Hrabanus Maurus (d. 856) was archbishop of Mainz. He ran the abbey school at Fulda for a time, where he trained Lupus of Ferrières and others. He wrote encylopedias, Biblical commentaries, grammars and teaching texts and poems with complex palindromes. He wrote so much that his surviving writings fill about 6 modern volumes.

Hrabanus is a good example of the impressive intellectual endeavours that continued in the former Carolingian Empire. Take his poem In Praise of the True Cross (De Laude Sanctae Crucis)-- or, I should say, his poems. Within each block of text, Hrabanus hid palindromes (text that reads the same forwards or backwards, like 'nurses run' or 'madam, I'm Adam'). He also included form poems within his main poem: poems that are written to conform to a shape. I have copied a relatively simple example from one page of Hrabanus's poem below. Within the page, he has hidden the Latin palindrome 'oro te ramus aram ara sumar et oro' twice: once horizontally and once vertically, to form the shape of the cross. (This text can be roughly translated as, 'I pray, o cross and altar, to be saved through you'.)

A small figure in religious robes is drawn bowing down under the cross. The letters inscribed within the figure ask Christ to show mercy to one Hrabanus.

You can learn more about one manuscript of his poem that is currently held in Trinity College, Cambridge by clicking the link embedded in the text.

So why does it matter that Hrabanus liked palindromes? Does this just mean that one archbishop (and all the people who copied him throughout the centuries) were a bit nerdy? Perhaps. Palindromes may show some of Hrabanus's intellectual preoccupations, but they also suggest some wider trends in his world. Hrabanus had the time and motivation to compose these complex poems. This suggests a lot about the wealth of Hrabanus's institutions and the amount they valued poetry and intellectual endeavors. The way Hrabanus carefully formatted the poems also shows the way that successful leaders in major ninth century churches paid attention to detail. This will become relevant when we consider the way the ran their estates in a moment...