St. Albans Psalter
Encyclopedia
The St Albans Psalter, also known as the Albani Psalter or the Psalter of Christina of Markyate, is an English illuminated manuscript
, one of several Psalter
s known to have been created at or for St Albans Abbey in the 12th century. It is widely considered to be one of the most important examples of English Romanesque
book production: it is of almost unprecedented lavishness of decoration; it contains a number of iconographic innovations that would endure throughout the Middle Ages; it contains the earliest surviving example of French literature, the Chanson de St Alexis or Vie de St Alexis; and it was probably commissioned by an identifiable man and owned by an identifiable woman. Since the early 19th century it has been owned by the church of St Godehard, Hildesheim
, but is now stored and administered at the nearby Dombibliothek (Cathedral Library). A single leaf from the manuscript is at the Schnütgen Museum
, Cologne
; one further leaf, and one further cutting, are missing from the volume, their whereabouts unknown.
was created at St Albans Abbey between circa 1120 and circa 1145, during the abbacy (1119-1146) of Geoffrey de Gorham
or Gorron, and that it was probably owned by Christina of Markyate
(born circa 1098, died perhaps between 1155 and 1166), anchoress and later prioress of Markyate
.
If she did indeed own it, it is not clear whether the manuscript was intended for her from the beginning, whether it was adapted for her while it was being made, or whether it became hers after its completion. Recent research suggests that it was intended for her from the beginning. Additions were made to the manuscript at various times until after her death, which is recorded in the calendar.
and four artists in the volume, but there is disagreement about their identity, and who was responsible for what.
Published opinions until the 1960s were mostly that the manuscript was made before c.1125, or even before c.1123; this was modified in the 1980s to the decade c.1120-1130; while in the 1990s and 2000s several scholars have proposed dates in the 1130s. Attributions dating the manuscript to after 1145, or after 1155, have not gained general acceptance.
The main units of text are:
The last three listed are often said to have been written by the same scribe, identified by some as Abbot Geoffrey himself, giving a total of seven scribes. In addition, another 12th-century scribe corrected the text of the Psalms.
The main units of decoration are:
The prefatory miniatures are usually said to be by the artist of the Alexis quire, the so-called Alexis Master
The majority of the historiated initials are usually said to have been painted by two artists, one of whom was the artist of the calendar and the final 'diptych'.
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
, one of several Psalter
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 later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
s known to have been created at or for St Albans Abbey in the 12th century. It is widely considered to be one of the most important examples of English Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
book production: it is of almost unprecedented lavishness of decoration; it contains a number of iconographic innovations that would endure throughout the Middle Ages; it contains the earliest surviving example of French literature, the Chanson de St Alexis or Vie de St Alexis; and it was probably commissioned by an identifiable man and owned by an identifiable woman. Since the early 19th century it has been owned by the church of St Godehard, Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, but is now stored and administered at the nearby Dombibliothek (Cathedral Library). A single leaf from the manuscript is at the Schnütgen Museum
Schnütgen Museum
The Schnütgen Museum in Cologne , Germany is devoted to Christian religious art, mainly medieval, but some parts of the collection, such as its textiles and prints, extend from antiquity to the modern period...
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
; one further leaf, and one further cutting, are missing from the volume, their whereabouts unknown.
Contents
The manuscript is composed of five physically separable parts:- I. (Quire 1; pp. 1–16) Calendar and computistical material
- II. (Quires 2-4; pp. 17–56) Series of full-page miniatures
- III. (Quire 5; pp. 57–72) A quire containing:
- a miniature and text of the Chanson de St Alexis,
- Gregory the Great's defence of the use of images, in Latin and French translation,
- three miniatures depicting the Gospel Emmaus story,
- a drawing of two battling knights, with accompanying text, and
- a Beatus initial, with accompanying text
- IV. (Quires 6-23; pp. 73–414) Psalms, Canticles, Litany, and Collects
- V. (part of Quire 23; pp. 415–418) A bifolium with two full-page miniatures (pp. 416–417) depicting the Martyrdom of St Alban, and King David with musicians
Date and origin
Scholarly opinion differs on many of the details, but there is general agreement that the PsalterPsalter
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 later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
was created at St Albans Abbey between circa 1120 and circa 1145, during the abbacy (1119-1146) of Geoffrey de Gorham
Geoffrey de Gorham
Geoffrey de Gorham , sometimes called Geoffrey of Dunstable or of Le Mans , was a Norman scholar who became Abbot of St Albans Abbey, 1119 to 1146.-Life:...
or Gorron, and that it was probably owned by Christina of Markyate
Christina of Markyate
Christina of Markyate was born in Huntingdon, England c. 1095–1100, and died perhaps after 1155. As a young girl or adolescent, named Theodora, she took a vow of chastity, so her parents' attempts to force her unwillingly into marriage led her to run away from home and go into hiding under the care...
