Modi Orandi Sancti Dominici

In the early 13th century, St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Order. What makes the Order of Preacher so exceptional is its democratic constitution. All the brothers carry the same responsibility for the realization of the objectives of the religious order. There is a right to be heard at all levels. All the top brass are elected for a time. A feeling of community prevails among the brothers of the order. The veneration, which the brothers showed for St. Dominic, was enunciated in the second quarter of the 14th century with a valuable manuscript. The work shows the gestures of prayer and meditation of St. Dominic in high quality images.

A Gothic Act of the Saints

The work contains ten miniatures, which show St. Dominic in prayer and meditation. The images illuminate in an astounding variety of colors and patterns. Sometimes multiple people are pictured in a scene, sometimes St. Dominic is seen alone. There are depictions in architecturally through-composed frames and scenes that occur in free and natural landscapes. The manuscript contains additional décor elements along with the prayer scenes. Countless initials patterned with filigree and depictions of animals adorn the text. No limits were set on the fantasy of the Gothic illuminators.

The Journey of the Document through History

The breviary of St. Dominic was edited and expanded over several centuries. The Latin text of the work was composed probably ca. 1270 in northern Italy by a scribe whose name is not known. The text was combined with the miniatures sometime in the middle of the 14th century. In the 15th century, the document was appended with further amendments, happening probably in the south of France. Today the well-travelled work is found in the Vatican Library.