Scriptoria

On the Road of Manuscripts in Normandy

How was a book made in the Middle Ages? Where were they produced? Who participated in their production? What materials were used? What colors were utilized? Which pigments and dyes were the most expensive and where were they sourced from? What animals, creatures, and figures were represented in the decorations? How did the artists influence each other?...

To answer these various questions, illuminated manuscripts produced in Normandy from 1000 to 1150 will be on display in an exceptional multisite exhibition, organized in Alençon, Avranches, Évreux, Le Havre, Rouen, and Sées from March to December 2027. 

These illuminated manuscripts produced in Normandy during the time of William the Conqueror and his descendants are rarely presented to the public; they remain unknown and confidential.

 They are, however, the main witnesses of the art of drawing, illumination, and painting of the Romanesque period (11th-12th centuries).

This multisite exhibition is therefore the perfect opportunity to come and discover and contemplate this incredible written and illuminated heritage, the result of a particularly rich and dynamic artistic and creative 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