This 12th-century manuscript contains two collections of blessings:
a Benedictional, containing texts for blessing sacerdotal objects,
clothes, and monastic buildings; and a Pontifical, containing texts
for rites exclusively performed by bishops. The manuscript was
owned and perhaps also produced by the Benedictine abbey of
Saint-Sauveur at Anchin in the 12th century. Subsequently, it
belonged to the Benedictine priory of Aymeries in Cambrai, a
dependency of Saint-Saveur, in the 16th century. f. 1r: two prayers
for the consecration of a pyx, possibly added in the 12th century.
ff. 1v-21r: Formulas for the purification of the baptismal water,
and parts and belongings of the abbey, including the church,
infirmary, dormitory, refectory, kitchen, cellar, church entrance,
stations of the Cross, sacerdotal vestments and objects (paten,
chrismatory, chalice, corporal, holy water, staff and mitre), food
(bread and fruit), and a new house, beginning ‘Exorcismus salis
et aque in dominicis diebus’.ff. 21r-47r: Episcopal blessings for
Mass for the liturgical year (including feast from the Temporal and
Sanctoral), daily blessings (ff. 40v-44v), blessing for the king
(ff. 44v-45r), the dedication of a church (ff. 45r-47r), beginning
‘Incipiunt benedictiones episcopales ad missam’.ff. 47r-61v:
The order of Baptism, with interlinear case endings that make the
formulas applicable to children of a different sex, and for the
baptism of multiple children, a litany of saints (ff. 53r-54v),
instructions for blessings and exorcisms, ending with a prayer
against lightning and a blessing for a new house, beginning
‘Incipit ordo super electos ad caticuminum faciendum’. ff.
62r-77r: Collects for the Temporal (on ff. 67-72v), from Christmas
Eve to Trinity Sunday; and Sanctoral (ff. 72v-77r) from St Stephen
to St Nicholas; including St Dionysius, Rusticus and Eleutherio
(ff. 76v-77r), beginning ‘In purificationis Sancte Marie’. ff.
78v-91r: Blessings for monks, including tonsure and consecration,
extreme unction; with a litany for deceased monks (ff. 87r-89r),
beginning ‘ Benedictio ad monachum faciendum ad sucurendum, et ad
clericum benedicendum’ [erased]. ff. 91v-97r: Blessings for
burials, beginning ‘Hic incipit sepelitio defuncti’. ff.
97v-101r: Blessings for the monastic offices of abbot, prior,
cellarer, cook, beginning ‘In electione domni abbatis’. ff.
101v-102r: Collects, beginning ‘in Transfiguratione Domini’,
properly belonging to the section on ff. 62r-76r. f. 102r: A form
of excommunication. ff. 103r-103v: Commendation of the Souls,
imperfect, beginning ‘Incipit commendatio fidelium animarum’.
The manuscript contains a later addition: ff. 104r-104v: A leaf
from a 13th-century manuscript, containing 80 lines of Li Romans d'
Alexandre (The Romance of Alexander) by Lambert li Tors (fl. 12th
century) and Alexandre de Bernay (fl. 12th century); numbered
‘lxvi’ by a 16th- or 17th-century scribe. [ff. i recto, i
verso, ii verso, iii recto, 102v are empty]. Decoration:1 large
gold initial with pen-work decoration in green and red inside the
letter, in a blue frame (f. 1v); 1 large initial outlined by brown
ink, with foliate interlace with red accents and green and blue
fillers inside the letter (f. 21v); 2 large initials drawn in red
ink with gold filler (f. 76v); 2 initials with human faces in brown
ink, possibly added later (f. 77v and f. 78r). Large initials in
green, red, purple, or blue some with minor pen-work decoration in
a contrasting colour, some with more significant pen-work
decoration, featuring foliate elements and hybrid figures (e.g. a
dragon or griffon on f. 70v and f. 72v); small initials in red
throughout the manuscript; 2 marginal drawings of a seven-pointed
star on f. 17v (possibly illustrating a form of blessing).
