An Ontology of the Word in Catalan Romanesque Culture

The history of culture in Catalonia during the Romanesque period (9th–12th centuries) has often been written from a strongly positivist mentality, which is a reductionistic approach. Economic history has distorted this period’s intellectual and cultural history. This article presents a compelling analysis of a series of manuscripts from the monastery of Ripoll in the context of Catalonia’s visual and intellectual culture between the 10th and 12th centuries. These writings demonstrate the pivotal role of the arts of the word (dialectic, rhetoric, and grammar) in this cultural center of great European significance. They also illustrate the formative influence of this institution on Gerbert of Aurillac, who would become Pope Sylvester II and the fruitful period of Abbot Oliba. Other artworks and musical manuscripts contribute to understanding a profound ontology of the word in Catalonia and prepare the ground for its cultural renaissance in the 12th century.