Tracing Breton footprints from Fleury to Reims: the codicological evidence for the exegetical compilation in Orléans 182 and Reims 395
The focus of this article is a compilation of biblical exegesis, here entitled Glossae Floriacenses in Vetus et Nouum Testamentum, that ranges from short explanatory glosses to more extensive passages of interpretation, and also incorporates two independent works in their entirety: Adrevald of Fleury’s De benedictionibus patriarcharum and the Venerable Bede’s Nomina regionum atque locorum de Actibus apostolorum. The Glossae Floriacenses also preserve multiple layers of Old Breton glosses (main text, interlinear, marginal additions), as well as several Old English glosses. This dynamic work survives in two codices, Orléans, Médiathèque, MS 183, and Reims, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 395. The methodology employed here involves a detailed survey of these codicological contexts in order to expand our understanding of the transmission and use of the Glossae Floriacenses. In the case of Orléans 182, there is strong evidence for Fleury as the provenance of the codex as a whole, but this analysis also evidences substantial interactions with nearby regions, particularly Brittany and Auxerre. In the case of Reims 395, several manuscripts in the codex date to the eleventh century, and include the Glossae Floriacenses, Odo of Cluny’s Sermo de sancto Benedicto, and a range of works dedicated to the celebration of Mary Magdalene. This grouping indicates links of transmission between a number of Loire Valley and Burgundy regions, particularly Brittany, Fleury, Cluny, Auxerre, and Vézelay.