Songs of Holy Mary, Rich Codex
The Cantigas de Santa María [Songs of Holy Mary] are a compilation, made at the court of Alfonso X, of more than four hundred songs dedicated to the Virgin.
Various troubadours were involved in composing them, notably the king himself, who is presented as the promotor of the project in the prologue and headings.
Written in Galician-Portuguese, it combines European and Spanish literary sources with newly created texts telling of miraculous stories in which the Virgin intercedes on behalf of the faithful who request her assistance.
The Rich Codex, which features 190 cantigas (originally 200) and is the earliest of the four surviving manuscripts, contains text, music and images.
Each poem is accompanied by an illuminated folio that illustrates the miracle – or two folios in the case of poems ending in five, a number that is closely linked to Marian worship and shapes the structure of the manuscript.
The images tell the story recounted in the text, but also provide additional details that enrich it with new elements and characters. Copyists and illuminators in the service of the royal Scriptorium were involved in its execution, creating one of the most outstanding pieces of Spanish medieval art.