Winithar was a medieval scribe, the earliest known scribe from the

scriptorium Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes. However, lay scribes an ...

of the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot ...

in present-day Switzerland. The birth and death dates of Winithar are not known. He is mentioned for the first time in written sources in 760, and for the following three years he apparently worked as a scribe in the scriptorium of the abbey, and appears to have been the head of the scriptorium. Nine illuminated manuscripts are attributed to Winithar. He wrote excerpts from the Bible, texts by the Church Fathers and two

homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

for the

Abbey library of Saint Gall The Abbey Library of Saint Gall (german: Stiftsbibliothek) is a significant medieval monastic library located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In 1983, the library, as well as the Abbey of St. Gall, were designated a World Heritage Site, as “an outst ...

. Between 765 and 768 he held the position of

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

at the abbey.

References

Medieval European scribes Monks at Saint Gall 8th-century births {{RC-clergy-stub

See also

References