La legenda di s[an]ct[i]ss[im]i Thebey soto Dioclitiano & Maximiano i[m]p[er]ato[r]i

Date:

1400

Description:

An Italian version of the extremely popular legend of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion, supposedly decimated in the reign of Diocletian and Maximian because so many of its officers and men adhered to the Christian faith. The massacre is supposed to have taken place at St. Maurice-en-Valais (now in Switzerland). The commander of the legion (which was composed entirely of men from the Thebaid in Egypt) was Maritius, later canonized.

Language:

Italian

Provenance:

Acquired, 1959.

Subject:

Diocletian, Emperor of Rome, 245-313; Maximian, Emperor of Rome, approximately 240-310; Maurice, Saint, -approximately 287; Christian saints in literature; Christian legends; Martyrdom (Christianity) in literature; Theban Legion (Legendary saints)

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

Codices; Hagiographies (works); Manuscripts, Italian; Manuscripts, Renaissance; manuscripts (documents)

Physical Description:

8 leaves : parchment; 191 x 143 (131 x 92) mm bound to 199 x 146 mm

Rights:

https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title from heading on f. 1r.; Incipit (f. 1r): Diocletiano essendo doppo Numeriano imperatore electo ...; Zacour-Hirsch treats the last section, Un altro miracolo che adopo idio per questi sancti martiri (f. 7r-v), as if it were a separate work contained in the manuscript, but it is clearly the final chapter of this account of the Thebaid Legion.; Collation: Parchment, i (modern paper) + 8 + i (modern paper); 1⁸; [1-8]; modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.; Layout: Written in 2 columns of 40 lines; ruled in lead.; Script: Written in a 15th-century Italian humanistic script by a single hand.; Decoration: Chapter titles in red; red and blue initials.; Binding: Modern boards.; Origin: Written in Italy in the 15th century (Zacour-Hirsch).; Leaves stained, some badly. Single quire starting to pull away from cover at bottom. Writing slightly rubbed on some leaves.; Italian.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 290