Contemporary life

The Vita coetanea is, without a doubt, one of the most relevant texts to understand the life and work of Ramón Llull. It was dictated by Llull himself to a monk of the Charterhouse of Vauvert in Paris around September 1311. The reason for its creation was the presentation of Llull’s life and works before the general council of the Church that took place in Vienne del Dauphiné that year.
The first writing was done in Latin, but there is also a translation into Catalan made by a disciple in the late fourteenth century, which introduces several changes.
La Vita coetanea is a concise and carefully reasoned account of Llull’s life. From his conversion, he describes his life and work, including his pilgrimages, stays in Montpellier, Paris and Rome, his diplomatic efforts and his missionary journeys. One of the highlights of the text is the speech that Llull gives before the King of Tunis in 1293, in which he tries to demonstrate the truth of Christianity through his “Art”.
A disciple of Llull, Tomás le Myésier, who was a doctor at the French court, had the Vita coetanea illustrated with twelve luxurious miniatures that are preserved in a codex of the Badischen Landesbibliothek of Karlsruhe (Germany), known as the Breviculum. These illustrations add an additional level of interest and richness to this important work.