75 kilograms. 624 pages. That is the weight of the mysterious Codex Gigas, which literally means "big book." This heavy manual, written in Latin, holds a dark legend that begins in the monastery of Podlazice (Czech Republic) in 1230. It is also known as the Devil's Bible.
According to experts, it would have taken approximately 30 years to write a book containing the Old and New Testament; two works by Flavius Josephus: the "Ars medicinae" or The Art of Medicine; Isidore of Seville's "Etimologías," a calendar, and Cosmas of Prague's "Chronicle of the Bohemians," among other enigmatic texts. However, according to the myth, the Codex was handwritten in a single night by a single man. A Benedictine monk, known as Herman the Recluse, whose intention was to redeem himself or save his life on the eve of his execution. The only way the monk could see himself completing the impossible task was with the help of the devil. So, after selling his soul, the scribe was able to fulfill the order and obtain his freedom. The legend claims that this pact with the devil may explain why the Prince of Darkness is so prominently represented on one of the codex pages. However, it is not known where this legend began, and it is suspected that it was religiously propagated.
Although portraits of the Devil were common in medieval art, his representation in the Codex Gigas stands out for presenting him alone on a large page.
From there, it is mentioned that the monastery fell into disgrace, and the unsettling work would become part of the rare book collection of Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg, who could incorporate it into his disturbing library in the late 16th century after a long journey.
The next mention of the Codex Gigas is when Rudolf II took it to his castle in Prague in 1594. It remained there until the Swedish siege of the city at the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648. The Swedish army plundered the city, and one of the treasures they took was the medieval manuscript. Thus, it ended up in Stockholm, where it miraculously survived a devastating fire. The book attracted the attention of historians and scientists, many of whom dubbed it the "Devil's Bible" and recognized it as one of the wonders of the age. After so much talk, on the other hand, common in those centuries, the National Library seems immune to the curse of the codex, and many people visit it. During its one-year loan in Prague, protected with a wooden cover, in the first week alone, ten thousand people came to admire this medieval jewel.
The gigantic medieval manuscript contains 624 pages made from the skins of 160 different animals.
Subsequent studies have shown that the calligraphy of the manual indicates that it was written by a single person who used a type of ink obtained from crushed insects.
It is certain that the hand of the "fallen angel" is not behind the pages illuminated with red, blue, yellow, green, and golden inks. However, its grandiose content mixed with spells, medicinal cures, obituaries, and mysterious texts remains an enigma to this day.
Many hidden messages have not yet been deciphered, and its supernatural nature has sparked the interest and obsession of countless souls who have sought to obtain the codex illicitly. That is why the work remains in the National Library of Sweden, where it has been on public display since 1819.
The Codex left Swedish territory only twice. The first time was in 1970, to be exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and the second time was in 2007 when it returned to Prague to be displayed at the Czech National Library.
The Galobart Books is meticulously working on a facsimile edition of this incredible work that treasures great mysteries so that it becomes part of the libraries of enthusiasts of enigma and the beauty of history. In a different size and weight.