(born circa 1098, died perhaps between 1155 and 1166), anchoress and later prioress of Markyate
Markyate
Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.-Geography:Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county...
.
If she did indeed own it, it is not clear whether the manuscript was intended for her from the beginning, whether it was adapted for her while it was being made, or whether it became hers after its completion. Recent research suggests that it was intended for her from the beginning. Additions were made to the manuscript at various times until after her death, which is recorded in the calendar.
Details of production
Within the accepted c.1120-c.1145 date-range, there is no firm scholarly consensus about the relative and absolute chronology of the creation of the five constituent parts. There are generally thought to be the work of at least six scribesScribes
Scribes is a minimalist and extensible text editor for GNOME that combines simplicity with power. Scribes focuses on ways workflow and productivity can be intelligently automated and radically improved...
and four artists in the volume, but there is disagreement about their identity, and who was responsible for what.
Published opinions until the 1960s were mostly that the manuscript was made before c.1125, or even before c.1123; this was modified in the 1980s to the decade c.1120-1130; while in the 1990s and 2000s several scholars have proposed dates in the 1130s. Attributions dating the manuscript to after 1145, or after 1155, have not gained general acceptance.
The main units of text are:
- The main part of the calendarCalendarA calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
and computistical material (pp. 2–15) - Two further feasts, added to the calendar
- A large number feasts and obitsObitsObits are an American rock band formed in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York. The band members are veterans of other independent rock bands: Guitarist/vocalist Rick Froberg was previously a member of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and Hot Snakes, and guitarist Sohrab Habibion was a member of Edsel...
, added to the calendar - The outer bifoliumBifoliumThe bifolium is a quartic plane curve of the equation:^2 = ax^2y.\,In polar coordinates, its equation is\rho = a \sin\theta \, \cos^2\theta.-External links:* http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~fjw/pisces/docs/models/Bifolium.html*...
of the first quire of the Psalms (pp. 73–74, 91-92) - The rest of the Psalms, LitanyLitanyA litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions...
, etc. - The verse written on the pasted-in initial to Psalm 105Psalm 105-Judaism:*Is recited on the first day of Passover.*Verses 8-10 are part of the paragraph recited in the naming of a boy at a brit milah.*Verses 8 and 42 are found separately in the repetition of the Amidah on Rosh Hashanah....
(p. 285) - The rubrics added in or next to most historiated initialHistoriated initialA historiated initial is an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text, which contains a picture. Strictly speaking, an inhabited initial contains figures that are decorative only, without forming a subject, whereas in a historiated initial there is an identifiable...
s - The obit of Roger the Hermit, added to the calendar
- The texts of the quire containing the Chanson de St Alexis (pp. 57–72)
The last three listed are often said to have been written by the same scribe, identified by some as Abbot Geoffrey himself, giving a total of seven scribes. In addition, another 12th-century scribe corrected the text of the Psalms.
The main units of decoration are:
- The calendar, with Labours of the MonthsLabours of the MonthsThe term Labours of the Months refers to cycles in Medieval and early Renaissance art depicting in twelve scenes the rural activities that commonly took place in the months of the year...
in roundels, and the signs of the zodiac - The full-page fully painted prefatory miniaturesMiniature (illuminated manuscript)The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, red lead, is a picture in an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment...
containing the Life of Christ in thirty-seven miniatures, and one of St Martin, preceded by two of Adam and EveAdam and EveAdam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
, and followed by one of King DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary... - A 'diptych' of two full-page miniatures depicting the Martyrdom of St Alban, and King David with musicians
- The Alexis quire, including the Psalm 1Psalm 1Psalm 1 is the first Psalm in the Bible. It has been dated to early in King David’s reign and is believed to have been divinely inspired by God. The righteous person is one who takes care to know the laws of God and so has good judgment and avoids bad company. The result is the ability to...
initial - The pasted-in Psalm 105 initial
- All the other historiated initialHistoriated initialA historiated initial is an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text, which contains a picture. Strictly speaking, an inhabited initial contains figures that are decorative only, without forming a subject, whereas in a historiated initial there is an identifiable...
s
The prefatory miniatures are usually said to be by the artist of the Alexis quire, the so-called Alexis Master
The majority of the historiated initials are usually said to have been painted by two artists, one of whom was the artist of the calendar and the final 'diptych'.
External links
- The entire manuscript (except flyleaves and binding) is available online with transcription, translation, commentary, interpretative essays, bibliography, etc., at Aberdeen University, but this website has not been updated to reflect numerous significant advances in scholarship since 2003.
- More recent bibliography, and various related resources including a map showing the places mentioned in the Life of Christina of Markyate, are on an independent website.