The Hortus deliciarum (Garden of Delights), a medieval manuscript compiled by and illuminated by the nun, Herrad of Landsberg, at the Hohenburg Abbey in Alsace, was an illuminated encyclopedia, written as a pedagogical tool for young novices at the convent.
“Most of the manuscript was not original, but was a compendium of 12th century knowledge. The manuscript contained poems, illustrations, and music, and drew from texts by classical and Arab writers. Interspersed with writings from other sources were poems by Herrad, addressed to the nuns, almost all of which were set to music. The most famous portion of the manuscript is the illustrations, of which there were 336, which symbolised various themes, including theosophical, philosophical, and literary themes.”
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image: Plate 8, in the centermost circle, Philosophy rests upon a queenly throne, holding a banner that says “All wisdome comes from God, only the wise can do what they want”, directly below sit Socrates and Plato, at abutting desks. In the surrounding orb stand the Seven Liberal arts;: grammar, rethoric, dialectics, music, arithmetic, gaometry and astronomy