Places of research: Medieval codices in the Hofgarten Library

"You can't get any closer to the Middle Ages than this," enthuses expert Dr. Sabine Buttinger, looking at the volumes in front of her in the KU's Hofgarten Library. The very texture of the volumes, their material, the workmanship and the precise rhythm of the writing on parchment and paper exert a very special fascination not only on experts. On behalf of the University Library, the historian has spent two years meticulously cataloging almost 30 medieval codices that belong to the holdings of the Eichstätt Episcopal Seminary. The results of the cataloging, which are freely accessible online, now provide the basis for further research. One visually curious piece is a 15th century ribbon that barely fits in the palm of your hand. On wafer-thin parchment, it contains the Benedictine Rule in miniature script, among many other things. The overall condition of the volume, which has a leather-covered wooden binding and tiny metal clasps, suggests that – despite its handy format – it was probably not an object of everyday use, but an astonishing piece of jewelry, the production and possession of which was already a form of devotion.