The oldest surviving hand-written codex originating in Poland?

Abstract

The article deals with a palaeographic comparative analysis of two twelfth-century manuscripts from the Cathedral Chapter Library in Płock — the 1148 accounts of miracles in the Płock cathedral on folio 239v of the Płock Bible (MS 2), and the Evangeliary (MS 45). The main research problems are as follows: to establish the identity of the hand in the case of both texts, determine the origin and the role the scribe in question may have played in Płock as well as to attempt to date the manuscripts and establish their chronological order. The palaeographic study has encompassed a detailed comparison of written characters, their groups, entire words as well as abbreviation system and initials. Such an analysis has made it possible to demonstrate that both texts were written by the same person. The style of the writing and of secondary initials suggests that the Płock scribe came from the Monastery of St. Lawrence or St. Jacob in Liège. In addition, a comparison of the writing style and decorations of the Płock manuscripts with those of dated documents and manuscripts from Flanders, Brabant, Wallonia and Diocese of Liège has demonstrated that the littera praegothica present in these codices did not develop before the 1160s and was present in the following two decades. These findings question the previous dating of the accounts of miracles in the Płock Bible and move the date of their origin to a period between 1160 and 1170. The establishment of the identity of the author of both manuscripts together with the conclusions of the codicological analysis constitute new evidence suggesting that the Evangeliary may have originated in the Abbey of St. Adalbert in Płock. This is confirmed by the presence in the liturgical calendar of the commemoration of St. Adalbert as well as by the fact that the scribe worked in the cathedral library. The present palaeographic analysis confirms the dating of the manuscript to the 1160s–1180s. Among the oldest surviving hand-written codices originating in Poland the Płock Evangeliary thus becomes the best documented manuscript with regard to its possible provenance.