Rome (S. Lorenzo in Panisperna), late sixteenth century

This collection of readings for saints' feastdays gives the full nine readings for each saint, usually culled or paraphrased from standard narratives of the saint's life. The manuscript is very exclusive, including only fourteen saints for the entire year. Among these are St. Laurence, who is the only saint to be given two complete sets of lections. At the end of the manuscript are added lections for St. Marmenia, an early Roman martyr whose relics are kept in the church of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna, in Rome. She is not well known elsewhere. The emphasis on Saint Laurence and the inclusion of St. Marmenia virtually assure the origin of the manuscript in the church, which, during the late sixteenth century, housed a community of Poor Claires, nuns following the example of St. Francis. Lections for St. Claire are also included in the manuscript, as is the Franciscan Saint Louis of Anjou. The lack of lections for St. Francis himself is curious, and is as yet unexplained. The scribe (or a later owner) has attempted to spruce up the manuscript by adhering illuminated initials from 14th and 15th century manuscripts into place at the beginning of most lections. In many cases, the historiated initial chosen for a particular lection is not quite appropriate, or is completely out of place: on the left page shown here, a portrait of St. Peter (identified by the key to Heaven in his right hand) precedes a hymn for St. Laurence. In addition, the historiated initial is the letter "E", but the text it precedes begins with a "D" (which the scribe has duly written). On the right, an illustration of the Virgin and Child precedes the lections for St. Claire..

Fig. 1: Paper, 80 folios, 285 x 210 (204 x 140) mm, 1 column, 22 lines, in Latin, written in italic script.