The Sainte-Chapelle Gospels or the Sainte-Chapelle Gospel Book is an

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty () was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman emperors, especially Otto the Great. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin in the German stem du ...

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

now housed in the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as Latin 8851. It is made up of 156 parchment folios, in a 38.5 cm by 28 cm format, making it one of the largest manuscripts of its era. It includes miniatures such as the

canon tables Eusebian canons, Eusebian sections or Eusebian apparatus, also known as Ammonian sections, are the system of dividing the four Gospels used between late antiquity and the Middle Ages. The divisions into Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapters ...

Christ in majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory () is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership change ...

and the

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

. It is the work of the

Master of the Registrum Gregorii The Master of the Registrum Gregorii, also known as the Registrum Master or the Gregory Master, was an anonymous 10th-century scribe and illuminator, active in Trier during the episcopate of Egbert of Trier. His work is generally figural and cha ...

, the most famous illuminator of the

Ottonian Renaissance The Ottonian Renaissance was a renaissance of Byzantine art, Byzantine and Late Antiquity, Late Antique art in Central Europe, Central and Southern Europe that accompanied the reigns of the first three Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian Dynasty, ...

Dating and provenance

It does not contain a miniature showing the man or woman who commissioned it (probably someone of high rank) and it does not have a title page, making its dating uncertain. On its title page for St Matthew's Gospel (folio 16, recto) are four medallions showing inscribed portraits of one of the sovereigns of the era, one in each side of the border: *Top: OTTO IMPERATOR AVG(ustus) ROMANOR(um) (Otto, Emperor Augustus of the Romans, ie

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

) *Base: OTTO IUNIOR IMPERATOR AVGVST(u)S (Otto the Younger, Emperor Augustus ie Otto II or

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was c ...

*Left: HEINRICVS REX FRANCORV(m) (Henry, King of the Franks ie Henry of Germany or Saint Henry) *Right: HENRICUS REX FRANCORVM (Henry, King of the Franks ie the same as the former, meaning Henry I or Henry II is shown twice) If Saint Henry is shown, this would date the manuscript to between 1002 and 1014. However, the Master of the Registrum Gregorii worked before the end of the 10th century for

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, Arch ...

, who died in 993. If that Master is accepted as the artist, the medallions either both show Henry I, who died 983 and was succeeded by Otto III.

Carl Nordenfalk Carl Nordenfalk (December 13, 1907 – June 13, 1992) was a Swedish art historian, academic and director of the Swedish Nationalmuseum from 1958 to 1968. He is best known for his work on Late Antique illuminations, especially those linked to the ...

argues that the medallions represent Otto the Great, Otto II, Henry I and

Henry II of Bavaria Henry II (951 – 28 August 995), called the Wrangler or the Quarrelsome (), a member of the German royal Ottonian dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria from 955 to 976 and again from 985 to 995, as well as Duke of Carinthia from 989 to 995. Life He ...

, who tried to seize power after Otto II's death and had support from

, who voted for him in 984. This would mean the Gospel Book was initially created to offer to Henry II, who was not elected, and then quickly offering instead to empress

Theophanu Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...

, thus explaining why it is incomplete. The Gospel Book is bound in the same style as the

Codex Aureus of Echternach The Codex Aureus of Echternach (''Codex aureus Epternacensis'') is an Illuminated manuscript, illuminated Gospel Book, created in the approximate period 1030–1050, with a re-used front cover from around the 980s. It is now in the Germanisches ...

, created at

Echternach Abbey The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The abbey was founded in the 7th century by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg. For three hundred years, it benefited from the pa ...

by goldsmiths from Egbert's studio shortly after 985. Egbert sent the Gospel Book and Codex to the empress, probably in an attempt at appeasement and reconciliation, adding the figure of Christ in Majesty. Finally both manuscripts moved to Echternach Abbey. In 1379

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...

offered the Gospel Book to the treasury of the

Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...

(giving it its present name) and it moved from there to the Bibliothèque nationale de France after the French Revolution.

Artistic significance

The Gospel Book constitutes a high point in Ottonian illumination, moving from old models and serving as an exemplar for other

scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...

s. The inclusion of a Christ in Majesty and images of the Four Evangleists in its conception follows the example of 9th century manuscripts produced in

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

. The Christ in Majesty was produced in the scriptorium of Echternach Abbey and is modeled on a Carolinigian bible created in

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

and found in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

. The Four Evangelists were produced by different schools such as those of

Reichenau Abbey Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives) in southern Germany. It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Visigothic Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, w ...

and tend towards the style of classical antiquity and of Carolingian Ada Gospel Book, then in

St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier Saint Maximin's Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. History The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Tr ...

. Two miniatures from the

Pericopes of Henry II The Pericopes of Henry II (; Munich, Bavarian State Library, Clm 4452) is a luxurious medieval illuminated manuscript made for Henry II, the last Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor, made 1002–1012 AD. The manuscript, which is lavishly illuminated, is ...

were inspired by them. Hartmut Hoffmann compared the inscription under the arch in the miniature of

Luke the Evangelist Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...

marking the start of the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

minuscule Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally '' minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing system ...

calligraphy known to be by the Master of the Registrum Gregorii, allowing him to be identified as its artist. The Gospel Book belongs to a group of rare Ottonian manuscripts, the most important of which are the 1043-1046

Golden Gospels of Henry III The Golden Gospels of Henry III, also Codex Aureus of Speyer or Speyer Gospels (Speyerer Evangeliar), (El Escorial, Real Biblioteca, Cod. Vitrinas 17) is an eleventh-century Illuminated manuscript, illuminated Gospel Book. The manuscript contains ...

(now in the Biblioteca del Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, as ''Cod. Vitr. 17'') and the Codex Aureus of Echternach with its Greek style lettering. The Gospel Book's image of Christ in Majesty includes a Greek and

majuscule Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally '' majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally '' minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing syste ...

transcription of the Psalm "your kingdom is eternal and your power extends from age to age".

References

Bibliography

* Walter Berschin, ''Drei griechische Majestas-Tituli in der Trier-Echternacher Buchmalerei'', in: Wilhelm Nyssen, ''Begegnung zwischen Rom und Byzanz um das Jahr 1000. Zum tausendsten Todestag der Kaiserin Theophanu'', Cologne, 1991, pp.37-52 * Hartmut Hoffmann, ''Buchkunst und Königtum im ottonischen und frühsalischen Reich'', Stuttgart, 1986 * Franz J. Ronig, ''Egbert. Erzbischof von Trier 977-993. Gedenkschrift der Diözese Trier zum 1000. Todestag'', édition du ''Rheinisches Landesmuseum'' de Trèves, 1993

External links

*{{in lang, fr}
Reproduction of the Gospel Book on Gallica
985 category:Gospel Books category:10th-century illuminated manuscripts category:Ottonian illuminated manuscripts Bibliothèque nationale de France collections Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor Theophanu Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great Henry the Fowler