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Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project

Royal Library, Windsor Castle, Ethiopic Manuscripts, Manuscript No. 5

This Geʿez language manuscript was created between 1766 and 1766. This date is precise, based on the scribe noting the date in the manuscript. The royal ruler's name mentioned in the manuscript is Iyoas I.

This manuscript is held in the repository of Royal Library, Windsor Castle in their Ethiopic Manuscripts in Windsor, UK. This manuscript's last known location in Ethiopia was South: taken from King Tewodros's royal library in Magdala.

To view the manuscript, go to the digital copy.

This manuscript has a high number of Marian miracle stories: 157. Also, 28 have stanzas or hymns at their end, marked with a in the table below, under Other Aspects.

This manuscript has no paintings of Marian miracle stories, but it does have 5 paintings of Mary and events in her life. To see the paintings in this manuscript, go to its PEMM Paintings by Manuscript page.

This manuscript has a total of 242 folios and 245 scans. It has 2 columns per page and approximately 22–24 lines per column.

The stories in this manuscript were cataloged by Jeremy R. Brown.

The PEMM abbreviation for this manuscript is RL-Windsor (RLW) 5.

The Beta Maṣāḥǝft abbreviation for this manuscript is EthWindsor5. Other shelfmarks and/or abbreviations for this manuscript include Windsor Eth. 5; Eth. Windsor V; RCIN 1005083.

Regarding this manuscript's repository:

The Royal Library at Windsor Castle has a collection of six Ethiopian/Eritrean manuscripts. All of the manuscripts in this collection were looted by British forces from the Ethiopian stronghold at Magdala in 1868. Edward Ullendorff cataloged this collection in 1954.

For more information about understanding this table, see Using This Site. If you think any of the information on this page is incorrect (e.g., the location, date, folios, story IDs), please use our PEMM Feedback Form to let us know. We depend on users like you to improve the site.

RL-Windsor (RLW) 5

Order in MS
Story Title
Location in MS
Paintings
Story Recension
Incipit
Other Aspects
Story ID
1Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldA: Part 01: Conception: The Virgin Mary is conceived and born (whole or opening)f. 19r-21r, col. 1 0---316-A
2Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldA: Part 01: Temple: The Virgin Mary stays in the Temple (315, 316-D, 447 similar)f. 21r-22r, col. 1 0---315
3Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldA: Part 02: Engagement: The Virgin Mary is espoused to Saint Joseph.f. 22r-23v, col. 1 0---317
4Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldJ: Part 01: Pregnancy: The Virgin Mary is found to be pregnant.f. 23v-25v, col. 2 0---530
5Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldD: Part 01: Nativity: How the Virgin Mary gave birth (see no. 299) (347, 445 similar)f. 25v-26v, col. 1 0---445
6Book of Ledata la-Maryam??: OldD: Part 02: Nativity: The shepherds and the magi come to worship Christ. (299, 446 similar)f. 26v-28r, col. 2 0---446
7Jesus asks the Virgin Mary what her greatest sorrow is and she replies saying these five sorrowsf. 28r-28v, col. 1 0---400
8A monk whose only good work was observing the fast of the Virgin Mary.f. 28v-28v, col. 2 0---384
9Book of Vision of Theophilus of Alexandria: Part 1 or 1.1: Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria has a vision of the Virgin Mary telling him about the Holy Family's flight to Egyptf. 29r-37v, col. 1 0---1-A
10Book of Felsata la-Maryam: [Chaine Part 03] Dormition: A woman whose right eye had been blinded by a demon is healed by The Virgin Mary.f. 37v-37v, col. 1 0---222
11The innocent Frenchman who was framed for theft by a spurned innkeeper’s daughter and was hanged but did not dief. 38r-44r, col. 1 0---5
12Sybil the prophetess saw a vision of the Virgin Mary holding her child within a circle around the sun and the Emperor of Rome erected an altar in his palacef. 44r-46r, col. 2 0EMML (HMML) 3872--137
13Book of Nagara Maryam??: OldF: Part 05: Journey: The Holy Family hides from thieves in a sycamore tree at Dabra Metmaq. (321, 322, 325, 431 similar)f. 46r-47r, col. 1 0---325
14Book of Nagara Maryam: OldF: Part 01: Journey: The rich Egyptian woman who refused to give water to the Holy Family. (321, 322, 325, 431 similar)f. 47r-49r, col. 2 0---321
15Book of Nagara Maryam: OldF: Part 02: Journey: The people of an Egyptian town set fierce dogs on the Holy Family. (321, 322, 325, 431 similar)f. 49r-50v, col. 2 0---322
16Book of Nagara Maryam: OldI: Journey: The inhabitants of an Egyptian town who plot to hand Jesus over to King Herod are turned into animals. (321, 322, 325, 431 similar)f. 50v-51v, col. 2 0---431
17Book of Nagara Maryam ??: OldL: Journey: The king of Egypt asks the Virgin Mary to bless his land when she and the Holy Family travel theref. 51v-53v, col. 2 0---432
18Holy Family's Journey: The places in Egypt visited by the Holy Family.f. 53v-56r, col. 1 0---133
19Dabra Sedeneya's Icon's Origin: Attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem, the story of how a good woman who hosted lodgers acquired the famous iconf. 56r-62v, col. 2 0---45
20A stream runs uphill after its neighbor had diverted it.f. 62v-62v, col. 2 0---311
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pricenton ethiopian eritrean & egyptian miracles of marry project

The Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project is a comprehensive resource for the 1,000+ miracle stories written about and the 2,500+ images painted of the Virgin Mary in these African countries, and preserved in Geʿez between 1300 and the present.

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