With the exception of the portraits of the devil, an author portrait of Josephus, and a squirrel perched on top of an initial (f. (The start of the Book of Genesis is missing.) There are also 20 initials with the letters in blue, with vine decoration in red. Capital letters at the start of books of the bible and the chronicle are elaborately illuminated in several colours, sometimes taking up most of the page 57 of these survive. The manuscript includes illuminations in red, blue, yellow, green and gold. Weighing 74.8 kg (165 lb), Codex Gigas is composed of 310 leaves of vellum claimed to be made from the skins of 160 donkeys, or perhaps calfskin, covering 142.6 m 2 (1,535 sq ft) in total. At 92 cm (36 in) long, 50 cm (20 in) wide and 22 cm (8.7 in) thick, it is the largest known medieval manuscript. The codex's bookbinding is wooden boards covered in leather, with ornate metal guards and fittings. Illuminated initial at the start of the Wisdom of Solomon Įventually finding its way to the imperial library of Rudolf II in Prague, the entire collection was taken as spoils of war by the Swedish in 1648 during the Thirty Years' War, and the manuscript is now preserved at the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm, where it is on display for the general public. Between the Old and New Testaments are a selection of other popular medieval reference works: Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews and De bello iudaico, Isidore of Seville's encyclopedia Etymologiae, the chronicle of Cosmas of Prague, and medical works: an early version of the Ars medicinae compilation of treatises, and two books by Constantine the African. The manuscript contains the complete Vulgate Bible, as well as other popular works, all written in Latin. The manuscript was created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia, now a region in the modern-day Czech Republic. The manuscript is also known as the Devil's Bible, due to its highly unusual full-page portrait of Satan, and the legend surrounding its creation. Very large illuminated bibles were a typical feature of Romanesque monastic book production, but even within this group, the page-size of the Codex Gigas is noted as exceptional. The Codex Gigas ("Giant Book" Czech: Obří kniha) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of 92 cm (36 in). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.The Codex Gigas opened to the page with the distinctive portrait of the devil from which the text received its alternative name, the Devil's Bible Written by Ellen Lloyd – Ĭopyright © All rights reserved. If you are interested in learning more about this ancient manuscript, you can view the images and read more over at the Swedish National Library On the contrary, it was studied by several scholars. Despite its unconvincing source, the Inquisition never condemned this medieval manuscript. One would assume that the legend behind the creation of the world's largest book was disturbing for the Pope and the Church, but this was not the case. The legend says that the monk avoided the punishment, but he lost his peace of mind and his life turned into hell… When the book was completed, the monk drew an image of the Devil to thank him for his support. He soon realized that the task was beyond his powers, and he invoked the aid of the Devil, who demanded the monk's soul as payment. In order to escape punishment, he promised in one single night to write the largest book in the world that would make the monastery famous.
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