Deluxe facsimile edition of the Codex Calixtinus of the Cathedral of Santiago

© photograph of the deluxe edition of the Codex Calixtinus

He Codex Calixtinus o Liber Sancti Jacobi / Book of James -, a medieval gem in the bibliography, is one of the richest medieval sources for historians, geographers, musicologists, sociologists, ethnologists, art historians and linguists. Due to its heterogeneous and composite nature, this codex is believed to be the work of several authors and compilers. It is known as the Codex Calixtinus, not because Pope Calixtus II was one of its authors, but because of the extraordinary influence that he, his secretary, and the people of Cluny had on the creation of the work.

Before his election as Pope in 1119, Calixtus II Having been abbot of Cluny, the people in this Burgundy city were faithful followers of the pilgrimages to Santiago and, as Pope, Calixtus became the most passionate benefactor of these crusades. This Pope of Cluny was the brother of the Count of Galicia, son-in-law of King Alfonso VI. He elevated the status of the city of Santiago to that of Archdiocese. It has also been established that the clergyman French Aymeric Picaud, the secretary of Pope Callixtus, was an important actor in the writing, or at least in the compilation of the codex. Scholars believe the codex was compiled around 1160 and no later than 1173, since at that time a monk named Arnaldo de Monte, a pilgrim to Compostela, made a "copy" of the work for his abbot and brothers of the cloister Ripoll (MS Ripoll 99, Barcelona, ​​Archive of the Crown of Aragon).

The Jesuit historian Fr. Fidel Fita rediscovered the codex in 1886; for unknown reasons, the book had been hidden and forgotten. In 1964 the entire codex was restored in the workshop of the National Library of Madrid; one of the parts of the codex, Book IV (Historia Turpini), which had been removed in the 17th century, was reincorporated into the manuscript.

The Codex Calixtinus is composed of five "books" or sections:

Book I (fols.4-139) contains sermons, homilies and texts from the liturgy of James, including numerous musical songs and two polyphonic compositions written specifically for the new liturgy (fols. 101V-139). Book that is preceded by a strange and clearly false letter from Pope Callixtus (fols.1-3).

Book II (fols.140-155), known as the "Book of Miracles", is a collection of 22 miracles attributed to James that had taken place in different parts of Europe.

Book III (fols.156-162) narrates the transfer of the body of Saint James from Palestine to Santiago de Compostela.

Book IV (fols.163-191), or Turpini Historia, is the story of Charlemagne and Roland (Historia Karol Magni et Rotholandi). It has been falsely attributed to Turpin, Archbishop of Reims. Although this book was originally part of the Codex Calixtinus, it was withdrawn in 1620 and circulated widely as a standalone unit. Fortunately, as already mentioned, the book already has its original place in the codex.

Book V (fols.192-225) is the famous "Liber Peregrinationis" ("Medieval Pilgrim's Guide") attributed to Aymeric Picaud. It is considered the oldest tourist guide in Europe. Musical compositions (including conductus, monophonic and polyphonic singing, tropes and organum) appear in fols. 214-222. The codex ends with an appendix containing several poems and hymns related to Saint James.

The Codex Calixtinus is a wonderful testimony to the political, social, cultural, religious, musical and intellectual structure of the medieval world. «"The Medieval Pilgrim's Guide," which offers vivid descriptions of the different towns and people, their customs, habitat, character organization, linguistic customs, and the unique fusion of elements Franco-Hispanic, It's a beautiful lesson in ethnography. The music in the codex is a subject in itself and offers a wonderful insight into the state of musical composition in the 12th century: the texts of James, together with their tropes and accompanying monophonic sequences, are a clear example of how the liturgy was expanded and embellished for a great new feast day. The highlight is the musical repertoire of polyphony, which includes the earliest known composition for three voices and serves as an important bridge to the Notre Dame School. Without this repertoire, our understanding of the birth and evolution of polyphony in the Western world would be completely distorted.

It is due to its incalculable value in so many and such varied ways disciplines that the Codex Calixtinus is considered one of the most monumental works of medieval study, being a basic and essential tool in your library.