From Vaticannews · Vatican News · · 1m 40s
A medieval Bible gets rebuilt by hand in the Vatican
A 12th-century manuscript from Aquileia is being copied page by page, using old formulas and new scanners, with a 2031 finish line.
In brief
A 12th-century manuscript from Aquileia is being copied page by page, using old formulas and new scanners, with a 2031 finish line. Preserving a manuscript now means two copies: a high-resolution digital archive that holds the information, and a handmade physical one that holds the craft. Originally reported by…
A medieval Bible returns
The first volume of a faithful facsimile of the Bible of Aquileia was presented on Sunday at the Casina of Pio IV in the Vatican Gardens, to the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences.
Written in Gothic script
The original sits in the Treasury of the Cathedral of Gorizia, written in Gothic book script between the 12th and 13th centuries, with notes added into the 14th.
Why Aquileia matters
The patriarchate of Aquileia was a major ecclesial and cultural centre for centuries, and helped shape the development of European Christianity and culture.
Scanned, then handmade
Pages were scanned at extremely high resolution to capture writing and centuries of wear. The physical copy then goes old school: historical ink formulas, hand-assembled gatherings, naturally tanned leather.
An odd binding raises questions
A digital reconstruction of the gatherings showed the binding does not match conventional Western bookmaking. Scholars are now arguing about where the manuscript was actually made.
Five volumes by 2031
The Scriptorium Foroiuliense Foundation plans all five volumes by 2031, in a strictly limited run. One copy goes to Japan's National Diet Library, with work underway with the University of Tokyo.
One copy funds a hospital
A special copy will be auctioned for the Buzzi Children's Hospital in Milan, turning a medieval Bible reproduction into care for children and families.
“culture as an instrument of solidarity and peace”
Here's the gist
Preserving a manuscript now means two copies: a high-resolution digital archive that holds the information, and a handmade physical one that holds the craft.
