Stockholm, National Library, A 56. <hi rend="italic">Breviarium Aboense</hi> Cataloguer Ville Walta Finnish Literature Society (SKS) Codices Fennici Creative Commons BY 4.0 Stockholm National Library A 56 Breviarium Aboense c. 1485 or later, Diocese of Turku Breviarium (officia sanctorum)

Fol. 1r–v: notes, partly illegible owing to a tear on the upper part of the folio. Fol. 1v: a 17th-cent. note 'lectiones historicae de sanctis Regni sueciae Martyribus et patronis olim in Ecclesiis suecanis usitatae'.

Fols. 2r–53r: <hi rend="italic">Officia sanctorum</hi>, in two different cycles (edited in Maliniemi (1957, 41–184) in a reconstructed order, according to the church year, and with foliation that differs from the modern one).

[2r] [He]nri[ci] laudes hystoria sancta (20 January, 18 June). Gaude cetus fidelium. Henrici natalium ... [7v] ... gaudet cetus fidelium. Amen. [8r] Historia de sancto Erico martire et rege (18 May). Assunt erici regis solemna laude regem ... [11v] ... bone ihesum dei filium alleluia. De sancto Erasmo oratio (3 June). Da nobis quaesimus omnipotens deus ... [14r] ... angelis cum Gloria in secula seculorum amen. De sancto Eskillo oracio (12 June). O proles britanie ... [18v] ... familie dulcis consolator. Amen. In festo Sancte Suniue virginis (8 July). Supplicationibus nostris quaesumus omnipotens deus aures tue ... [20v] ... domino nostro Jhesu Christo cui est honor et Gloria in secula seculorum. Amen. Hystoria de Sancta Helena (31 July). Felix parens vesgocia gaude ... [24r] ... Magnificat anima mea domine. [24v] De sancta Barbara (4 Dec.). Optavi et datus est michi sensus et invocavi ... [27r] ... domino deo atque saluatore nostro ihesu Christo in secula ... In festo precentationis Sanctissime Virginis Marie (21 Nov.). Expedit fidelium deuocionem beatae virginis mariae ... [29r] ... eternam nobis prestare dignetur. Amen. De Sancto Kanuto rege et martyre oratio (7 Jan.). Deus qui Beatum kanutum regem et martirem a subditis ... [30v] ... longum est per singular enarrat. In festo Sancti ansgarii episcopi et confessoris (4 Feb.). Deus qui populo tuo eterne salutis ... [33v] ... Die Beati blasij quievit in pace. Tu autem domine. De Sancta Dorothea Oracio (6 Feb.). Omnipotens sempieterne deus in cuius nomen gloriosa virgo ... [34v] ... Theophilus ad christum perrexit. De Sancto Symeone Collecta (9 Feb.). Perfice in nobis quesumus ... [36r] ... quem genuit adorauit. Cetera oratio sicut in commune unius confessoris. [36v] De sancto Sigfrido (15 Feb.). Sanctus sigridus anglie ortus ut ... [40r] ... celi mansione. Magnificat anima mea domine. De sancta Gertrude Oracio (17 March). Deus qui Beatam Gertrudem virginem ex regali stirpe ... [41r] ... colestia gaudia detulerunt. Tu autem. Deo Gracias. [41v] De Compassione Beate marie virginis (March–May). Stabat virgo dolorosa ... [44r] ... Letitia alleluia. Magnificat anima. [44v] Hystoria de Sanctis (with text on the Swedish patron saints, 10–16 July). Iocundare mater ecclesia noue lucis ... [49r] ... gloriatur beatorum anime. Magnificat anima. In festo Sancte Birgitte (23 July). Rosa rorans bonitatem ... apparuit amicta sole femina solem. [49v] (by another hand) De sancto christoforo Collecta (25 July). Omnipotens sempiterne Deus fortitude constantium ... [50r] (main hand) De sancto Christofero legenda. Xristoforus genere cananeus procerissime stature ... [53r] ... gladio feriretur. Tu autem. Finiunt lectiones de sancto Cristofero.

