Open lecture: New research findings on parchment fragments

The lecture Church and books in medieval Finland: new research findings on parchment fragments is open to all and will be held in the Cupola hall on 30 September from 17.00 to 19.00. Language of the lecture is Finnish and it is given by docent Jaakko Tahkokallio.  

The collections of the National Library of Finland include c.6,400 parchment fragments obtained from the covers of medieval religious books. Fragments survived to the present day because of the material durability of parchment, which after ecclesiastical use, was reused as cover material of the ledger books of the bailiffs.  

The lecture presents the latest results of two research projects by the National library on this material: Books of the Medieval Parish Church (European Research Council, 2021-2025) and Tradition and Variation: Mediaval chant in the Diocese of Turku (Academy of Finland, 2022-2026). Jaakko Tahkokallio, project director, examines what the fragmentary material can describe about the ecclesiastical development of medieval Finland and discusses the previously unknown 13th-century probably Finnish book production. We also hear tonal samples of these earliest books used in Finnish churches, sung by researchers in the Tradition and Variation project.  

After the lecture, the audience will have a chance to see some of the fragments in the collection. The Cupola hall can accommodate up to 100 attendees. The lecture will be held in Finnish, and can also be attended via live stream. Link to the stream will be added to the National library website when the lecture begins.