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PUBLISHING
Janus Pannonius:
Sylva Panegyrica ad Guarinum... (1518)
After lots of planning and trials, on October 21, 2008 we published the facsimile of the 1518 "Janus Pannonius: Sylva Panegyrica ad Guarinum Veronensem... Janus Pannonius bishop of Pécs laudatory song to his Veronian master, Guarino" commissioned by the bishop of Pécs for the re-burial of Janus Pannonius. We had to use a bit of a work around since the original cover was missing. We used a contemporary renaissance book's cover from the Klimó Library in Pécs to take its place.
Pécsi Missale (1499)
For the millennial anniversary of Pécs Diocese, we published the facsimile of Missale Pécs first published in 1499.There are only four existing copies of this rarety, unfortunately, all of them incomplete. Luckily with the generous help of the Hungarian National Library, we were able to publish the Missale in its complete form. We take pride in the fact that two of our publications can be found in the personal libraries of Pope Benedict XVI and the president of the Hungarian Republic.At the most prestigious printing competition Pro Typographia this publication was awarded the gold medal being rated 9.9 out of 10.
Published in 2009.
Budapesti Concordantiae caritatis
The
Concordantiae caritatis of Budapest is the most richly illustrated
written document in Hungary from the Middle Ages. The piece contains the
14th century author's, Ulrich von Lilienfeld's, work who between 1345
and 1351 was the abbot of the South-Austrian Lilienfeld cloister of
Ciszterc.
Our
publication has significant meaning from a cultural history and an art
history perspective; in narrow, professional circles, it used to be
inaccessible, outside of professional circles, the priorly unknown work
can now be a public resource.
Published in 2011.
Kájoni János: Sacri Concentus
Diversorum Authorum, praesertim Ludovici Viadanae[…]
(Mikháza, 1669)
The names "Kájoni-Cantionale" or "Kájoni Codex" may sound familiar to the cultured public. These names evoke the figure of János Kájoni, a Franciscan friar active in the second half of the 17th century, whose name has become inseparably linked to the hymnbook and musical manuscripts he compiled and left behind. He was a true polymath of Baroque-era Transylvania.
Amidst a turbulent historical period—during the final decades of Ottoman occupation in Hungary and the independent Transylvanian Principality—Kájoni pursued his mission with remarkable talent and devotion. His work was astonishingly diverse and wide-ranging, and his contemporaries held his excellence in high esteem. Over time, Kájoni has become a living legend in Hungarian cultural history.
Even after 350 years, his life and legacy are worth revisiting, and his surviving works—especially his musical manuscripts—continue to captivate readers and scholars alike.
Ágnes Papp,
Author of the scholarly volume accompanying the facsimile edition
Year of publication: 2015
Nyújtódi/Udvarhelyi kódex (1526-28)
On
November 10, 2019 the facsimile was published for the 425th anniversary
of the founding of Tamási Áron High School in Székelyudvarhely
commissioned by the Hungarian Research Institute for National Strategy.
The
multi-subject, Franciscan codex was written for nuns. Five separately
used volumes were combined in the making of the final piece.
From
the personal tone of the afterword, we can conclude the Franciscan monk
András Nyújtódi who was from Szeklerland translated and copied the work
in 1526 for his younger sister who was a nun named Judit, so that she
would not be in her cell without her saint's book. With the
remonstrances and interjected, short explanatory comments aimed at nuns,
both works have many idiosyncratic, independent elements in their own
right.
The
Codex was first owned by Judit Nyújtódi as evidenced by the resin of
the first two volumes. The Codex's mid 16th century
Central-Transylvanian, renaissance, leather binding proves that the
individual volumes were bound together in the mid 16th century. The
fate of the document is unknown after the 16th century. Imre Lukinich
speculates that based on the pen drawing of Jesus and Mary pasted on to
the flyleaf of the back of the first binding that the volume had once
belonged to the Jesuit boarding school in Székelyudvarhely. Based on
comments by Daniel Fancsali, the parish priest of Gyergyószentmiklós and
later teacher and principal of the boarding school in Székelyudvarhely,
it is certain that in 1810 the Codex was in his possession, and it was
from him that the volume arrived at the Catholic high school's library
in Székelyudvarhely. It was discovered here in 1876 by Sámuel Szabó, a
protestant boarding school teacher from Kolozsvár.
Published in 2018.
