The Book of Kells may be one of Ireland’s greatest existing pieces of literature. It is an illuminated manuscript and Celtic Gospel book containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various texts and tables. The book is considered a masterpiece of Celtic art because of its elaborate illumination, calligraphy, and symbolism. The intricate designs and use of color in the Book of Kells are truly awe-inspiring, and it is clear a great deal of time and effort was put into its creation.
An illuminated manuscript is a handwritten book whose decoration and/or illustration has been painted in gold, silver and rich colors that make the page shimmer. The book of Kells, created by three monks between the 5th and 13th centuries, measures 13x10 inches and is made of vellum pages. It was originally bound by a cover of gold and jewels which was lost when the manuscript was stolen from the abbey in 1007. There is no other gold or silver leaf in the manuscript and the pigments for the illustrations included red and yellow ochre, green copper pigment, indigo and possibly lapis lazuli, imported from the Mediterranean region.
One of the things that makes the Book of Kells uniquely Celtic is the knot work interspersed among the illustrations, small illuminations and decorated initials.
The Book of Kells was created in a monastery on an island off Scotland’s west coast. The monastery of Iona was raided by Vikings in the late 8th century and the monks fled to the town of Kells in Ireland where the book was thought to be completed.
The book is currently housed in the collection of Trinity College, Dublin and any trip to Dublin would not be complete without visiting the Trinity College library and Book of Kells. The Old Library of Trinity College is a work of art itself, dating back to 1592, it is the largest library in Ireland and currently contains over 6 million printed volumes.
You can learn more about the Book of Kells from these books in the Library at the ICHC
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