Codex Reginensis Latinus 191 (shelfmark Reg.lat.191) is a 9th-century codex compiled at the Abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims and now held in the Vatican Library. The codex is notable for the text fragments contained within its binding, which include parts of De Moribus by pseudo-Seneca, De Viris Illustribus by Jerome, and a 10th-century list of Brittonic patron saints.

History The manuscript was previously in the collections of Alexandre Pétau, son of Paul Pétau, and Christina, Queen of Sweden.

Contents The codex is a collection of ecclesiastical texts, including works by Isidore of Seville, Augustine of Hippo, Pelagius, Ebbo, Hincmar, Alcuin, and Prudentius of Troyes.

Binding Two fragmentary Latin texts are found in the folia used to bind the codex: De Moribus by pseudo-Seneca, and a chapter on Seneca in De Viris Illustribus by Jerome. It is not known whether these were originally bound into a text on their own or as part of a larger manuscript. De Moribus and Jerome on Seneca are both written in a Breton Carolingian minuscule script which dates . One line of De Moribus on fol. 105R is corrected using the Insular script, probably by the same hand which wrote the name list.

Saint list The list of Brittonic saints was first discussed in 1938 by French academics, although they did not identify the connection with Cornwall., cited in

The origin of the fragment is probably in Brittany, where the list was likely added onto an existing Breton manuscript, which later became the binding of the Reims codex.: "To summarize the palaeographical and codicological evidence for the date and provenance of the Vatican List of Brittonic names: it was written at the turn of the ninth/tenth century at the earliest, or perhaps later in the tenth century, by a scribe who wrote an Insular hand, being added to a text written slightly earlier, almost certainly in Brittany; and by the twelfth century it had been used in the binding of a codex in the monastic library of St Remi at Rheims." The list is written using an Insular minuscule script, which is distinct from the Breton Carolingian minuscule used for the adjacent Latin fragments. The use of the Insular script, rather than the Carolingian script, has been interpreted as an indicator that the scribe could have been of British origin or that the manuscript was brought to Cornwall where the list was added.

Forty-eight Brittonic personal names are recorded in the list. Twenty-one of these are patron saints of churches in Cornwall (some of whom have associations elsewhere in the Brittonic region), nine are possibly identifiable with known Cornish saints, two are associated with non-parish holy sites in Cornwall, one (Iodechall) is a known Brittonic saint with no association with Cornwall, and fifteen are unidentified or illegible. Around half of the names are certainly associated with Cornwall, and the ordering of the names correlates geographically with parish dedications in Cornwall. Therefore, B. Lynette Olson and O. J. Padel identify the list as "unquestionably a list of Cornish saints, at least in part."

The names, in the original order, are the following: Salamun, patron of St Levan Guenosam, possibly identifiable as the patron of St Gennys Barmot, unidentified Cuncar, possibly patron of a holy well and medieval chapel at St Ingunger, Lanivet Cioc, unidentified, possibly the same as Cuncar Guenb... (missing letters, perhaps Guenbet), unidentified Ruaton, unidentified Guicmor, unidentified Iust, patron of St Just in Penwith, St Just in Roseland, and a well in Probus Entenin, patron of St Anthony-in-Meneage and St Anthony in Roseland Gerent, patron of Gerrans, as well as two chapels in Magor, Monmouthshire and Dol-de-Bretagne respectively Filii, patron of Philleigh Rumon, patron of Ruan Major, Ruan Minor, Ruan Lanihorne, a chapel in Redruth, and formerly patron of Audierne and Saint-Jean-Trolimon Comet, unidentified Meler, patron of Linkinhorne and Mylor Sibillon, possibly the original dedication of St Symphorian's Church in Veryan Maucan, patron of St Mawgan in Pydar and Mawgan-in-Meneage Achobran, patron of St Keverne Berion, patron of St Buryan Felec, patron of Phillack Guidian, patron of Gwithian Erbec, unidentified but possibly connected to three church dedications to a St Hermes Nioth (or Rioth), unidentified Propus, patron of Probus Latoc, patron of Ladock Luidin, unidentified Pierguin, unidentified Geuedenoc, identified with Wethenoc ...uai ...nu or ...in ...cu Iogarun, unidentified Gernun (uncertain transcription), possibly connected to the patron of St Germans Lallu, probably patron of Menheniot Be...en, possibly Berguen Entr?r? or Ent...i Bie, unidentified Elenn, unclear connection to other similarly named saints, possibly the former patron of St Stephen-in-Brannel Austoll, patron of St Austell Megunn, patron of St Mewan Iodechall, attested in Breton litanies and a hagiography, no patronages Crite, patron of Creed and possibly of Saint-Cry in Brittany Guron, patron of Goran Euai, patron of St Ewe Gu?ai, unidentified, perhaps connected to a Welsh saint Gwrai Memai, identified with Meva, co-patron of Mevagissey Iti, patron of St Issey and co-patron of Mevagissey Aboel, unidentified

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References

Bibliography

External links Manuscript viewer, Vatican Library