Beatus of Liébana - San Pedro de Cardeña Codex

Beatus of Liébana - San Pedro de Carden͂a Codex

The Book of Revelation, which is also known as the Apocalypse, is the last book of the New Testament. The story of the end of the world, of Judgement Day, of the sinners’ descent into hell, tremendously fascinated Christians from every land. A Spanish monk by the name of Beatus wrote a commentary on this book from the Bible, which was adapted over several centuries thereafter. One manuscript originating from the tradition of Beatus is the San Pedro de Carden͂a Codex. This codex originates from Spain ca. 1180 and is divided among collections in Madrid, New York, and Girona.

Who Was Beatus?

Beatus of Liébana was a monk and theologian, who belonged to the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana in Spain. The monk is famous above all for his magnum opus, a commentary on the biblical Apocalypse in twelve books. These twelve books originate from ca. 776 and are known today as the Beatus-Series. The twelve books were adapted into countless manuscripts, many of which survive to this day. The majority of Beatus manuscripts originate from between the 10th and 12th centuries in northern Spain. The codex from 1180 originates from the scriptorium of the Monastery of San Pedro de Carden͂a and marks an interesting mix of styles during the transition from late-Romanesque to earl-Gothic illumination.

Historically Significant Miniatures

The San Pedro de Carden͂a Codex is illustrated with 51 highly-valuable miniatures, which are richly adorned with gold. Today it cannot be said for certain who was responsible for the valuable images. The miniatures of this Beatus manuscript are of particular historical appeal because they transcend the threshold from late-Romanesque to early-Gothic. Both tendencies can be clearly distinguished from one another in the codex, showing that two differently schooled painters of comparably high quality cooperated. The original edition of the codex only exists in individual fragments. Some pages of the manuscript are found today in the prestigious Metropolitan Museum in New York. The museums of Arqueológico Nacional and Colección Francisco de Zabálburu y Basabe in Madrid also possess some pages in their collection. Additional sections are housed in the Art Museum of Girona.