Francis Wormald’s research on the libellus (libelli in plural) introduced scholars to the illustrated lives of saints produced in pre-Romanesque France and Germany.

Among the several hundred specimens that make up the MAN’s Sigillography Collection, and which are still under study, we highlight the set of papal bulls, which, numbering seventy-seven, made it advisable to publish them as a monograph.

In this paper we present an individualised study of a group of pieces connected very directly with the world of pilgrimages in general, and in particular with the saint Menas, patron saint of Christian Egypt from the 4th century onwards.

In recent years, new lines of research have been developed that allow us to broaden our knowledge of the Jewish quarter of Toledo. In this sense, this work focuses on a subject that has been little dealt with in the literature, namely the funerary use of the space of the Tránsito Synagogue. To this end, it describes the unpublished results of two archaeological campaigns (1987-1989 and 2001-2002) in the Great Prayer Room (14th century), which was transformed into a church and cemetery (15th to 19th centuries) and is now the site of the Sephardic Museum. The publication of this work also brings to light the osteological results of a group of individuals who were buried in this place in modern and contemporary times.

On the occasion of the museographic renovation of the National Archaeological Museum, an important codex from the Department of Medieval Antiquities, known as the Huesca Bible, was restored. This article describes the work, both in terms of its intellectual and material values, and the determination and justification of the treatments carried out. The actions have followed the criterion of maximum respect for the integrity of the work, guaranteeing the minimum intervention and respecting and maintaining all the original elements.

Sometimes the titles of styles lend themselves to confusion and lead to errors that are difficult to eradicate. This is the case of the treasure of San Isidoro de León, which, although it has come down to us in a much diminished state, originally represented a collection of artistic works of great quality and beauty. It was donated by King Ferdinand I and Doña Sancha to San Isidoro in 1063, that is, when the Hispanic liturgy, linked to tradition, was in full force.
The art should not be ascribed to the Romanesque style, which in the Hispanic kingdoms is fundamentally related to works after 1080, the year of the Council of Burgos, which imposed the use of the Roman liturgy. The Oviedo treasure, like the Asturian monarchy itself, refers back to the ancient Visigothic monarchy. The Visigothic kingdom of Toledo was a constant point of reference in the artistic and political projects emanating from the court of Oviedo. The survival of iconographic types, such as the Greek cross with pawed arms, in the most varied arts, as well as the continuity of certain offerings, is nothing more than a manifestation of respect for tradition rather than an interest in introducing new fashions. The custom of donating votive wreaths of the type found in the Guarrazar treasure survives during the reign of Fernando I.
The commissioning of a Beatus by the same monarch, which is the most genuine manifestation of Hispanic monastic liturgy, must also be considered to have survived. Romanesque art is reflected in some later, particularly important works, such as the Holy Ark in Oviedo Cathedral.

The iconostasis is, in the Orthodox world, the Western equivalent of the altarpiece, i.e. the framework in which the icons are inscribed, which are analysed in their hierarchical aspect and liturgical significance, as well as the progressive creation of new themes over the centuries. The evolution of the iconostasis from its birth to the present day is also analysed, emphasising the prominent role of Russia, through its great artists and derived schools.

This article presents the collection of late medieval and Renaissance amulets with magic squares from the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid, virtually unpublished to date. The planetary amulets depict various Greco-Roman deities syncretised with Hebrew angels (e.g. Venus-Anael or Jupiter Satchiel). The backs are occupied by magic squares, each symbolising the corresponding planet through a numerical combination. The pentagon amulets show on the obverse the face of Christ inserted in this geometrical figure. Their reverses are again occupied by magic squares, although the numerical values have been replaced by variations of the Name of God in Hebrew letters. This set offers an interesting insight into little-studied beliefs and practices that combine Renaissance symbolism, Hebrew tradition and classical heritage.