The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript in Latin of the four Gospels of the New Testament.

It was created by Celtic monks around 800 AD to honour St. Columba. It was probably made in Iona, Scotland however after a Viking raid, the book was moved to Kells, Ireland, sometime in the 9th century.

The text of the Gospels is mostly taken from the Vulgate bible. The Vulgate bible was a fourth-century translation of the Bible, produced mainly by St. Jerome. He took ancient Greek manuscripts, the original Hebrew, Aramaic texts, and existing translations and put them all into a single Latin translation of the Bible that the church could say was true to its original meaning.

The ‘Book of Kells’ is made of 340 sheets of calf’s vellum (a material made from calf skin). It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and it is Ireland's finest national treasure. The colours used in it were made from many ingredients (some from distant lands) including minerals, soot and burned bones.

The illustrations and ornamentation combine traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of the art of the British Isles. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, and Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements have Christian symbolism.

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