11.2.2026 Rediscovered Palatina Codex returns to the Vatican – thanks to Heidelberg mediation

The Vatican Apostolic Library has acquired a precious manuscript from the early 16th century that once belonged to the famous Bibliotheca Palatina in Heidelberg. The codex had been considered lost since the late 18th century and has now been identified and secured for a public collection. The Heidelberg University Library acted as an intermediary in the acquisition.

The manuscript is Codex Palatinus Latinus 851, which came to the Vatican in 1623 as part of the Bibliotheca Palatina in Heidelberg. However, during a revision of the Vatican's holdings in 1798, the volume was no longer listed. Only now has it been clearly identified and remains in the holdings of the Vatican Apostolic Library, where it is accessible to the public, representing a significant addition to the history of the Bibliotheca Palatina. Most recently, the manuscript was part of a private French collection.

Valuable manuscript with Ottheinrich binding

The Latin codex comprises 115 sheets of paper and two flyleaves and contains Paulus Diaconus' Historia Langobardorum as well as several lives of saints, including texts by Walahfrid Strabo and Wandalbert of Prüm. The manuscript was created around 1500 in southern Germany, probably in the Worms area, and was produced by six scribes.

Particularly noteworthy is the ornate binding from 1556, which was made especially for Elector Ottheinrich of the Palatinate and features his portrait, coat of arms and motto (known as the Ottheinrich binding). Comparable bindings can now only be found on a few manuscripts in the Bibliotheca Palatina and are considered outstanding examples of Renaissance book art.

Notification by Klaus Graf and mediation by Heidelberg University Library

The purchase by the Vatican Apostolic Library was made possible after archivist Klaus Graf identified the volume in an online catalogue of the Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair as the long-lost Cod. pal. lat. 851. He informed Heidelberg University Library, which enabled them to quickly contact the Vatican. The director of Heidelberg University Library, Dr Jochen Apel, informed the prefect of the Vatican Library, Mauro Mantovani, about the sale of the volume by the Viennese antiquarian bookshop Inlibris. Heidelberg University Library would like to thank Klaus Graf for his expert advice and collegial support.

The codex will become part of the virtual Bibliotheca Palatina

The codex is currently being examined in Rome and will then be digitised. It will subsequently become part of the virtual Bibliotheca Palatina, which was created as a joint project between the Vatican Apostolic Library and Heidelberg University Library.

Since 2021, all manuscripts in the Bibliotheca Palatina – both the majority of Latin and Greek codices in the Vatican and the German-language holdings in Heidelberg – have been fully accessible in digital form. The digitisation of the now rediscovered Pal. lat. 851 closes another gap in this unique virtual reconstruction of one of the most important libraries of the Renaissance.