December 2 - A History of Art - The Apocalypse of Beatus

The eighth century was a time of great upheaval in Spain. The Muslims’ invasion of 711 and the emergence of several heretical theologies had wreaked havoc on the orthodox Catholic church, and medieval calculations of world chronology indicated that the end of the world would come in the year 800. It was in this uncertain environment that Beatus, a staunchly orthodox monk from the monastery of San Martín de Turieno in Liébana in northern Spain, compiled the text that would become the basis for some of the most important works of Spanish art ever produced.

Beatus was an abbot who lived in Liebana, northern Spain. In around 776, he wrote his masterpiece, a manuscript describing the apocalypse - the biblical end of the world. The theme was a common one for scholars and religious leaders. Beatus' Apocalypse was an extremely popular version of the story, which was reporduced by monastic communities for their own use. His work was passed down through generations of scholars and there are now 25 surviving copies, produced between the 10th and 13th centuries.

The information for this post came from

History of Art by Kirsten Bradbury

American Federation of Arts

And you can see more images and gather more information of the various surviving Beatus works at Wikipedia and Online Gallery of European Manuscripts