Getty Museum

Cité de Dieu

Date

about 1440–1450

Medium

Tempera colors, gold and silver paint

Culture

French

Department

Manuscripts

Institution

Getty Museum

Written during the early Christian era in the fifth century CE, Saint Augustine’s *City of God* was also one of the most popular theological texts of the late Middle Ages. Comprising the second portion of the text (Books XI to XXII), the manuscript contains commentary by Raoul de Presles (c. 1314-1383), who translated the text from Latin into French on the request of Charles V of France (1338-1380). The *City of God* was believed to have been the favorite text of Emperor Charlemagne (747-814 CE), the ruler that Charles V modeled himself after. This particular manuscript of the *City of God* was commissioned by Jean VI du Bellay the Younger (d.1479), abbot of St-Florent-les Saumur from 1431 to 1474. The work is believed to be the only surviving book from Jean’s library, as upon his death the manuscript became part of the collection of the Abbey of Saint-Florent-les-Saumur, where it remained until the Abbey was dissolved and secularized in 1790 during the French Revolution. The book was made by a team of professional scribes and artists, active in the nearby city of Nantes near the west coast of France. Two anonymous artists were primarily responsible for the illustrations.

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