Hitda Codex
The so-called Hitda Codex is considered to be one of the gems of medieval Ottonian illumination. Probably originating from Cologne ca. 1000, the manuscript is directly tied to the noble cloister of St. Walburga in Meschede. The splendid codex was commissioned by Abbess Hitda, who was immortalized in the dedication picture. Additionally, the name of Archbishop Gero of Cologne has also been found in research as an additional possible patron of the manuscript. The manuscript’s 58 miniatures of biblical scenes with their exceptional style make the codex something special!
Hitda Codex
The so-called Hitda Codex is considered to be one of the gems of medieval Ottonian illumination. Probably originating from Cologne ca. 1000, the manuscript is directly tied to the noble cloister of St. Walburga in Meschede. The splendid codex was commissioned by Abbess Hitda, who was immortalized in the dedication picture. Additionally, the name of Archbishop Gero of Cologne has also been found in research as an additional possible patron of the manuscript. The manuscript’s 58 miniatures of biblical scenes with their exceptional style make the codex something special!
The Noble Abbess or the Archbishop?
The Hitda Codex is an exciting work of illumination from Cologne ca. 1000. Today, the codex is named after one of its possible commissioners: the Abbess Hitda von Meschede. She was likely a person of high rank, possibly from the family of the counts of Werl. As abbess, she presided over the St. Walburga Cloister in Meschede, a noble nunnery during the Carolingian period. The precious manuscript could have been a valuable present to the cloister, because a directory of their numerous donations was recorded in the handbook – albeit later. Among the items listed there are a splendid gold cross and a valuable statue of the Virgin Mary.
Hitda, the Mother of Gero
Another famous name, which can probably be brought into connection with the manuscript as a patron, is Gero. This Gero (ca. 900–976) was the Archbishop of Cologne and is famous as the donor of the famous Giro Codex. The Hitda Codex could have been one of this costly commissions, in order to fulfill the legacy of his mother who died in Jerusalem ca. 969/70.
Stylistically Excellent Painting
The evangeliary is illustrated with large-format biblical scenes. These scene are presented on 58 image pages with generous use of gold leaf. Broad, colorful frames surround the central depictions with large figures in the center. Nevertheless, it is the expressive design vocabulary and remarkable coloring that makes these miniatures special. A depiction showing the namesake Hitda can be seen in the dedication picture, as she dedicates the evangeliary to St. Walburga. Similarly, the famous miniature of Calming the Storm has developed into an icon due to its unbelievable expressiveness.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Hitda-Evangeliar
Hitda Evangeliary
Hitda von Meschede Gospels
Meschede Gospels
Der Darmstadt Hitda-Codex
Hidda Codex
Darmstädter Hitda-Codex
Evangeliar der Hitda von Meschede - Size / Format
- 438 pages / 29.0 × 21.8 cm
- Origin
- Germany
- Date
- Around 1000
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Script
- Carolingian minuscule
- Illustrations
- 58 decorated and miniature pages
- Content
- Contains an evangeliary, a selection of passages from the Gospels. The Hitda Codex is the only surviving series of illuminations of the Cologne school of this period exhibiting the Life of Christ.
- Patron
- Gero (c. 900 – June 29th 976), archbishop of Cologne, or Hitda, abbess of Meschede
Hitda Codex
Incipit Page: Gospel of Luke
Here we find an initial within an initial, specifically a small “M” within a large “Q” to introduce the opening lines of the Gospel of Luke from the Vulgate Bible: Quoniam quidem. The tail of the “Q” artfully wraps itself around the frame. Large initials constructed of golden interlace were a popular feature of late-Ottonian and early-Romanesque manuscripts in Germany, the addition of a purple painted background speaks to the preciousness of this particular commission.

Hitda Codex
Annunciation
The finest materials were used for this masterful Ottonian miniature of the Annunciation: expensive pigments of blue and red, purple-dyed vellum, gold leaf, and silver ink was even used to label the Virgin Mary and the archangel Gabriel. Classically-styled churches are the only objects seen in the background of rich purple.
The soon-to-be Mother of God is depicted in profile with hands folded in prayer while the angel Gabriel is depicted in three-quarter view with a hand raised in a sign of benediction. The angel is depicted with a foot and wings hanging out of the frame as though it just flew down from Heaven. It appears as though a curtain has been pulled back, removing the barrier between the realms of the mortal and the eternal.

#1 Hidta-Codex
Language: German
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