Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha
The greatest iconographic event in the history of mankind
Umberto eco.

Reasons to buy our facsimile

The only copy in the world that is an exact replica of the original

Our facsimile captures the essence of the Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha in a unique way. By including the 4 original clasps in the binding, we guarantee a historical fidelity that immerses you in the authenticity of this exceptional work. No other reproduction on the market includes the original clasps that make our copy a facsimile strictly identical to the original manuscript.

Quality unequalled by any other copy on the market

At Patrimonio Ediciones, we are committed to offering the highest quality in every detail. From the parchment to the binding, each element reflects the care and attention that a piece of this historical and artistic importance deserves. Our commitment to quality is reflected in this facsimile of exquisite and unsurpassed fidelity in reproduction.

It is the most competitive price in relation to other facsimile copies on the market and with the best quality

We understand that the beauty of the Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha should be accessible to all lovers of history and art. Despite our unparalleled quality, we maintain an economical price with easy payment terms so that you can enjoy this medieval jewel at home.

Learn more about the Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha

The only Beatus of Liébana commissioned by Kings

This Beatus is named after its promoters, the monarchs Fernando I and Doña Sancha. Their names are mentioned in the Labyrinth (f. 7r.) and in the colophon (f. 316 r) – where the date of the Beatus (1047) is also designated. Beatus of Liébana’s Commentaries on the Apocalypse were copied and illuminated for most of the monasteries in the north of the Iberian Peninsula between the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. However, the Beatus of Facundo is the only one (with the possible exception of the Beatus of Las Huelgas) that was copied for the kings of Castile and León.

The illumination

It contains a frame of six portraits, which has led some authors to claim that this manuscript is based on Central European artistic trends, especially those of Reicheneau. Others, however, place it within the group of Magius, by whom it is clearly influenced, and the Mozarabic Bible of Leon (Williams).

Facundo signed the manuscript only as scriptor, but no other name appears that refers to illumination, so it is possible that the term scriptor here also encompasses the superb task of illuminating the codex.

Unforgettable images

Its lavish images give rise to one of the most prodigious iconographic traditions in the entire history of Western art. The violent colours of the Beatus of Facundo, its strange drawings and dreamlike atmosphere exert a veritable tyranny over the imagination: those who have seen them once will never forget them.

Why is the Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha one of the most beautiful?

Overall, the codex is one of the most beautiful of the Hispanic miniatures and, of course, of the beati, both for the rigour of the drawing, its syncretism between maintaining the past and opening up to the present, the almost classical care for order and compositional structure and the use of colour, capable of creating chromatic effects with the appearance of different environments, always of great elegance and endowed with a severe solemnity, different to anything else in the early Middle Ages. Moreover, in none of the beati is gold more abundant than in the Beatus of Ferdinand I. For Professor John Williams, the Beatus of Facundo is perhaps the most elegant of the Commentaries.

Conservation of the Beatus of Liébana of Ferdinand I and Sancha

It is also one of the best preserved, as it remained in the collegiate church of San Isidoro de León until Philip V, during the War of the Spanish Succession, requisitioned it and sent it to the Royal Library and, finally, it became part of the holdings of the National Library.

In the great Hollywood productions

The Beatus of Liébana and especially the Codex of Ferdinand and Sancha have frequently appeared in numerous novels, series or films, such as The Name of the Rose (1986), based on the novel of the same name by Umberto Eco, in which the actors Sean Connery and Christian Slater, playing respectively the roles of the Franciscan friar William of Baskervillle and the Benedictine novice Adlo of Melk, contemplate the central page, illuminated on both sides, where the seven-headed beast with ten horns is depicted. Directors such as Ridley Scott in The Kingdom of Heaven (2005), or more recently the Amazon Prime series El Cid (2020) have used images from the Beatus to set various period scenes, highlighting the importance of this impressive and unique manuscript.

The most elegant Beatus of Liébana

In June 1572 it is documented that the codex was still in San Isidoro de León, but soon after it began to pass from hand to hand.

In the second half of the 17th century, the Marquis of Mondéjar had it in his possession. In the war of succession the library of the Marquis was seized by Philip V and the manuscript passed in the first decade of the 18th century to the Royal Library. Once there, it was bound with steezed leather in the 19th century and is now kept at the BNE.

During the Spanish Civil War, much of the art treasure was evacuated from museums and libraries to protect it from bombing. The then director of the Biblioteca Nacional de España, Tomás Navarro Tomás, chose the works to be evacuated. A total of 5,439 volumes were evacuated. At the end of the war, in 1939, the works were returned to the BNE.

Iconographic programme

This Beatus of the Biblioteca Nacional is illustrated by an extensive iconographic programme characteristic of the Beatus codices, with some 100 illustrations in the Mozarabic style, but with notable Romanesque influences. The titles and epigraphs are in red ink. It stands out for its range of bright colours, which is not seen in any other, and for the perfection of the compositions, where the stylised figures have lost their hieratic style and introduce movements that dynamise the image, which, according to Williams, make it the most elegant of the Beatus.

THIS IS THE LAST OF THE VISIGOTIC MOZARAB BEATHS

The Beatus of Ferdinand and Sancha is the last of the Visigothic Beata. On the other hand, that of Saint-Sever is the first of the Romanesque ones. It belongs to Branch II, the tradition of the Commentary of the Beatus of 785-786.

WHO WAS THE COPYIST?

The Beatus of Liébana of Ferdinand I and Doña Sancha is also known as the Beatus of Facundo (Facundus scripsit) after the name of its author and painter. His name appears in the colophon (f.316). It is very likely that it was made in a highly specialised scriptorium, possibly Sahagún. The coincidence of the name of the copyist (formerly Arab) and the name of this monastery (Saints Facundo and Primitivo), gives rise to debate. Authors who maintain that the codex was composed in San Isidoro de León may have taken into account that the Basilica was inaugurated in 1063, after being built on the site of the Church of San Juan and San Pelayo. Therefore, the dating written by the author would be questioned.

Discover the complete collection of Beatos de Liébana by Patrimonio Ediciones