Slide #207D
TITLE: The Beatus Map, St. Sever, or Paris I
DATE: ca. 776 A.D.
AUTHOR: Beatus of Liebana (died 798)
DESCRIPTION: Next, chronologically, comes the map called St. Sever
or Paris I measuring 37 X 57 cm. This work was executed ca. 1050
A.D. at the St. Sever Aquitanian monastery by the order of Geogory de Muntaner,
Abbot from 1028 to 1072 A.D. The St. Sever derivative is considered
by most scholars as the most valuable, the most carefully executed and the
richest in content of all the ten transcripts of Beatus. The name of its
author (or one of a group of executants responsible for the map) may be
one Stephanus Garcia Placidus. The St. Sever copy is also considered
to be the copy most representative of the original Beatus design, with respect
to both form and content.
The points of the compass are to be found only on the St. Sever and
the Paris III of 1250 maps; the windrose, so frequent in the larger
medieval maps of later time, only occurs on the St. Sever. The classical
world employed two kinds of windrose: one of these was eight-fold, the other
twelve-fold. Both of these, of course, were based upon the four cardinal
compass points. In the twelve-fold division, which was a favorite one among
Greek scientists from the time of Aristotle, a classification of seven intermediate
winds played a part. It is this twelve-fold division which is also to be
found in Isidore, on the map of St. Sever, and in most of the circular
designs of the later Middle Ages. The eight-fold arrangement was derived
from Eratosthenes, and was accepted by Pliny, Orosius and also by Isidore
of Seville, as a compliment to the twelve-fold partition.
A fourth continent, represented as a strip of land along the southernmost
edge of the earth, beyond the Mare Rudrum [a.k.a. the equatorial
ocean], is, as on all other Beatus maps, displayed here as well. A legend,
again taken from Isidore, informs us on the St. Sever map that "In
addition to the three parts of the world, there is a fourth part beyond
the ocean in the midst of the south and unknown to us on account of the
heat of the sun. Within its confines the Antipodians are fabulously said
to dwell."
Pictorially, there can be found illustrations of fish and boats distributed
throughout the surrounding great ocean. In this ocean and in the Mediterranean
Sea are also sprinkled many islands including Tule, Britain, Hibernia, the
Fortunate Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Cyprus and six others.
On these islands and on the continental land masses are depicted castles,
houses and churches of various sizes to symbolize major cities, famous sites
or shrines. Roma is one city specifically named as well as represented by
a symbol. Surprisingly, Jerusalem is not emphasized as on the Ashburnham,
London and most probably the original map. The rivers on the St. Sever
map are strikingly modern in their presentation when compared with the other
Beatus derivatives or other maps of the 11th century. Also there are more
rivers depicted on the St. Sever than any of the other derivatives,
though none of these rivers are specifically labelled. One feature that
this map has in common with most of the other Beatus copies is the vignette
of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge which is placed at the top of
the map (east).
** see also Slide #207 Monograph **