Bobbio Jerome facts for kids
The Bobbio Jerome is a very old handwritten book from the early 600s. It's kept safe in a library in Milan, Italy. This special book contains a copy of a "Commentary on Isaiah," which is a religious text written by a famous saint named Jerome.
What is the Bobbio Jerome?
This ancient book has 156 pages and is about the size of a large notebook. It's a type of book called a palimpsest. This means it was made on pages that had writing on them before. The original writing was a copy of the Bible translated into the Gothic language by a person named Ulfilas. People in those days sometimes reused valuable parchment pages by scraping off old ink to write something new.
A Special Old Book
The Bobbio Jerome is important because of its age and how it was made. The original Gothic Bible text was written in a special old style of letters called Gothic uncial. Important words or titles were written in a fancier style called Rustic capitals. Imagine writing over an old drawing to create a new one – that's a bit like what a palimpsest is!
The Amazing Initial N
One of the most exciting parts of the Bobbio Jerome is its artwork. On the second page, there's a huge, decorated letter "N." This "N" is so big it takes up nine lines of the regular text! It's drawn with black ink and has cool swirling patterns, crosses, and shield-like shapes called pelta motifs. You can also see touches of green and orange paint. Look closely, and you'll see that part of the "N" is made from two fish bent into an "S" shape. This style of decoration is very early and unique, similar to other famous old books from Ireland and Britain.
How Old is It?
On page two, there's a note that connects this book to Atalanus. He was an important leader (an abbot) at the Bobbio Abbey monastery after Columbanus, another famous saint. Atalanus passed away in the year 622. If this note is real, it means the Bobbio Jerome was made before 622. This makes its decorated "N" one of the very first examples of a special art style called insular art. It's even older than some other famous decorated books like the Cathach of St. Columba.
