14TH CENTURY. TWO CISTERCIAN LAW CODICES. KINGDOM OF CASTILE

14TH CENTURY. TWO CISTERCIAN LAW CODICES. KINGDOM OF CASTILE

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[LAW] Libellus statutorum Cisterciensis ordinis [Libellus antiquarum definitionum] including the Carta caritatis posterior [Charter of Charity] and excerpts of the Clementina 1316/17

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Libellus statutorum Cisterciensis ordinis [Libellus antiquarum definitionum] including the Carta caritatis posterior [Charter of Charity] and excerpts of the Clementina 1350. Later leather binding (18 century), 103 vellum leaves. Small 8vo. Condition varies. The text is sometimes faded but overall legible.

$ 44,500.-

Since the 13th century, the General Chapter of the Order met once each year at Citeaux under the presidency of the Abbot of Citeaux for the purpose that all abbots of the Order could meet on another. The purpose of the Chapter was to amend the statues, that govern the daily life of the community in multiple aspects, from the provisions on the election of positions, the profession of novices, to the privileges granted by various pontiffs of the order, in addition to the economic regime of the monastery and its annexes.

The decisions made by the General chapter applied to the entire Order, and a copy of the original text, was sent to every monastery. The variety of decisions, which were initially communicated as chapter minutes, had to be systematically sifted through every 20 years or so, summarised and the obsolete ones deleted, in order to provide an overview of the regulations in force. In 1202, the Cistercians established the practice that the texts were always reedited as a whole and promulgated by the General Chapter. In this way, current authorised versions of the current religious law were repeatedly created, for example in 1220, 1237, 1257, 1289, 1316/17, 1339, 1350.

Content: f. 2 Tabula, mostly torn out, (an index leave) f. 3r-39r Libellus statutorum Cisterciensis ordinis [Libellus antiquarum definitionum] [Book of Old Definitions], including the Carta caritatis posterior [Charter of Charity] and excerpts of the Clementina, f. 40r-103v Libellus statutorum Cisterciensis ordinis [Libellus antiquarum definitionum] [Book of Old Definitions], including the Carta caritatis posterior [Charter of Charity] and excerpts of the Clementina 1350, incomplete (only up to Dist.XIV,II are preserved, parts of Dist. XIV,II and Dist. XIV,III-VI and Dist. XV,I-IV and decretum missing).

First half and second third of the 14th century, Spain. The first hand is definitely Cistercian, the second text is written in a normal bookhand of his time, but was probably also Cistercian. This codex, unknown until now, can be added to the series that have been preserved today. the Libellus novellarum definitionum were published by Séjalon, Nomasticon Cisterciense, (1892), but the edition is not satisfactory. A new edition would require a census and study of all the extant codices that contain this codification. There are thus far about 18 manuscripts, but this preliminary list is not reliable. A similar copy (but originating in Germany), made 24.000 € hammer at auction in Austria. A more detailed description is available upon request.

Provenance:
At the end of the 18th century the codex was already part of the monastery library Cistercian of Santa María de Monfero (A Coruña), where it entered by donation of one of its most illustrious monks, Fray Agustín Vázquez Varela (Novelúa, Lugo, 1722 - Solsona, 1794). Vázquez Varela was a renowned liturgist and used the present manuscript to elaborate a monograph on the uses and rituals of the order: Apologetic illustration to the Cistercian Breviary, Missal and Ritual of the Congregation of Saint Bernard of the kingdoms of Castile (Madrid, 1783).