Beatus Facundus

Beatus Facundus.Beatus of Liebena was a monk who lived in the 8th-century kingdom of Asturia in Northern Spain, the only part of Spain that was not ruled by the Islam. On the basis of texts by early Christian writers Beatus compiled a commentary on Revelation. He divided the Bible book in 68 storiae and between the text and the commentary on these storiae he placed illuminations. In this way he probably wanted to help his fellow monks to enter the text and meditate on its meaning for their own life and the future of the earth. After all, this book deals with the history and end of the world. In line with this Beatus also included genealogical tables of Adam to Christ, a map of the world, and a commentary on the book Daniel. In the following centuries the Beatus manuscript was often copied in other monasteries in the Christian part of Spain. The style of the copyists makes clear that they were not only familiar with French art but also with the Islamic art of their time. Each illuminator built in his own way on the work of his predecessors. So too did Facundus who made a copy in 1047, this time not commissioned by a monastery but by King Ferdinand I and Queen Sancha. His manuscript, the Beatus Facundus, is one of the most well-known and most beautiful.