Psalter of St. Louis
Encyclopedia
The Psalter of Saint Louis (Bibliothèque nationale de France
MS Latin 10525) is an illuminated psalter
created for the saint King Louis IX of France
sometime between the death of his mother Blanche of Castile
in 1253 and his death in 1270. There are 78 miniatures of Old Testament
scenes starting at the story of Cain and Abel
and ending with the coronation of Saul
, a calendar of feast days, prayers and the 150 psalms
. The psalter is in excellent condition and considered a relic of Louis IX, who was canonized
in 1297.
It is not to be confused with the "Leiden St Louis Psalter", (Latin, Parchment, 185 folios, 24,5 x 17,7 cm. 23 miniatures. Historiated initial
s. Northern England, 1190-1200. Leiden, University Library: MS. BPL 76A) originally produced for Geoffrey Plantagenet, Archbishop of York, probably in northern England in the 1190s. The manuscript passed into the hands of Blanche of Castile after Geoffrey's death, and, as religious manuscripts often were, was used to teach the future saint King Louis IX how to read as a child, as a 14th-century inscription records. After the king's death it passed through a number of royal owners, including the Valois
Dukes of Burgundy, being regarded as a relic of the saint, before reaching the University Library
at Leiden in 1741.
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
MS Latin 10525) is an illuminated psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
created for the saint King Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
sometime between the death of his mother Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
in 1253 and his death in 1270. There are 78 miniatures of Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
scenes starting at the story of Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel
In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. The Qur'an mentions the story, calling them the two sons of Adam only....
and ending with the coronation of Saul
Saul
-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
, a calendar of feast days, prayers and the 150 psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
. The psalter is in excellent condition and considered a relic of Louis IX, who was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
in 1297.
It is not to be confused with the "Leiden St Louis Psalter", (Latin, Parchment, 185 folios, 24,5 x 17,7 cm. 23 miniatures. Historiated initial
Historiated initial
A historiated initial is an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text, which contains a picture. Strictly speaking, an inhabited initial contains figures that are decorative only, without forming a subject, whereas in a historiated initial there is an identifiable...
s. Northern England, 1190-1200. Leiden, University Library: MS. BPL 76A) originally produced for Geoffrey Plantagenet, Archbishop of York, probably in northern England in the 1190s. The manuscript passed into the hands of Blanche of Castile after Geoffrey's death, and, as religious manuscripts often were, was used to teach the future saint King Louis IX how to read as a child, as a 14th-century inscription records. After the king's death it passed through a number of royal owners, including the Valois
Valois
Valois is a district, in the city of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada. It was once a separate village, many years ago, but was then merged with Pointe-Claire....
Dukes of Burgundy, being regarded as a relic of the saint, before reaching the University Library
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
at Leiden in 1741.