Ad Aquileia in mostra quei tre frammenti del Vangelo di Marco che segnano la storia d' Europa

An exhibition in Aquileia brings together three fragments of a Gospel of Mark manuscript that were separated centuries ago. These pieces, which are currently held in Cividale del Friuli, Venice, and Prague, are being displayed together to recount their shared history.

Medieval tradition held that the text was written by the Apostle Mark, a status that granted owners significant liturgical and political authority. The manuscript arrived in Aquileia in the 9th century from the 6th century. Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the text was likely extracted from its original Gospel book, leaving only the opening and closing pages of the original volume.

The manuscript's reputation as a relic contributed to its division. In 1354, Carlo IV requested pages from the manuscript for the Cathedral of Prague while traveling through Friuli. He made this request to Nicolò of Lussemburgo, the Patriarch of Aquileia, to acknowledge the prestige of the text.