Fraser Library Exhibit Medieval Era Works

Within Fraser Library, nine medieval bound manuscripts from Europe have found their home for the semester, all of which date between c. 1230 and 1500.

Through the efforts of assistant history professor of medieval women and the social history of religion Yvonne Seale, a grant was secured and contracted with Les Enluminures and their Manuscripts in the Curriculum II program, for the semester-long loan. These manuscripts are primarily from what is now France, Italy and Germany. 

The exhibit can be viewed within Fraser 203, Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Thursday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The collection at Fraser Library includes Paris Breviary (c. 1460-80), Confessionale (c. 1462), Saint Jerome, Miscellany (c. 1450-1500), Albert of Padua (c. 1470), Cologne Office of the Dead (c. 1487), German Psalter (c. 1240-60), Paris Pocket Bible (c. 1230-50), Juvenal (c. 1460-80), and Book of Hours (c. 1480).

Seale said, “Geneseo was chosen as one of the colleges to participate in a particular program that's offered by a company called ​​Les Enluminures. They offer this program that does sort of outreach and education, with schools in universities, particularly those like Geneseo, which does not have a medieval manuscript collection of its own. It is a competitive program that you have to apply for. We submitted an application a number of years ago [2019] actually, to participate in this particular program.”

Liz Argentieri, special collections librarian, explained “The library's role in this is providing security, providing the best environment we can and the best guidance on how to handle them and how we're displaying them, and how we support them.”

Fraser library is tasked with holding the rare texts in a safe and secure environment while giving students and staff alike access to the works that range from 500-900 years old.

Seale explained, “Also providing access to the students and whoever else, you know, not let people be afraid to see them and handle them.”

These manuscripts are extravagantly decorated with bright colors and intricate designs, indicating that they would have been reserved for the most elite members of medieval society. “Those incredibly elaborate manuscripts would be reserved for the royal families and the Imperial families of Europe during this time period,” Argentieri said. 

“The ones that we have on display right now for instance, in Fraser library a Book of Hours, There you will be talking about families that would be what we might think of today as upper middle class.” 

In addition, on some of the manuscripts, dirt and finger oils can be seen from the people who used these books on a daily basis. “Particularly [on] the pages at the front, is several 100 years of priests taking this book out and using it, obviously they're not cleaning the pages right after every use,” Seale said. “So, it's several 100 years of finger dirt and finger oils from these priests are using it which is both really gross, but also really human at the same time.”

Students are able to handle the manuscripts as long as they are supervised and follow the handling procedures in place. There is a process to handling the manuscripts, including clean hands, no drinks or food near them, and overall gentle touches all common to handling priceless sources.

“It's a great resource that we've had to be able to touch something that someone made 800 years ago, and that is still usable for its purpose, or you can still read them,” Seale said. 

She also explained, “You really do get the sense that these were people who might have thought very differently from us in many different ways. But then, on the other hand, they were people just like us, right? They had feelings and emotions and thoughts, and they were interested in being curious and engaged about the world. And these objects can be sort of a bridge between us and them across all of these centuries.”

SUNY Geneseo does not own their own collection of manuscripts; however, if a donor chooses to partner with Geneseo in that regard, students of the future may be able to view more manuscripts year round

Seale left off with, “I think what I'm always hoping that students will come away from something like this with is just that better appreciation of the humanity of people in the Middle Ages.”