Scriptoria

On the Road of Manuscripts in Normandy

How was a book made in the Middle Ages? Where were they produced and by whom? What materials, colors, and pigments were used, and which were the most precious? What animals, creatures, or characters inhabited their decorations? How did artists mutually inspire one another with their influences?

To explore these questions, an exceptional multisite exhibition offers the chance to discover illuminated manuscripts produced in Normandy between 1000 and 1150, presented in Alençon, Avranches, Évreux, Le Havre, Rouen, and Sées, from March to December 2027. Created during the time of William the Conqueror and his descendants, these works, rarely displayed and for long kept confidential, are, however, the main witnesses to the art of drawing, illumination, and painting of the Romanesque period (11th-12th centuries).

This exhibition is a unique opportunity to contemplate a written and illuminated heritage of exceptional richness, reflecting a flourishing artistic activity in the ducal Normandy of the years 1000-1150.

To be found in Rouen (Heritage Library, March-June 2027), Alençon (Media Library and Museum, April-September 2027), Évreux (Media Library, May-September 2027), Avranches (Scriptorial, June-September 2027), Sées (Museum, July-September 2027), and Le Havre (Heritage Library, September-December 2027).

Partnerships: BnF, Diocesan Archives of Sées, Departmental Archives of Calvados, Media Library of Lisieux, in connection with the British Library.

Cooperation France / United Kingdom