Fols. 53v–56v: (by another hand) various notes in Latin and Swedish. They contain recipes against lice (in Latin) and Eczema (in Swedish), a ten-line hexameter verse (in Latin), an ecclesiastic statute (de decimis et oblationibus), a fragment of a text concerning Mary (in Swedish) and a list of debts (in Swedish); (see Maliniemi 1957, 20). Of fols. 55 and 56 only small strips survive.

 Paper 56 folios (54 foliated) 13,5-14 19,5 10,5 13-14,5 Contemporary foliation with roman numerals in the upper margin, starting from the beginning of the officia sanctorum (last number visible on fol. 53, ‘lij’). Modern foliation in the upper right margin, starting from the first leaf. IV8 + V18 + 4IV50 + III56

The manuscript in general is in decent shape. The first and the last folia have suffered the most damage. The tops of the two first folia and of fol. 54 are torn. Fols. 55–56 survive only as unfoliated stubs.

The manuscript contains at least two different watermarks. A letter ‘P’ on its own (appearing in the two first quires), is dated by Mildveden (1972, 12 n. 33) to 1483. A letter ‘P’ with a cross (or a flower) over its stem (appearing in the other quires) mostly resembles marks known from Mainz in 1477, Aachen and Marburg/Lahn in 1488, and Wesel in 1479 (Piccard, Buchstabe P, Abt. X, 133; Abt. XII, 33 and 561(as has been pointed out by Heikkilä 2009, 229).

 One column with vertical bounding lines in ink. Number of lines varies between 22 and 31, usually c. 28.

One main hand writing a cursive from the second half of saec. XV or first half of saec. XVI. The scribe in question was Nicolaus Jacobi Byrkop, who signed his name in several places (see below). Another, somewhat later, hand writes additions at the beginning and end of the manuscript.

Simple red initials with occasional pen-drawn decoration. On fols. 44v–45r, black cadel initials with flourishing in red. Some rubrics are given in red, others in black; red ink is used for highlighting of certain words; on fols. 45v–49r, rubrics, initials and significant letters are highlighted also with green.

Modern binding (1882 by the National Library) with modern pastedowns pasted over the old ones.

The manuscript shows several feasts that point towards the Diocese of Turku as its place of origin, for example, the high feast grade of St Sunniva and the presence of text related to the feast of St Henry’s translation. It seems likely that the manuscript was meant to complement the printed Dominican breviary used in the diocese. A few offices known to have been celebrated in Turku are missing, but for the most part the manuscript complements the parts missing from the diocese’s printed breviarium. This also makes it an important source for liturgy in the Diocese of Turku.

The small size, modest outlook, and the placing of the saints in two different cycles suggests that the manuscript was intended for personal use. The writing probably took place during the second half of saec. XV. The scribe and owner was Nicolaus Jacobi Byrkop, who signed his name several times in the margin. He may be the same person serving as a priest in Närpes from 1539.

The scribe and first owner of the book, Nicolaus Jacobi Byrkop, signed himself several times: ‘domini Jacob’ (fol. 1r); ‘Nicolaus Jac[obi] est pres huius libri’ (fol. 22v); ‘Nicolaus Jacobi Byrkop est pres huius Codicis’ (fol. 37r); ‘Qui me scribebat nicolaus nomen habebat’ (fol. 46r). This was probably the Nicolaus Jacobi Byrkop who served as a priest in Närpio from 1539. Possibly he was the son of a Turku burgher, Jacopp Beerkopp, who is mentioned in 1492 (Maliniemi 1957, 21).

Inner front cover: ‘sign. A. 56 i Antiqvitets Arkivet’.

At some point the manuscript was taken to the Antikvitets arkivet in Stockholm and moved from there to the National Library in 1780.

 Tuomas Heikkilä, Sankt Henrikslegenden, Stockholm 2009, 228–230. Aarno Malin, Der Heiligenkalender Finnlands. Seine Zusammenfassung und Entwicklung. Helsingfors 1925, 134–138. Aarno Maliniemi, Zur Kenntnis des Breviarium Aboense, Cod. Holm. A 56, Helsinki 1957. Ingmar Mildveden, “Neue Funde zur Brynolphus-Kritik”, Svensk Tidskrift för musikforskning, 54 (1972), 12. Anna Wolodarski, Unpublished catalogue entry. Encoding added