The Early Manuscripts of San Salvatore de Lingua in Messina (Mid-12th Century): Surveying the Chief Decorator

The monastery of Holy Savior has been the subject much scholarship, but liturgical reform requested by King Roger II Sicily and carried out first archimandrite, Luke Rossano, latter’s struggle to establish seemly equipment, largely neglected. Given its potential relevance for material setting monastery’s early manuscript collection through middle twelfth century, this seems an oversight. Art historians have repeatedly claimed that lofty status could enabled spread Byzantine models Norman Sicily, especially in relation figurative arts decoration. This paper discusses same assumption from opposite perspective. It explores main tendencies decoration at San Salvatore based on extant evidence collection. Building paleographical codicological observations provided past decades (mostly philologists), I examine manuscripts terms decorative practice artistic culture.