp 17–38. *Guilmain, Jacques.
The Forgotten Early Medieval Artist.
''Art Journal'', Vol. 25, No. 1. (Autumn, 1965), pp 33–42. *Bishko, Charles Julian.
Salvus of Albelda and Frontier Monasticism in Tenth-Century Navarre.
''Speculum'', Vol. 23, No. 4. (October, 1948), pp 559–590. 976 10th-century illuminated manuscripts Visigothic Kingdom Medieval history of the Basque Country Mozarabic art and architecture 10th century in Navarre 10th-century writers in Latin