Album Gymnasii Udvarhely (1689)
Tamási
Áron High School in Székelyudvarhely celebrated its 425th anniversary
in November of 2018. The Codex of Nyújtód and the Album Gymnasii were
published together for this event.
The
Album Gymnasii is a valuable record of the high school's old history.
It contains the yearly record of the names of all the teachers and the
students from 1689 to first semester of the 1831-32 school year.
So why is this bulky, book-shaped album that is a school document, or should we say time capsule, valuable?
Firstly,
it provides an accurate data of the student population in a given time.
As witnessed through the album, the high school in 1689 had 73 students
in its top 4 classes and 125 students all together. Over the years,
the student attendance would drastically fluctuate reaching its peak
attendances in the years 1743 (228 students), 1752 (213 students), 1759
(206 students), and 1767 (215 students). In other years the attendance
was roughly around 100.
As
a result of the educational work and upbringing, the school has
produced several notable alumni that went on to give positive
contributions to society. Some alumni have academic contributions while
others have contributions to literature. Some include Dávid Szabó, who
founded a school of literature, Balázs Orbán, a scholar in geography
and ethnography, Áron Tamási and Sándor Tomcsa, who are both authors,
and Ferenc Szemlér, who completed his first two years of high school
here and went on to be a poet.
Published in 2018.
Evangeliary
In 2019, I had the great honor of creating the Evangeliary used during the Holy Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Francis in Csíksomlyó.
Kálmáncsehi-breviary
This
book is one of the greatest memories of the Hungarian Middle Ages. The
ornamental pages come from the codex of the provost of the coronation church in
Székesfehérvár, Domonkos Kálmáncsehi, which is now preserved in New York, far
away from its place of origin. This richly decorated manuscript, written on
parchment, helped the prelate fulfil his liturgical and devotional duties, the
first half being a breviary - a priestly prayer book - and the second half a
mass book. At the beginning of the codex was placed a calendar in which the
order and feasts of the church year could be followed. The small size and the
placement of these two works with different functions in one volume suggest
that Domonkos Kálmáncsehi might have used this codex primarily during his
travels.The manuscript carries the message of a great era. The 1480s
were an extraordinary decade in the late 15th century in Hungary, in the 1480s,
when the past and the future met. Centuries of influences and the aspirations
of generations have matured by this time, and they have sounded the great
overture of the Hungarian Renaissance at full volume. King Matthias Hunyadi
(1458-1490) occupies Vienna, the construction of the royal residences begins,
and the world-famous royal library, the Bibliotheca Corvina, is established -
just to name a few moments. The model to follow was the leading cultural trend
of the era, the Italian Renaissance. Architects, sculptors, carpenters, book
painters, bookbinders and other craftsmen, musicians, astronomers, jurists,
historians and other humanists came to Hungary at that time. Everything that
happened or started then - and this is already the future - had a fundamental
effect on the following centuries of Hungarian culture.The book-producing workshop in Buda not only served the needs of
the royal library but also worked for high-ranking prelates. The codex of
Domonkos Kálmáncsehi was also made in the royal workshop. Its decoration is
also extremely valuable because his motifs are largely derived from manuscripts
of the Royal Library, which at that time already praised the handiwork of
Italian book painters. Yet, if we take a closer look at the ornamental pages,
in addition to the Renaissance decoration, we can also discover the elements of
Central European Gothic book painting: elongated, pointed leaves with elegant
tendrils and the main initials of the breviary, which are uniformly Gothic. We
can witness a natural fusion of the Italian Renaissance and the local art
tradition in these pages.The codex was very fortunate to survive the destruction of
medieval Hungary and the centuries that followed. In 1782 it was known in the
Cistercian abbey of Viktring near Klagenfurt, and then it went to the library
of the Princes of Lichtenstein, Vienna. By 1948, however, it was already
appearing in New York. He finally found his current home in 1963 in the
collection of The Morgan Library & Museum. The facsimile selection made
from it is also significant because it makes this important but almost
inaccessible manuscript available to the public.
Published in 2021
Dominicus Kálmáncsehi's Prayer Book
(Buda, 1492)
Dominicus Kálmáncsehi, provost of the Church of the Assumption in Székesfehérvár—the royal coronation basilica—was a prominent figure in the court of King Matthias Corvinus. According to the Italian humanist historian Antonio Bonfini, the king entrusted him with financial matters and diplomatic missions. Renowned for his eloquence and charismatic presence, Kálmáncsehi became famous in later generations for his love of books.
