Book of Hours (Use of Chalons-sur-Marne)

Abstract

Written in brown ink, ruled in pink. In both pages a floral side-border on burnished gold ground. Initial 'S' at commencement of the lines in matt gold on red and blue background alternately; 'ragged-branch' line-fillers in shaded gold. The floral side-border is different on the two pages: recto, red roses, blue and white acanthus, and blue bell-like flower; verso, white daisies, blue disc-like flower.

This leaf is from a Book of Hours dismembered by Otto F. Ege for inclusion in specimen sets of medieval manuscript leaves he compiled in the 1940s under the title "Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts". It is listed as no. 48. The leaf came onto the market in 1981, sold by Maggs Bros, London, to the Friends of the Australian National University Library. The 'Reconstructing Folio 48' project led by Lisa Fagin Davis to identify and reassemble the surviving fragments of the Book of Hours has located 29 leaves to date. Based on the internal evidence she has linked the manuscript to Châlons-sur-Marne. This is supported by the portion of the Litany preserved in this leaf. Five saints are invoked, who are traditionally linked to the Diocese of Châlons-sur-Marne (since 1998 Châlons-en-Champagne), namely, Saints Alpin, Germain, Memmius, Elaphe and Poma. St Memmius is venerated as the first bishop of Châlons. Local legend maintains that Châlons was evangelised by Memmius, assisted by his sister Poma, in the first century. The association to Châlons is further supported by the invocations to two other former bishops Saints Alpin and Elaphe. St Alpin served as bishop of Châlons for 47 years (433-480) and founded the Abbey of St Memmius in the diocese. The church dedicated to him, built in Châlons in the eleventh-century, survives to this day. St Elaphe was bishop in 579.