The Buxtehude Manuscripts

Until 2024, scholars believed that only one prayer book from Neukloster Buxtehude had survived—Cecilia Hüge’s Easter prayer book, now housed in the Landesbibliothek Württemberg in Stuttgart (Cod. brev. 22). However, recent discoveries have shown that more manuscripts from Buxtehude still exist. The known corpus now includes five Latin and/or Low German manuscripts, with the potential for further additions in the future. The chart below summarizes all known Buxtehude manuscripts, with the holding libraries indicated by their RISM sigla.

SigleShelfmarkGenreLanguageHandschriftencensus
ST-1D-SI: Cod. brev. 22Prayer book: EasterLatin and Low German2925
BR-1D-BMs: Msc 0014Prayer book: PassionLow German2503
BR-2D-BMs: Msc 0028Prayer book: ChristmasLatin
HI-1D-HIb: MS 729Prayer book: ChristmasLatin and Low German
CI-1US-CIarb: Ms. 2Prayer book: ChristmasLatin and Low German


The five known manuscripts from Neukloster Buxtehude are located in Germany and the United States. The interactive map below offers further insights into their locations.