Troyes, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 504 is an early 7th-century

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 ...

of the ''

Pastoral Care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

'' by Pope Gregory I. It was probably written in Rome about AD 600, whilst Gregory was still alive, and contains his final revised text. It is written in an uncial script. There are about twenty-five long lines per page. There are no divisions between words. The only ornamentation in the manuscript is penwork initials in red, green and yellow, and coloured text for the first lines after them. It is one of the oldest complete manuscript books in existence. The initial shown makes an interesting comparison with the opening initial of the

Bobbio Jerome The Bobbio Jerome (Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana MS S. 45. sup.) is an early seventh-century manuscript copy of the '' Commentary on Isaiah'' attributed to St. Jerome. The manuscript has 156 pages and measures 235 by 215 mm. It is a palimpse ...

from about twenty years later, produced in North Italy by an outpost of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. This shows characteristics typical of

Insular art Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland shared a largely common style dif ...

, but in other ways is not dissimilar to this one.

References

*De Hamel, Christopher. ''A History of Illuminated Manuscripts''. Boston: David R. Godine, 1986.

External links

Image of the whole two page opening
7th-century illuminated manuscripts Christian illuminated manuscripts {{manuscript-art-stub