Lecture by Charlotte Denoël and Isabelle Marchesin

An essential masterpiece of medieval illumination, the Beatus of Saint-Sever (Paris, BnF, ms. Latin 8878) contains one of the most lavish manuscript copies of the commentary on the Apocalypse written by the monk Beatus of Liébana. Commissioned by Gregory of Montaner, abbot of Saint-Sever in Gascony (1028-1072), it stands out as much for the scope of its iconographic program and the brilliance of its color palette as for the significance of Gregory of Montaner’s spiritual, political, and commemorative vision.

This lecture aims, on the one hand, to explore the context in which this exceptional work was produced—the key figures involved in its creation, the methods, materials, and techniques employed, as well as the innovative contributions of its iconography—and, on the other hand, to situate the production of this manuscript within the iconographic tradition associated with the Apocalypse in the 11th century.