Fragments of books from Swedish parish churches, c. 1100–1525
While relatively poor in other types of medieval sources, the successor states of the medieval Kingdom of Sweden (modern-day Sweden and Finland) are exceptionally rich in Latin manuscript fragments. Approximately 29,000 such fragments, representing about 10,000 different codices, are preserved in the National Archives of Sweden (Stockholm) and the National Library of Finland (Helsinki). These originate primarily from the liturgical books used in the c. 1750 parish churches of the realm – a context of book ownership from which very little survives in most European countries. What these fragments reveal about the book resources of parish churches and the ecclesiastical history of Sweden is the focus of Jaakko Tahkokallio’s ERC-funded project Books of the Medieval Parish Church (2021–2025). In this seminar, Tahkokallio will discuss some of the project’s key findings, as well as methodological questions related to studying books preserved in fragmentary form.
This page was last updated on 20 January 2025
