Ernst Codex

1700 years after the birth of monk-bishop Saint Martin of Savaria in Pannonia, a unique co-operation took place between the Pannonhalma Archabbey, National Széchényi Library, and the Faculty of Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The result is the first facsimile edition of the Ernst Codex (OSZK Cod. Lat. 431) accompanied by an essay volume in which specialists of the topic Edit Madas, Konrád Dejcsics, Gábor Thoroczkay, Balázs Déri and Kornél Szovák analyze the contents.

The Saint Martin memorial year in Pannonhalma was dedicated to the presentation of the 4^th century monk-bishop of Tours and to bring him closer to 21^st century people by an open dialogue between the experts. On this occasion, readers are given chance to get more acquainted with the contents of the Ernst Codex, one of the most significant pieces of Hungarian hagiographic literature and 12^th century book culture. The texts, by Sulpicius Severus on Bishop Saint Martin and the earliest text remained on the Saint Stephen legends, are dated by the writing and the decoration to the third quarter of the 12^th century. The possessor notes help to trace back the journey of the book during the centuries, until 1928 when it became, through the offer of a German antiquarian, the propriety of museum founder and collector Lajos Ernst. Then he generously contributed to the elaboration of this rare source justly named today after him. Since 1934, the Ernst Codex belongs to the collections of National Széchényi Library.