Vir Desideriorum

Enter the Labyrinth... BAV, Pal. lat. 291, f. 170v Hrabanus Maurus, De rerum naturis Southern Germany, 1425 digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/bav_pal… #MedievalTwitter

According to medieval tradition, Saint Anne, mother of Mary, was married three times (to Joachim, Cleophas and Salomas), and she had a daughter named Mary from each marriage. These legendary family ties explained why Jesus’s “brothers” in the Gospels were actually his cousins,…

O light and adornment of Spain, most holy James, helper of the oppressed, protector of travelers, you who occupy the foremost place among the apostles because you were the first to earn the crown of martyrdom. --- O lux et decus Hispaniae, sanctissime Jacobe, sublevator…

Jousting Tournament Time! @GallicaBnF Français 2692, f. 62v-63r René I d'Anjou, Traité de la forme et devis comme on peut faire les tournois; Flandre, 1488/89

From the famous Aberdeen Bestiary (England, ca. 1100): "The salamander is so called because it is proof against fire. Of all poisonous creatures, it has the strongest poison. Other poisonous creatures kill one at a time; it can kill several things at the same time. For if it has…

The image of King David in prayer, which stands at the beginning of Psalm 1 in most illustrated psalters, is a symbol of how humans should be before God: "Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or in the seat of…

May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once poor, may you have eternal rest. Beato Angelico, The Last Judgment (detail); Florence, 1425/30

In medieval art, the harp is depicted as an attribute of King David singing psalms or as an instrument played by angels before God's throne. A baby Jesus holding a harp in his mother Mary's lap, however, is a rare motif. Since ancient times, the harp has also been interpreted in…

The fascinating story of Saint Alexius: Once a wealthy Roman, he left his family on his wedding day to dedicate his life to poverty and prayer. For many years, he wandered as a beggar, first in Edessa, then secretly in his family’s home in Rome, where he lived unrecognized…

Jean de Boucicaut, a Marshal of France, commissioned an impressive book of hours around 1405. In this image, Jean is depicted alongside the archangel Michael and his wife, Antoinette de Turenne, in a moment of deep prayer. The miniature, painted in vivid colors, features Jean's…

The "pious" Emperor St. Henry II (Heinricus rex pius) presents the Gospel book he donated to the Virgin Mary. It was produced before 1012 in the scriptorium of the Benedictine monastery in Seeon. Henry was also the founder of the Archdiocese of Bamberg, which was later…

This magnificent title page of a French translation of St. Augustine's City of God (15th century) depicts the presentation of the book by the translator Raoul de Presles to King Charles V of France. The Latin Church Fathers (including St. Augustine) and the most important…

This vivid miniature offers a figurative interpretation of Revelation 12, shaped by the theological thought of Rupert of Deutz and Anselm of Havelberg. The dragon’s initial assault, his attempt to destroy Christ, fails: the risen Christ is taken up into heaven in a glowing…

Some saints who were venerated in the Middle Ages are almost completely forgotten today. This applies, for example, to Saint Avoye (Avia) of Sicily, a martyr who, according to legend, was related to Saint Ursula and is said to have died in France around 234. A popular image…

A funeral procession makes its way back from the cemetery to the church, whose fantastic architecture is visible in the background of the picture. The gravediggers and mourners remain behind in their typical medieval garb. @GallicaBnF Latin 920, f. 200v Book of Hours (Heures de…