Centrul de istoria cărții și a textelor/The Centre for the History of the Book and Texts (CODEX) was established in 2007, and was recognised by the Babeș-Bolyai University as a ‘Centre of Research, Development and Innovation’ in 2013-2016, in 2016-2020, and again in 2021-2025.
Our purpose is to promote the study of the medieval and early modern book. Our focus lies on Latin palaeography and codicology, on textual history, and the history of books and libraries.
CODEX is affiliated to the Fédération Internationale des Instituts d’Études Médiévales (FIDEM).
Research
The Centre has won two national research grants, and has published several reference works: a codicological vocabulary in Romanian (A. Papahagi, C. Papahagi, AC Dincă, A. Mârza, Vocabularul cărții manuscrise, Bucharest: Ed. Academiei Române, 2013), and a census of Western medieval manuscripts (A. Papahagi, AC Dincă, A. Mârza, Manuscrisele medievale occidentale din România: Census, Iași: Polirom, 2018). A history of the book in medieval Transylvania is forthcomig (A. Papahagi, AC Dincă, A History of the Book in the Medieval Dioceses of Oradea, Cenad and Transylvania, Cluj: Ed. Școala Ardeleană).
We are currently contributing to the following research projects on medieval manuscript fragments:
2020-2022 | RO-CULTURA-A1-3/2020/31.01.2020 grant | ‘FRAGMED-Un puzzle transilvan: reconstituind cultura medievală din fragmente de codici’ | Restoring, digitising and studying medieval manuscript fragments at the Library of the Romanian Academy in Cluj | Dr Adrian Papahagi, PI.
2019-2022 | Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) 182173 grant | ‘Fragmentarium Phase II’ | Publishing medieval manuscript fragments from Cluj on Fragmentarium | CODEX is a partner institution.
Courses
The Centre is offering an undergraduate course of Manuscript Studies at the Faculty of Letters (LLE 5122/5222). Dr Adrian Papahagi also teaches a Codicology course within the Diplôme Européen d’Études Médiévales (DEEM) in Rome.
Library
CODEX has the only library specialised in manuscript studies in Romania (about 1 000 titles and growing).
Current Members
Dr Adrian Papahagi, Faculty of Letters, UBB Cluj – director
Dr Dragoș Calma, University College Dublin
Dr Adinel-Ciprian Dincă, Faculty of History and Philosophy, UBB Cluj
Dr Monica Fekete, Faculty of Letters, UBB Cluj
Dr Carmen Fenechiu, Faculty of Letters, UBB Cluj
Ms Diana Marinescu, PhD candidate, Faculty of History and Philosophy, UBB Cluj
Dr Andreea Mârza, Faculty of Greek-Catholic Theology, UBB Cluj
Dr Cristiana Papahagi, Faculty of Letters, UBB Cluj
Dr Elena Șorban, Faculty of Reformed Theology, UBB Cluj
Collaborators
Ms Iulia Székely, École nationale des Chartes, Paris
Dr Cristian Ispir, University College London
Dr Balázs Nemes, Univ. of Freiburg
Dr Cristian Mladin, Batthyaneum Library, Alba Iulia
Dr Doina Hendre-Biro, Alba Iulia
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