Sacramentary of Warmund

Sacramentary of Warmund

A precious manuscript, which was manufactured before the year 1000, is stored in the Capitulary Library of the Italian city of Ivrea. It is the Sacramentarium Episcopi Warmundi, which was made for Bishop Warmund of Ivrea. The codex consists of 444 parchment pages altogether and contains illuminations of vastly varying execution as well as colored and gilded decorative initials. It is one of the oldest works of the ecclesiastical book collection.

A Historic Personality

Bishop Warmund played a special role in the history of the city of Ivrea. He was an opponent to the King of Ivrea at that time – King Arduino and defied his rule. His most famous supporter was the young Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. He had declared it his goal to restore the Holy Roman Empire as it existed under the Emperor Constantine. The Kaiser named Pope Sylvester II as the successor of Pope Gregory V. During the Roman synod in the year 999, he imposed the death penalty on the ostensibly godless King Arduino, removing Warmund’s enemy in doing so. The sacramentary, which was written in his honor, commemorates the conquest of an enemy.

A Worthy Opponent

Numerous depictions of King Arduino, who is often referred to in historical writings as the first King of Italy. He is depicted as a great man with a stately, powerful stature. His rival Warmund in no way failed to fulfill this ideal, or at least that is what the historical images of the Bishop would conclude. The highly-educated and art-loving Warmund transformed the city of Ivrea into one of the most important cultural centers of Italy during that historic epoch. One of the few examples of the artistic achievements of his time to survive today is the astounding sacramentary that lays before us.

Manifold Illumination

The illustration of the masterpiece was executed by various illuminators. However, a few special features are common in all of the pictures. The vividly colorful scenes were sketched with a pen and painted with water colors. The large-format miniatures as well as the finely designed decorative initials are encompassed in frames, which bear clarifying and explanatory inscriptions.