Germany, 1444

As was the practice during the fifteenth century, this manuscript separates the Temporale Offices (the holidays relating to the life of Christ) from the Sanctorale (the Saints' feastdays). The colophon, shown here on the right-hand page and the photograph, describes the manuscript as having been completed on St. Barbara's feastday (4 December) in 1444 at the Chapel of St. Katherine. Unfortunately, the name of the city has been scraped away, a common practice in previous centuries intended to disguise the manuscript's origins.

Parchment, 257 folios, 142 x 112 (106 x 80) mm, 1 column, 28 lines, in Latin, written in Gothic cursive script.