Metaphrastica minima. Osservazioni su alcuni manoscritti del Menologio di Simeone

This article discusses three case studies involving three manuscripts of the Menologion of Symeon Metaphrastes. A fragment of the pinax of a copy of the October volume, which consists of a single parchment leaf that is now housed in the University Library of Thessaloniki (χφ. 94, fol. 11), is examined in the first part of the paper. Thanks to the identification in this fragment of the hand of the anonymous scribe called copiste du Métaphraste (11th century), the leaf in Thessaloniki is here virtually reunited to the manuscript it comes from, a codex once preserved in the same city and now to be found in the National Library of Athens (Atheniens. Bibl. Nat. 2099). The second part is instead devoted to a few parchment folia from a Metaphrastian Menologion which were later reused as flyleaves in the manuscript Costantinopolitanus S. Trinitatis 132. In the recently published printed catalogue, these leaves have been attributed to the abovementioned copiste du Métaphraste, but they are furthermore here ideally given back to the volume of the Metaphrastian Menologion (a volume for the first half of January) they were once taken from, viz. the manuscript Vaticanus graecus 1806 + 1944 (fols. 198-208). Finally, the third and last section of this article offers some new information on the manuscript Athonensis Laurae Δ 60 (11th century), which is a fragmentary witness (only January 13th to 17th) for the same hagiographic collection. Most likely Constantinopolitan in origin, this elegant illuminated codex has remained virtually unknown to scholars (and especially art historians) down to the present day. In addition to a codicological and paleographical description, a detailed examination of the few surviving illuminated initials is offered here for the reader.