Book of Kells
Extravagantly ornate and rich in colour, The Book of Kells is an exquisite example of an illuminated manuscript. Transcribed by monks in 800AD, it contains the four Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, written in Latin. Regarded by many as Ireland’s finest national treasure, it is on show at Trinity College in Dublin.
The Book of Kells represents the very best in Insular Art, a style developed in Britain and Ireland and found nowhere else in the world. Although highly stylistic and using intricate and often symmetrical patterning, human figures, animals, birds and flowers are woven into the design creating magnificently detailed designs that spring off the page. A unique feature of Insular Art is the introduction of enlarged initial letters, each containing a different picture, some of which take up almost the whole page, leaving only enough space for a single sentence of text.
Plan your visit to Dublin to see the Book of Kells
Named after the Abbey of Kells in which it was discovered during the 12th century, theories abound as to where it originated. Some say it was written by Saint Columba who is credited with bringing Christianity to Britain and Ireland but this is unlikely; both the style of decoration and the language used post-date Columba by hundreds of years. Most historians favour the notion that it was begun by followers of St. Columba based at the Abbey in Iona before being taken to Kells to be finished.
The book stayed at the Abbey of Kells until 1654 when the Parliamentarian, Oliver Cromwell chose the church as a garrison for his troops. Fearing for its safety, the town governor sent it to Dublin for safekeeping. At the end of the Civil War, the Bishop of Meath, Henry Jones, presented it to Trinity College where it has remained ever since.
Over the centuries the book has been added to and rebound several times, most recently in 1953 when Roger Powell rebound the folio into four volumes, two of which are always on display. Pages are turned each day, one volume being opened at a major decorated page and the other to show two text pages with smaller decorations.
The skill of the illustrators who worked on the Book of Kells is awe-inspiring; no two illustrations are the same and almost every gap in the text has been filled with intricately detailed pictures. Some decorations can only be seen with a magnifying glass, in one inch-square of paper, one of the pieces incorporates 158 interlaced and intertwining white ribbons, each one edged in black.
The Book of Kells was a homage to God, it was never intended to be used as a teaching document as so many texts of that period were. In fact it is littered with mistakes and incomplete lines. Its primary purpose was its illustrations and it would have been placed on the High Altar, a testament of the artists love of God.
Plan your visit to see the Book of Kells
- Book of Kells, Trinity College - browse a comprehensive list of hotels convenient for Trinity College
- Book of Kells, Trinity College Hotels Map - find a hotel by location
