Lesson plan
Hitda Codex
The Hitda Codex is an eleventh-century codex containing an evangeliary, a selection of passages from the Gospels, commissioned by Hitda, abbess of Meschede in about 1020. It is held at University and State Library Darmstadt. Hitda is depicted in the book's dedication miniature presenting the codex to the convent's patron, Saint Walburga. St. Walburga stands on a pedestal in the center of the composition, and has a golden halo surrounding her head. Behind the two women is the monastery that Hitda oversees, which fills the entire background. The illuminations are highlights of the Cologne school in the later phases of the Ottonian Renaissance. The Hitda Codex contains the only surviving Life of Christ cycle of illuminations produced in Cologne from this period. The cycle's cultural context has been replicated by Henry Mayr-Harting.
Article summary
The Hitda Codex is an eleventh-century codex containing an evangeliary, a selection of passages from the Gospels, commissioned by Hitda, abbess of Meschede in about 1020. It is held at University and State Library Darmstadt. Hitda is depicted in the book's dedication miniature presenting the codex to the convent's patron, Saint Walburga. St. Walburga stands on a pedestal in the center of the composition, and has a golden halo surrounding her head. Behind the two women is the monastery that Hitda oversees, which fills the entire background. The illuminations are highlights of the Cologne school in the later phases of the Ottonian Renaissance. The Hitda Codex contains the only surviving Life of Christ cycle of illuminations produced in Cologne from this period. The cycle's cultural context has been replicated by Henry Mayr-Harting.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.