Top of page

About this Item

Title

  • Bobbio Missal.

Summary

  • The Bobbio Missal was discovered in Bobbio Abbey (in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy) in 1686 by the French scholar and Benedictine monk Jean Mabillion (1632-1707). Mabillon published the work in 1687 under the title Liber Sacramentorum Ecclesiae Gallicanae, thereby identifying it as a Gallican sacramentary, which he suggested had been executed in the Besançon diocese in the late seventh century. Since then, the critical importance of the manuscript for the history of the Frankish liturgy has come to be universally recognized. Scholars have yet to reach a consensus regarding either the origin or the contents of the manuscript, both of which are complex. Recently, a team of researchers has suggested that it was a hybrid liturgical production from the early eighth century-one that combines a lectionary and a sacramentary, in addition to disparate educational or canonical materials. The latter include, for example, the enigmatic Missa pro principe, a votive mass to commend to God the legislator before he left to fight; Joca monachorum, collections of puzzles in the form of questions and answers; and instructions for the celebration of a mass. The rare portable format of the manuscript tends to support the idea of a private compilation, intended for a cleric who used it in a pastoral setting during his journeys. In addition to the knowledge about Frankish liturgical practices that the manuscript yields, this unique collection provides valuable insights into the status and training of priests. A few reading marks are noticeable in some places, possibly indicating the use of the manuscript in a liturgical context. Several scribes transcribed the text in an uncial script enameled with cursive forms, with passages in cursive minuscule. Folios 296-300 are palimpsests: another text has been previously copied in light-brown ink, with minuscules and enameled uncial forms. The manuscript has many marginal or contemporary interlinear annotations. Bobbio Abbey was founded by the Irish monk Columban in 614. It developed one of the most famous libraries of the Middle Ages.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [700 to 725]

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  700 to 725
  • -  Christianity
  • -  Liturgies
  • -  Merovingians
  • -  Sacramentaries

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 300 folios ; 18.5 x 95 centimeters.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: Yitzhak Hen and Rob Meens, editors, The Bobbio Missal: Liturgy and Religious Culture in Merovingian Gaul (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Merovingian Manuscript Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668241

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bobbio Missal. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725, 0700] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668241/.

APA citation style:

(0700) Bobbio Missal. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668241/.

MLA citation style:

Bobbio Missal. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725, 0700] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668241/>.