This paper examines the ways in which the reforms of liturgy and script affected graphical transformations of manuscripts during the Carolingian Era, and their cultural and political implications. The focus is on the Drogo Sacramentary which was produced in the middle of the 9th century. Indeed, the medieval sacramentary is a type of book par excellence which represents the “Carolingain Renaissance”, and it assumes a role of the cultural medium of power. The figurative ornamentation and the ornamented initials of the Drogo Sacrementary illumine the authority of the bishop, who was both the commissioner and customer of the book. Moreover, scripts and lettering used in the forms of the ornamented Roman capitals, the Caroline minuscule, and the historiated initials, show that the cultivated ruling class may have contributed to the creation of a new culture by way of implying cultural romanization.
The liturgical reform in the Carolingian Era is considered as a pursuit of the romanization, unification, and normalization of the Frankish liturgy. It also accompanied the reforms of scripts and lettering, alongside the reforms of language and education. The Drogo Sacramentary exemplifies results and limits of Carolingian reforms. At the same time, it also reflects the innovation in graphical aspect, as the historiated initials do, which would later influence the production of manuscripts in the High and Late Middle Ages.