Helsinki, The National Library of Finland (Suomen Kansalliskirjasto), F.m.I.248

Cantus Siglum

FIN-Hy F.m.I.248

Holding Institution

Helsinki, The National Library of Finland (Suomen Kansalliskirjasto) (FIN-Hy)

Manuscript/Print

Manuscript

Physical Status

Fragment

Summary

Four leaves from a fifteenth-century notated missal. Derives from the same missal as F.m. I.240 and F.m. I.254, even though catalogued as three separate books. Secular cursus; used in a parish church of the diocese of Turku, Finland. Belongs to a group of eight missals copied by the same group of scribes. Fully developed square notation with C and F clefs. Written area 22.4 x 33.5 cm.

Liturgical Occasions

Ff. 1r–2r. Canon missae.

Ff. 2r–4v. Temporale. 2r–3v, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday (incomplete); 4r–v, Easter Tuesday, Easter Wednesday (incomplete).

Description

Helsinki, National Library of Finland, MS F.m. I.248 is a four-leave fragment of a missal datable to the fifteenth century, possibly towards its middle. In total, 13 leaves of the missal survive, now catalogued as F.m. I.240, F.m. I.248 and F.m. I.254 (Missal III). These fragments were only later recognised as originating from the same missal on palaeographical and codicological grounds. The leaves were detached from their binding and reused as covers for tax account books during the period of 1600–1635 (for the history of the collections, see Eskola & Tahkokallio 2024). The pattern of reuse suggests that the missal may have remained in use in a parish church in South-Western Finland until the late sixteenth century (see Eskola & Tahkokallio 2027, forthcoming). Most of the folios have been reused as single leaves, only one bifolium of the missal survives.

This book belongs to a larger group of eight missals (hereafter the Turku group) identified by Jaakko Tahkokallio (Tahkokallio 2008, 2010). Most of their leaves are preserved in the National Library of Finland (shelfmarks F.m. I.xxx), while two leaves remain in the National Archives of Sweden (Codex 994). The reconstructed codices are:

F.m I.243 + I.251 (Missal I)
F.m. I.244 + I.252 (Missal II)
F.m. I.240 + I.248 + I.254 (Missal III)
F.m. I.235 + I.255 (Missal IV)
F.m. I.242 (Missal V)
F.m. I.234 (Missal VI)
F.m. I.250 (Missal VII)
Codex 994 (Missal VIII)

All chants of the Turku group have been fully indexed in the Cantus Database.

The liturgical contents, especially the sanctoralia, confirm that the missal group was produced for the diocese of Turku. While no liturgical calendar survives, the appearance of Henry, the patron saint of Turku, in the sanctorale fragments of Missal I securely connects the group to the diocese (for details, see the Cantus description of F.m. I.243). In addition to Henry, yet stronger evidence for the Finnish provenance of the group is the interlinear Finnish translation of the sequence Sancti Spiritus adsit in Missal II (see the Cantus description of F.m. I.252).

Although it remains difficult to determine where, and by whom, the missals were produced, certain observations can be made. Several trained individuals contributed to the production of the Turku group: Tahkokallio has identified three scribal hands and two illuminators working in varying combinations (Tahkokallio 2008, 312–316). While their work is professional, it does not aim at a homogenous style that might be expected from an established scriptorium. The scribal hands present clearly recognisable individual preferences and are easily distinguished from one another. It seems plausible that the scribes collaborated on an ad-hoc basis to produce the books. As Tahkokallio has observed, the production of the group coincided with a period of intensive building activity within the diocese, during which many of the still-standing stone churches were built. Such investment may also have extended to the provision of uniform missals for the newly built churches.

Selected Bibliography

Brunius, Jan (2008). Atque Olavi: Nordiska Helgon i Medeltida Mässböcker. Runica et Mediævalia, Scripta Minora, vol. 17. Stockholm: Centrum för medeltidsstudier vid Stockholms universitet.

Eskola, Seppo & Tahkokallio, Jaakko (2024). ‘How Many Fragments? The Original Extent, Nineteenth-Century Losses, and Present Size of the Swedish-Finnish Medieval Book Fragment Collections.’ Suomen kirkkohistoriallisen seuran vuosikirja 114. 13–48.

Eskola, Seppo & Tahkokallio, Jaakko (2027). ‘The Recycling of Catholic Service Books and the Development of Cultic Attitudes in Reformation-Era Sweden.’ Scandia, vol. 94, no. 1, 2027 (forthcoming).

Haapanen, Toivo (1922). Verzeichnis Der Mittelalterlichen Handschriftenfragmente in Der Universitätsbibliothek Zu Helsingfors. I Missalia. Helsingfors: Helsingfors Universitetsbibliotek.

Tahkokallio, Jaakko (2008). ‘Handskrifter från ett scriptorium i Åbo från mitten av 1400-talet?’ Historisk Tidskrift för Finland 93:3. 285–317.

– (2010) ‘Excursus: 1400-luvun kirjallista tuotantoa’. In Kirjallinen kulttuuri keskiajan Suomessa, edited by Heikkilä, Tuomas. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2010. 243–245.

Taitto, Ilkka (2000). ‘Turun hiippakunnan sekvenssisävelmät 1330–1530.’ In Kirkko kulttuurin kantajana, edited by Lempa, Nina. Vammala: Kirkkohallitus. 35–55.

Notes on the Inventory

The inventory for FIN-Hy F.m.I.248 was prepared by Lotta Näri (University of Helsinki), with assistance on provenance and codicological description from Jaakko Tahkokallio (University of Helsinki). The editorial assistance and proofreading was done by Anna de Bakker (Dalhousie University, Halifax). The assistant proofreading was done also by Hilkka-Liisa Vuori (University of Helsinki).

Full/Partial Inventory

Full Inventory