A rare 15th-century Portuguese manuscript, once divided into three parts, has come home to Jerusalem, so to speak, the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem says.
The Lisbon Mahzor—a decorated small-format manuscript on parchment—was most likely written and illustrated in Lisbon, Portugal, in the second half of the 15th century.
It includes prayers and piyyutim (“liturgical poems”) for the High Holidays, the Three Festivals and more, according to the Sephardic rite. It features artistic decorations throughout—typical of Portuguese manuscript illumination—with lace or filigree-like frames, and enriched with geometric and floral motifs.
The mahzor was produced by the Lisbon school, which created masterpieces in the final days of Portuguese Jewry. During this period, the Jews of Spai