How Did the Irish Monks Preserve the Cultural Treasures of the West?
A 13th-century religious scholar visiting the abbey church at Kells, Ireland gazed in astonishment at the 680 parchment pages of an intricately decorated manuscript of the four Gospels, declaring, "You might believe it was the work of an angel, not of a man." Over the hundreds of years since its discovery, the Book of Kells has elicited many such expressions of awe.
Long considered a masterpiece of Western art, the Book of Kells contains St. Jerome's Latin text of the Gospels in an exquisite ornamental calligraphy, known as majuscule. It is the supreme representation of the labors of Irish monks to preserve sacred texts, Greek and Roman classics, and other works of the West's religious, literary, and folk heritage.
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No one knows for certain when or where the Book of Kells was made, though many scholars believe it was the work of monks at the abbey founded by St. Columba on Iona, an island off Scotland's western coast. If so, it was likely made just before AD 807, when Iona was attacked and destroyed by Vikings. The surviving monks fled back to Ireland, taking refuge in the abbey at Kells. The first reference to the famed manuscript in Ireland comes in 1006 in the Annals of Ulster, which report: "The great Gospel of Columcille (Columba), the chief relic of the Western world was stolen from the abbey church at Kells." The manuscript was eventually found and returned, minus only its cover, which was studded with gold and jewels.
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A Swiss facsimile publisher has produced a limited edition of 1,480 copies of the Book of Kells, with perfectly matching wormholes and uneven page cuts. Experts have deemed the copies virtually indistinguishable from the original, which is on display in the University Library of Trinity College, Dublin, where it has resided since 1661.
If you wish to learn more go to: http://www.dubois.ws/people/paul/kells/
A 13th-century religious scholar visiting the abbey church at Kells, Ireland gazed in astonishment at the 680 parchment pages of an intricately decorated manuscript of the four Gospels, declaring, "You might believe it was the work of an angel, not of a man." Over the hundreds of years since its discovery, the Book of Kells has elicited many such expressions of awe.
Long considered a masterpiece of Western art, the Book of Kells contains St. Jerome's Latin text of the Gospels in an exquisite ornamental calligraphy, known as majuscule. It is the supreme representation of the labors of Irish monks to preserve sacred texts, Greek and Roman classics, and other works of the West's religious, literary, and folk heritage.
�
No one knows for certain when or where the Book of Kells was made, though many scholars believe it was the work of monks at the abbey founded by St. Columba on Iona, an island off Scotland's western coast. If so, it was likely made just before AD 807, when Iona was attacked and destroyed by Vikings. The surviving monks fled back to Ireland, taking refuge in the abbey at Kells. The first reference to the famed manuscript in Ireland comes in 1006 in the Annals of Ulster, which report: "The great Gospel of Columcille (Columba), the chief relic of the Western world was stolen from the abbey church at Kells." The manuscript was eventually found and returned, minus only its cover, which was studded with gold and jewels.
�
A Swiss facsimile publisher has produced a limited edition of 1,480 copies of the Book of Kells, with perfectly matching wormholes and uneven page cuts. Experts have deemed the copies virtually indistinguishable from the original, which is on display in the University Library of Trinity College, Dublin, where it has resided since 1661.
If you wish to learn more go to: http://www.dubois.ws/people/paul/kells/
