The Diurnal of Queen Sancha and King Fernando I of León: new readings of a transcultural ex-libris

This article presents an analysis of the Diurnal of Queen Sancha and King Fernando I of León (Santiago de Compostela, Biblioteca Xeral da Universidade, MS 609). Commissioned by the queen as a gift for her husband in 1055, this codex is a milestone of Iberian manuscript illumination during the eleventh century. The essay focuses on the ex-libris on folio 6r, which provides information about the book's intellectual authorship. It will be argued that its distinctive morphology draws inspiration from the Central European visual culture, where the use of graphic patterns to convey religious doctrines had become pervasive. By proposing specific models for the frontispiece’s design, the study will provide deeper insight into the Diurnal’s symbolic meaning, as well as into the role of Queen Sancha as an agent of cultural translation.