Carolingian script in the Codex Calixtinus

© Photograph of the facsimile of the Codex Calixtinus

This type of calligraphy is not determined by a specific geographical area, but rather by the broad cultural movement and interest in studies in general that arose during Charlemagne's time. The name might suggest that the emperor himself was the original inventor of this type of writing, but nothing could be further from the truth, as he was illiterate and only learned to write in the final stages of his life.

The emperor's desire to restore or revive ancient classical culture and the copying of books such as the Holy Bible and other liturgical texts played a significant role in the development of this script. This endeavor led to the development of Carolingian minuscule script, which remained the calligraphic standard for 400 years and was revived in the 15th century by the humanists of the Italian Renaissance.

The Carolingian court was responsible for both disseminating and consolidating this type of writing throughout the empire, giving it a universal character. Calligraphy aimed to be, and succeeded in being, a unifying element and disseminator of the new culture, thereby eliminating regional particularities in handwriting and emphasizing the imperial character of the Christian essence that Charlemagne proclaimed.

Carolingian script is not at all simple; it is characterized by robust and geometric strokes that harmoniously combine thick and thin strokes.

The great success of this script lay in its readability, primarily due to several factors: the clear lines of its letters, the tendency to separate words, the limited use of ligatures, and the restricted use of abbreviations. This calligraphy aimed to be clear and understandable so that it could be disseminated throughout the empire.

As we know, the Codex Calixtinus is written in Carolingian script, and according to researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid, such as Elisa Ruiz, the manuscript was written between 1160 and 1180. Its age has been determined through the study of the calligraphy, since scientific methods like Carbon-14 dating are ineffective on inorganic materials. This same expert indicates that it was written in the second half of the 12th century using Carolingian minuscule with French-origin capital letters. She also notes the use of abbreviations more characteristic of the later phase of this type of script. It was probably written by French scribes, given the precision and technique required by this script, as she stated in a seminar held in León in 2010.