Passau Evangelary

An especially beautiful Romanesque illuminated manuscript originates from Passau, the famous city of three rivers, ca. 1170–80 in the Augustinian Canon Monastery of St. Nikola. Readings for Sundays and holidays during the church year are compiled in the Passau Evangelary, which originate from the Gospels. 49 large historiated initials as well as 8 full-page miniatures are found on 44 pages measuring 32.5 x 22.5 cm. Consequently, color-intensive pictures on nearly every page invite the beholder to immerse themselves in the biblical stories. Today, the medieval manuscript is an authentic testimonial to the artistry and deep faith of a bygone epoch.

Radiant Initials

The numerous radiant golden initials on a colored background are so richly and fantastically embellished with small animals, flowers, figures, or artful tendrils, they appear like individual miniatures. The historiated initials are particularly interesting, in which the figures illustrate the text of the Gospels concretely, or which have a church holiday as a theme. On the other hand, the adornment simply serves to delight the eye of the beholder.

Byzantine Stylistic Elements in Romanesque Illumination

Two illuminators altogether participated in the manufacture of the evangeliary, who were named after their primary miniatures. The Petrus Master and the Ecclesia Master created the miniatures in layers. Both of them demonstrated the plastic design of body and garment characteristic of Romanesque illumination. Thus, the fabric is not merely a rigid shell, but is fleshed out in such a way that it lies softly upon the figures and allows individual body parts to protrude. Garment folds additionally emphasize the body volume. Byzantine stylistic elements came to Salzburg in the southern German-speaking regions and were also precipitated in the Passau Evangelary. The extensively invested gold backgrounds and the design of the faces as well as the flesh tones are typical. The noses are mostly long and have an overhanging tip. The fixed gaze and the altogether stern expression of the figures are equally compelled by the Byzantine face shapes. The vigorous modelling of the faces with olive-green shadows, white heightening, and red spots exhibits their particular similarity with the depiction of Byzantine saints.

Passau Illumination as a Rarity

Scriptoria in Passau produced numerous precious manuscript in the 12th century that were highly prized by secular princes and princes of the church alike. The once rich tradition was almost completely extinguished over the course of the centuries by fires and earthquakes. The Passau Evangelary is almost the only surviving testimonial to the artistically superior and unique illumination of Passau during the Romanesque period, and so its worth can hardly be overestimated.