Early Medieval Manuscript Sites

As the web keeps improving, as technology keeps improving, and as scholarly good ideas keep improving, more and more medieval manuscripts are becoming available online. It’s hard to keep track of them all but here’s a selection of some good ones. This is by no means a disinterested list. In particular I’m interested in biblically and liturgically related manuscripts from before the 11th century. England is, of course, the provenance of choice but others will be represented here as well.

• Codices Electronici Ecclesiae Coloniensis While most of these manuscripts are of German provenance, this is an amazing collection. It contains a large number of works from the early medieval period. In particular don’t miss:
  • Koln, Dombibliothek, Cod 143: An Epistolary containing the reading from the non-Gospel reading at Mass (Not properly an Epistolary since the readings on fasts were from the Prophets, not Paul). From the late 10th century it’s signed by Reginhr. The illustrations on 4r, 5v-7r, and 8r are not to be missed. The text is very legible.
  • Koln, Dombibliothek, Cod. 172: The Mondsee homiliary.
  • Koln, Dombibliothek, Cod. 86: An early 9th century text of Gregory the Great’s Gospel Homilies
• Early Manuscripts at Oxford University Needless to say, they’ve got a good collection of some very important Anglo-Saxon era manuscripts.
  • Bodleian Library MS Auct. D. 2. 16 The Gospel book that Leofric gave to Exeter. Written in Landévennec, Brittany, late 9th or early 10th century, the lectionary starts on 178r.
  • Bodleian Library MS Bodl. 579 The Leofric Missal.
  • Bodleian Library MS Junius 11 The Cædmon Manuscript.
  • Corpus Christi College MS 197 The Rule of Benedict in Latin and Old English.
  • Corpus Christi College MS 255A First 3 leaves are of Paul the Deacon’s homiliary.
  • St John’s College MS 154 Grammar of Ælfric
• Codices Electronici Sangallensis Another amazing collection that contains some of the oldest surviving chant notation–just don’t expect to see square-note notation. The chant notes here are the little squiggles above the words.
  • Cod. Sang. 390 (The Hartker Antiphonary) This is the first half of the great-granddaddy of chant manuscripts. (Winter volume)
  • Cod. Sang. 391 (The Hartker Antiphonary) This is the second half of the great-granddaddy of chant manuscripts. (Summer volume)
  • Cod. Sang. 339This is almost a proto-missal with a kalendar, a gradual, an odo missa, and a sacramentary bound together. The music was probably written by Hartker.
  • Cod. Sang. 342 Similar to the one above, this one also contains a lectionary and is the earliest complete gradual from St. Gall.
  • Cod. Sang. 54 (Gundis Gospel-book) It’s a gospel lectionary, not really a Gospel-book.
  • Cod. Sang. 204 Gregory the Great’s Gospel Homilies, first part of 11th century.
  • Cod. Sang. 433 A homiliary for the Sanctorale.
  • Cod. Sang. 432 A summer homiliary.
  • Cod. Sang. 434 A summer homiliary–Sundays after Pentecost.
  • Cod. Sang. 430 A winter homiliary.
  • Cod. Sang. 431 A winter homiliary–Lent and Holy Week.
  • Cod. Sang. 914 One of the most important textual witness for the Rule of ST. Benedict.
• Cursus Project Liturgical text database focusing on Late Medieval English monastic texts.
• La Trobe University’s Medieval Music Database One of the great benefits of this site–besides great manuscript views–is that it attempts to tell you how common a particular tune was.