Three of his surviving codices are now preserved abroad. For this reason, the National Strategic Research Institute has taken it upon itself to produce facsimile editions of such volumes held in distant collections—books inaccessible to domestic scholars and the general public—thus helping to make these precious national treasures widely available.
This richly ornamented, jewel-like codex offers many fascinating insights. Its contents reflect a unique blending of Hungarian and Austrian liturgical traditions. We even know the name of its scribe, who identified himself within the manuscript as Stephanus de Cachol, a Franciscan friar. The decoration of the codex is a masterful synthesis of the book-painting styles that once flourished in the Corvina Library and developed further in the royal workshop of Buda during the final years of Matthias's reign. It also provides a glimpse into how courtly art evolved after the death of this great patron.
For all these reasons, this illuminated manuscript is an essential source for understanding the history of Renaissance art in Hungary.
Edina Zsupán
Year of publication: 2023
Cronica Hungarorum
(Buda, 1473)
"Finita Bude anno Domini MCCCCLXXIII in vigilia penthecostes: per Andream Hess"
"Completed in Buda in the year of our Lord 1473, on the eve of Pentecost, by András Hess."
With these words ends the Chronicle of Buda, and with them begins the history of Hungarian printing. This small folio volume, containing seventy folios (133 printed pages), survives in only ten copies worldwide.
We have little reliable information about the printer, András Hess. Based on his name, he was likely of German origin and may have worked as an assistant at the Lauer press in Rome. He probably came to Buda in the late spring of 1471 at the invitation of László Kárai, the provost of Buda, bringing with him typefaces acquired in Italy to produce Hungary's first printed book.
Unfortunately, due to war-related destruction, no archival records survive regarding the founding or operation of his printing workshop. Thus, all our knowledge comes from the book itself. From it, we learn that the master printer completed his work on June 5, roughly two years after arriving.
Today, it is beyond doubt—supported by many indirect but consistent sources—that the driving force behind the beginnings of Hungarian printing was Archbishop János Vitéz of Esztergom. Hess likely received an appealing offer: privileges, financial support, and guaranteed commissions to establish his own press.
However, political circumstances in Hungary changed dramatically in the second half of 1471. Archbishop Vitéz supported Casimir, the son of Polish King Casimir IV, for the Hungarian throne. In early 1472, Vitéz lost this political struggle, was placed under house arrest in Esztergom, and died there in August. As a result, Hess's printed dedication to his former patron became politically untenable. He had to choose: either the book would never be published, or it would be dedicated to someone else.
Thus, the new dedicatee became László Kárai, the provost of Buda, who may have offered financial assistance in early 1473. As Hess himself stated:
"I could not have begun nor completed this work I undertook without you."
The Chronicle of Buda was compiled by merging several independent historical texts from 14th–15th century codices. The final section, of unknown authorship, covers eight decades of Hungarian history—from the death of Louis I (the Great) in 1382 to the Moldavian campaign of King Matthias in 1468.
Interestingly, this summary takes up only four pages, compressing a complex and dramatic era. The imbalance is striking: Albert of Habsburg, who reigned less than two years, receives nearly as much attention as Sigismund of Luxembourg, who ruled for half a century. King Matthias appears only briefly: his coronation in 1458, the recapture of Jajca in 1463, the retrieval of the Holy Crown in 1464, and the Moldavian campaign of 1468.
The chronicle ends abruptly here, omitting the years 1469–1473. This may be explained by the political sensitivity of events in 1471–1472—namely, the conspiracy involving Casimir of Poland, the invasion, and the arrest and death of János Vitéz—which were still too recent and controversial to be recorded in print.
Gábor Farkas Farkas
Year of publication: 2023
Chronicon Pictum
The Illuminated Chronicle (Chronicon Pictum), a lavish Latin parchment manuscript, is one of the finest treasures of medieval Hungarian manuscript culture, preserved today in the National Széchényi Library (Cod. Lat. 404). It was most likely compiled around 1358 by Mark of Kált, canon of the Church of the Assumption in Székesfehérvár, at the request of King Louis the Great.
Following medieval historiographical convention, the chronicle recounts Hungarian history beginning with Biblical origins and the story of the Huns, continuing all the way to November 1330. The work remains unfinished—its final sentence abruptly breaks off in mid-thought.
What makes this chronicle especially exceptional are its illuminated miniatures, which visually interpret each chapter of the text. These include images of Attila the Hun, Saint Stephen, and numerous depictions of Saint Ladislaus. Richly decorated initials and marginal ornaments further elevate this manuscript into a singular masterpiece of Gothic book painting from medieval Hungary.
