pope Gregory the Great
Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...
. It was commissioned by
Egbert of Trier
Egbert (c. 950 – 9 December 993) was the Archbishop of Trier from 977 until his death.
Egbert was a son of Dirk II, Count of Holland. After being trained in Egmond Abbey, founded and controlled by his family, and at the court of Bruno I, Archb ...
from the anonymous Italian artist known as the " master of the Registrum Gregorii" (fl. c. 980-996), probably after the death of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor in 983.
The manuscript was separated: Two pages show one illuminated miniature each - one shows Otto II enthroned and surrounded by the four provinces of his empire (now held at the
Musée Condé
The Musée Condé – in English, the Condé Museum – is a French museum located inside the Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, Oise, 40 km north of Paris. In 1897, Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of Louis Philippe I, bequeathed the ...
in Chantilly, France), and the other shows pope Gregory the Great writing whilst receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove perched on his shoulder (now held at the Stadtbibliothek at
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
).
The other parts of the manuscripts are held at the Stadtbibliothek at Trier: one double page with a dedicated poem, and a fragment of the original text (37 pages).
The Trier manuscript was bound in the 18th Century.