Habitus monachorum. Alcune osservazioni sul lessico isidoriano relativo al vestiario e al corredo monastico

The Regula monachorum of Isidore of Seville is certainly the most relevant among his monastic writings, but these, as a whole, are only a small part of his literary production. Written sermone plebeio uel rustico (cf. Prol.), and intended for a coenobium Honorianense of which nothing is known, it had spread widely especially in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar to other works of the same genre, the Regula Isidori (RI) denotes an eclectic attitude in its choice and use of sources, not without traits of originality. Within the technical terminology of western monasticism, which, at Isidore’s time was growing by almost three centuries, and which the A. shows not only mastering thoroughly, but also to enrich, the present contribution focuses on the sectoral but not marginal topic of monks’ clothing and linen: ten terms are examined that appear to be neologisms, graphic variants or semantic innovations of particular interest.