Centuries of silence : the discovery of the Salzinnes Antiphonal

Abstract

The thesis examines the sixteenth century Salzinnes Antiphonal in the collection of the Patrick Power Library, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. The study traces the manuscript's European provenance, analyzes the structure of the codex and examines the Latin liturgy, musical and artistic compositions, as well as the iconography and symbolism of the devotional images. As a selective review into the history of the Low Countries, the thesis explores the religious and social forces that influenced the manuscript's creation such as the patronage of the de Glymes family. It reveals a unique insight into the spiritual and cultural lives of the nuns of the Cistercian Abbey of Salzinnes in Namur, Belgium.

The thesis concludes that the Salzinnes Antiphonal represents a record of commemoration, monastic kinship and communal devotion. This study establishes the Salzinnes Antiphonal as a rare cultural and ecclesiastical treasure containing multiple images of nuns, their corresponding inscriptions, the presentation of three separate religious orders and patrons' coats-of-arms.