The Folchart Psalter, or Folchard Psalter (St. Gall, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 23), is a

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

. It was produced about 872–883 in the scriptorium of the Abbey of St. Gall, Switzerland, under the direction of the scribe Folchardus, usually modernized as Folchard or Folchart. Folchardus is attested to being a monk at St. Gall from 849 to 854 and 898–899. Curiously, Folchardus is not mentioned in the ''Casus'' of

Ekkehard IV Ekkehard IV ( 980 – c. 1056) was a monk of the Abbey of Saint Gall and the author of the ''Casus sancti Galli'' and ''Liber Benedictionum''. Life According to the testimony in his "Chronicle" (especially in view of his statement that he had heard ...

, making his biography obscure and incomplete. He is recorded being a sub-

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 858, and a deacon no later than 860; he was elected

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

in the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monasteries at Zürichgau and Turgovia (869-878), and at the latest in 882 was elected the senior assistant or vicar of Abbot Hartmut. Folchardus penned, on folios 26–27, the following inscription: "''Hunc praeceptoris Hartmoti iussa secutus/ Folchardus studuit rite patrare librum''" ("Following the orders of Abbot Hartmut/ Folchart endeavoured to complete this book according to rules). Although Hartmoti (Hartmut) is referred to as

preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

, it really means abbot. Since he is cited as abbot it places the manuscript during his tenure of office 872-883. Portraits of the tonsured Folchardus, holding the

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 emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...

and bowing towards the abbot (far left side of tympanum painting of King David receiving his harp) and Abbot Harmut prepared to receive the Psalter with open arms (far right side of tympanum painting of the Ark of the Covenant transported by an oxen drawn wagon) are each found on the extreme ends of the folio on either side of the centralized bust of Christ in the spandrel on the “Dedication Page” on folio 12. He is also probably the artist of the Lindau Gospels in the

Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th S ...

, New York. The initial letter Q of Psalm 51 (52) is often cited as a masterpiece of late Carolingian illumination. The St. Gall Collegiate Library Accession for this manuscript is designated as “Cod. Sang. 23”—for Codex Sangallenses no. 23. Dimensions: 38 x 29 cm.

Links to Folchart Psalter Folios

* http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/kant/sgstia-q.htm
Two Double-Columned Bifolia

Facsimile on e-codices.ch

Bibliography

* Eggenberger, Christoph, Psalterium * Folchardi : (Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen, Cod. 23) : Beschreibung der buchkünstlerischen Ausstattung. Codices illuminati medii aevi ; 11 (München : H. Langenfelder, 1989) * Landsberger, Franz, Der St. Galler Folchart-Psalter; eine Initialenstudie. (St. Gallen, Fehr, 1912) * Ochsenbein, Peter and Beat Matthias von Scarpatetti, Der Folchart-Psalter aus der Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen (1987) * Schmid, Alfred A. ed., Riforma religiosa e arti nell'epoca carolingia. Atti del XXIV Congresso internazinale di storia dell'arte, 1, (Bologna 1983): 99–107. {{Authority control Carolingian psalters 9th-century illuminated manuscripts Manuscripts of the Abbey library of Saint Gall