The medieval biblical manuscripts from the former monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, rescued by Alexandre Herculano in 1834, are the most valuable heritage treasure of the Municipal Public Library of Porto and an eloquent testimony to medieval monastic life in Portugal. Of this collection, the manuscript of "Santa Cruz 1" is the most extraordinary specimen, and is considered a rarity in many respects, in the context of the peninsula and even for the whole of the Middle Ages. Produced in the monastery's scriptorium on parchment, the "Santa Cruz 1" manuscript is a bible profusely enriched with illuminations of biblical representations or symbols of medieval spirituality, in a labour-intensive, delicate and costly art (for example, it is estimated that more than 180 sheep were needed to produce this manuscript). The relationship between image and word, art and spirituality, devotion and prayer promise to be at the centre of this session.