Beatus Manuscripts: Captivating Book Art on the Famous Apocalypse Commentary by Beatus of Liébana

Beatus manuscripts, illuminated codices presenting the Commentary on the Apocalypse by the 8th century Spanish monk and theologian Saint Beatus of Liébana are among the most fascinating codices produced during the Middle Ages. They are considered to be a genre unto themselves within the larger corpus of splendid medieval manuscripts of the Apocalypse, as the Book of Revelation was more commonly referred to during the Middle Ages.

The commentary by Beatus has survived to the present in 27 manuscripts, with new specimens being discovered in recent years. They were primarily produced in Northern Spain and are of special importance for Spanish art history, although Beatus manuscripts were also produced in France and Italy. The fantastic imagery often appears convoluted to modern people, but an eye attuned to the aesthetics and symbolism of the Middle Ages can easily decipher the illumination of these significant works of art. 

Born in the Cantabrian Mountains of the Kingdom of Asturias ca. 730, Saint Beatus of Liébana (d. ca. 800) was one of the most important theologians of the Early Middle Ages. He rose from humble origins to become a royal confessor to Queen Adosinda of Asturia and taught other great minds like Alcuin of York and Etherius of Osma.

He has been immortalized by the popularity of his Commentary on the Apocalypse, written in 776 and revised in 784 and 786, which was a popular subject for illuminated codices known as the Beatus Manuscripts created between the 10th and 16th centuries, of which 27 survive to the present, some of which have only been discovered in the last couple of decades. 

Many have criticized the inability of Beatus to satisfactorily decode the convoluted narrative of John’s vision of the Apocalypse, pointing out that his commentary is replete with contradictions. Others have argued that this is a modern bias and that the medieval reader, living in a chaotic, quasi-apocalyptic world full of contradictions, would have found parallels to their own life in Beatus’ writings. 

Although the 8th century original has not survived, there are early specimens belonging to “Branch I” of the corpus of Beatus manuscripts that reflect the style and character of the original. These are considered to be among the most important specimens of Mozarabic art and include the so-called Escorial Codex and the two-volume San Miguel de Escalada Codex. 

Codices became larger and the artistic adornment of these “Branch II” manuscripts became more expansive (now including double-page miniatures), richer, and more numerous. Commissioned by King Ferdinand I, the Facundus Codex is considered to be a milestone of Spanish illumination. 

This second generation of Beatus manuscripts includes the most beautiful and influential of the Spanish manuscripts and the ones that would inspire Beatus manuscripts in France and Italy during the High Middle Ages, representing the last generation artistically. The Saint-Sever Codex is considered to be a highlight of 11th century French illumination. Among the features that make Beatus manuscripts significant for the history of illumination is the fact that they often included a world map – a rare insight into the geography of the post-Roman world! 

The Book of Revelation is among the most enigmatic texts found in the Bible and according to some traditions is part of neither Testament but belongs more properly among the Apocrypha. Properly depicting the events of the text yields some strange and mysterious illustrations. This imagery was meant to support the text, but also functioned independently of it in order to inspire the reader to contemplation. 

The selection of color was critical in a manuscript because of the way they were interpreted by medieval Europeans. Bright hues and stark contrasts that are gaudy by modern tastes would have been understood by a medieval audience who could recognize the symbolic significance of various colors, e.g. colors could denote good or evil.