Pray Codex

The Pray Codex is one of the most significant and unique books from High Medieval Hungary. The main part of this Romanesque manuscript is actually a Sacramentary containing the prayers performed by priests during the celebration of the Christian Mass. However, it was supplemented with readings, chants, and other liturgical texts. The Halotti beszéd és könyörgés (Funeral Sermon and Prayer) is of outstanding importance; unlike the custom of the time, it was written in Hungarian rather than Latin. It is the oldest known prose text in the Hungarian vernacular and offers invaluable insights into the early development of the language. The liturgical chants are no less remarkable due to their neume notation. They provide important information about the origins and early development of the Esztergom notation (also known as Graner Choralnotation). The calendar at the beginning of the codex reveals another textual rarity: the so-called Annals of Pressburg (today Bratislava). These historical notes document important events in Hungarian history between 997 and 1203 and frequently refer to powerful figures such as kings and bishops of that era. They are the only surviving medieval annals written in the Kingdom of Hungary.