Recto: 16 lines of text in Latin written in a gothic rotunda hand on vellum. Ruled in red and rubrics, unusually, in magenta. One two-line illuminated initial, 'O' in liquid gold on a red ground and with fine internal decorations. One gold & blue pilcrow. Capitals touched in yellow.
Verso: As Recto, with one illuminated initial 'P' and one line filler.
Origin: France.
Date: c.1500.
Content: The initial ‘O’ on Recto begins the prayer to Saint Radegunde:
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, largitor probitatis ac remunerator, da nobis sancte vivendi affectum et concede : ut qui vitiorum labe corrumpimur : beatissime famule tue radegondis interventu sublevemur.
(Almighty and everlasting God, giver of honesty and rewards, bestow on us as a holy life and grant thy affection to those of vice who corrupt us; may we be relieved by the intervention of your blessed servant Radegunde.)
Then follows an antiphon to Saint Martha:
Veni dilecta hospita mea... (Come my beloved guest...)
and a prayer: Praesta quaesumus domine mentibus nostris cum exultacione...( Direct, we beseech thee Lord, our minds with great exultation...)
The last line on Verso is the rubric: De sancte elizabeth. anti. (Of Saint Elizabeth. Antiphon.)
Condition: Apart from the expected edge browning and slight marking in the bottom corner from page turning, the leaf is in excellent condition. It is unconditionally guaranteed genuine.
Notes: An antiphon (Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") in Christian music and ritual is a a short sentence sung by a choir or congregation before or after a psalm or canticle. It is usually in the form of a Gregorian chant. The words of the antiphons are related to the theme of the feast day or celebration and most frequently have something in common with the liturgical readings of the Mass.
St. Radegund, c. 520 – 13 August 587) was a Thuringian (east-central Germany) princess and Frankish queen, who founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Poitiers. She is the patroness saint of several churches in France and England and of Jesus College, Cambridge. She was known for her austerity and penance and has been described as an “extreme ascetic.” She followed a vegan diet, eating nothing but legumes and green vegetables and abstaining from wine, mead and beer. She is Patron Saint against drowning, fever, leprosy, scabies, the death of parents, difficult marriages, and of potters and weavers,
St. Martha is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary Magdalene she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. In the Gospel of John, Martha and Mary appear in connection with two incidents: the raising from the dead of their brother Lazarus (John 11) and the anointing of Jesus in Bethany (John 12:3). She is the Patron Saint of cooks, waiters, servants and innkeepers.
Jacob de Voragine's Golden Legend describes the story of Martha and her sister, Mary Magdalene, travelling to Marseilles, France, after the Ascension of Christ. In the town of Tarascon, Martha encountered a dragon referred to as the "Tarasque". The Golden Legend portrays it as a beast from Galicia; a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than an horse, possessing teeth as sharp as a sword. Holding a cross, Martha anointed the dragon with holy water and, using her sash, led the tamed dragon through the village.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 — 1231, Marburg, Thuringia [now Hesse, Germany], was a princess of Hungary whose devotion to the poor (for whom she relinquished her wealth) made her an enduring symbol of Christian charity, of which she is a patron saint. She is also Patron of bakers, beggars, brides, charities, and the death of children.
Size: Leaf: approx. 200x140 mm. Please note that shipping is invoiced separately.
Item No: MBH195