On the most lavishly adorned opening page, King Louis the Great is shown seated on his throne, holding the scepter in his right hand and the orb in his left, both hands gloved in white.
Other miniatures include:
Folio 11r: The entry of the Hungarians into Pannonia
Folio 21r: Saint Stephen, encircled by a halo of light, standing victorious over Kean, a Slavic-Bulgarian chieftain
Folio 36v: Prince Ladislaus battling a Cuman warrior in the foreground
Thanks to its artistic and historical richness, the Illuminated Chronicle is a key source for medieval Hungarian identity, political ideology, and visual culture.
Gábor Sarbak
Planned year of publication: 2025
The Philostratus Corvina
One of the most remarkable volumes of the Bibliotheca Corvina, the royal Renaissance library of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (1458–1490), is the so-called Philostratus Corvina. It contains the works of the ancient Greek sophist Philostratus, translated into Latin by Antonio Bonfini.
The codex was produced in Buda in the late 1480s, following the capture of Wiener Neustadt (1487). Its significance lies not only in its artistic excellence, but also in the fact that it is deeply rooted in the intellectual and cultural context of the royal court that commissioned it. It faithfully reflects the ideals of royal representation and bears witness to the formation of the royal library itself.
The iconographic program of the manuscript primarily celebrates Matthias's military victories, while also highlighting his patronage of science and the arts. The visual language follows the all'antica style, modeled on Roman imperial iconography. King Matthias himself appears in the style of Roman emperors, much like their portraits on ancient coins.
The manuscript's table of contents includes the only contemporary use of the name "Corvina Bibliotheca"—a valuable reference to the library's own identity at the time.
The book's binding was completed during the reign of Matthias's successor, King Vladislaus II (Ulászló). News of the splendid codex soon reached the humanist circles of Vienna, where it was eventually acquired by Johannes Gremper, to whom the king himself presented it personally. Later, the manuscript came into the possession of Johannes Cuspinianus, the humanist historian and diplomat.
The volume returned to Hungary in 1933, after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is now preserved in the National Széchényi Library.
Edina Zsupán
Year of publication: 2024
The Pray Codex
The Pray Codex is one of the most significant liturgical manuscripts from 12th-century Hungary and a treasured item of the National Széchényi Library (shelfmark: MNY. 1). Its genre is that of a sacramentary—a book containing the texts of the Holy Mass arranged according to the liturgical year. It also includes shorter texts, such as a liturgical calendar and a brief manual of ceremonies.
Within the latter, in the appendix of the funeral rites, we find Hungary's earliest surviving continuous Hungarian text, the Halotti Beszéd ("Funeral Sermon and Prayer"), written in Hungarian following the Latin oration (folio 136r).
From a historical perspective, the Annals of Pozsony (Bratislava), also preserved in the codex, serve as important records concerning the Árpád era.
The manuscript includes pen-drawings tinted with color, depicting Christ's crucifixion and resurrection (folios XXVIIr–v and XXVIIIr), which are considered major works of medieval Hungarian art. Additionally, the Gregorian chant notations found in the manuscript provide valuable insights into the sacred musical culture of the time.
Gábor Sarbak
Year of publication: 2025
The Kaufmann Haggada
The most famous manuscript in the Kaufmann Collection is undoubtedly the so-called Kaufmann Haggadah, catalogued as A 422. Originating from 14th-century Catalonia, this manuscript contains prayers, poems, and narrative texts recited during the Passover Seder, the intimate family celebration held on the eve of Pesach—the Jewish festival commemorating God's passing over the houses of the Israelites and their liberation from Egyptian bondage.
These texts recall the joy of freedom and express gratitude to God. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, it was not uncommon for Haggadot to be created for private, family use—and the Kaufmann Haggadah bears the marks of intense and affectionate use. One can almost imagine the head of the household, lovingly showing the splendid illustrations to his children not only during the holiday but also on ordinary evenings, after dinner, as the family gathers around to marvel at the vivid and enchanting scenes.
Children, in fact, play a central role in the Passover ritual—and what better way to ignite and sustain a child's imagination than through magnificent, magical images?
Beyond its religious value, the Kaufmann Haggadah is a highly significant cultural and historical artifact—one of the outstanding examples of medieval Jewish art.
Gabriella Séd-Rajna
Planned year of publication: September 2025