UAB to award honorary doctorate to palaeographer Jean Vezin

Jean Vezin, one of the top authorities in palaeography of the Early Middle Ages, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by UAB after being nominated for the award by the Faculty of Philosophy and Art. Vezin will be sponsored by Jesús Alturo, professor of Palaeography, Codicology and Diplomatics at UAB. The ceremony will take place on 27 October at noon at the conference hall of the Rectorate building. The ceremony can be watched online.

22/10/2010

Vezin is considered one of the top experts in the history of writing and culture. Thanks to his studies, the writings of the Merovingian, Carolingian and Visigoth eras are much better known.

Vezin is also one of the founders of codicology which is dedicated to the study of external characteristics and composition techniques of manuscripts and of the first printed books. Vezin is not only dedicated to the material aspects of codices, he also works on in depth examinations of content-related problems.

His expertise in Hebrew and Arabic codicology makes him to date one of the few specialists capable of working on comparative codicology.

In Spain, codicology became a regulated university subject thanks to the studies offered at UAB.

A life dedicated to study

Born in Vannes, France, in 1933, Vezin received his degree as a palaeography archivist from École des Chartes in 1958. Until 1960 he was member of the École des Hautes Études Hispaniques of Casa de Velázquez, Madrid, and went on to work as curator of the manuscripts section of the French National Library from 1962 to 1974.

He has lectured in palaeography at the Institut d'Études Latines at the Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV) and in palaeography and codicology at the École Nationale Supérieure des Sciencies de l'Information et des Bibliothèques.

In 1974 he was appointed director of the Department of Historical and Philological Sciences (Paris IV) at École Pratique des Hautes Études, where he is currently director emeritus. He was also director of École des Bibliothécaires-Documentalistes of the Institut Catholique de París from 1985 to 1998.

Vezin has been awarded several honours and prizes and is member of the most prestigious international organisations in his specialisation, such as the International Committee for Latin Palaeography, the International Committee for Hebrew Palaeography and the International Committee for Diplomatics.

Ceremony programme

UAB Principal Ana Ripoll will open the ceremony and introduce the sponsor of the honorary doctor, Jesús Alturo, who will give a speech on the figure of Jean Vezin. The diploma and medal will then be awarded to the new honorary doctor, who will offer a master lecture.

Following the speech, Daniel Arias Trio will interpret Divertimento No. 4 by Wolfgang A. Mozart. Principal Ana Ripoll will then give the closing speech and the ceremony will end with the UAB Choir performing Dieu! qu'il la fait bon regarder by Claude Debussy, April is in my Mistress' Face by Thomas Marley, and the traditional song Gaudeamus igitur.