The Book of Kells

Created around 800 AD, the Book of Kells – which depicts the four Gospels of the New Testament – ​​is undoubtedly the major work of Insular illumination and one of the most remarkable remains of medieval religious art.

THE Book of Kells or the eventful history of an exceptional manuscript

This magnificent work, whose sponsor remains unknown, is said to have been created by monks from the monastery of Iona, on a small island to the southwest of Scotland (but there are other hypotheses ).

The Viking invasions, whose primary objective was to plunder villages and monasteries most likely precipitated the monks' decision to leave the island and go to Ireland (to the abbey they would found at Kells) to protect the "Book" (then unfinished), which, as you will have understood, would give it its name.

THE Annals of Ulster (which record medieval Irish history) report that the Book of Kells (referred to as “the most precious object in the Western world”) was stolen around 1007 and found some time later, … buried in a ditch!

Surprisingly, the book is intact, but "lightened" of its precious cover encrusted with gold and precious stones (which naturally sheds light on the motive for the crime).

The manuscript remained in the monastery until 1654, when a new problem arose: Oliver Cromwell.

Book of Kells. Monogram of Christ on the page known as the "Chi-Rho," which opens the Gospel of Saint Matthew.

Incipit of the Gospel of Saint John (folio n°292)

Cromwell was a British Protestant soldier who landed in Ireland in 1649 in the context of a civil war (originally "the War of the Three Kingdoms "). The Irish Confederate Wars brought together the Kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland, which wished to emancipate themselves from the Kingdom of England.

Cromwell set himself the task of embodying the opposition to King Charles I. He succeeded and eventually had the king brought before an extraordinary court, which condemned the sovereign to death.

Oliver Cromwell, buoyed by this political success that propelled him to the status of a symbol, began a series of battles and sieges aimed squarely at Irish Catholics. The result was a massacre: the Irish population was divided by 2.4. British hegemony was established. New settlers invaded the area and religious and political oppression took hold, leading the Irish people into historically famous misery and famine.

In this context, the monks of Kells sent the precious Gospel book to Dublin where it was presented in 1661 to Trinity College, which then asked permission to keep it. The Book of Kells has since been kept at the University of Dublin (the oldest university in Ireland) where it was exhibited at the very beginning of the 19th ^century. century.

What does it contain? the book of Kells?

Answer: the four Gospels (the first and main source of information on the life and ministry of Jesus) and a wealth of remarkable illuminations!

The iconography of Christian literature often represents the evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The Book of Kells is no exception to the rule, but their graphic representation is part of the symbolism known as the "Tetramorphs", that is to say under the figurative form inspired by the vision of Saint John, which finds its origin in that of Ezekiel (Old Testament prophet). It illustrates both the qualities attributed to Christ and the editorial articulation of the evangelists.

Saint Matthew

Matthew was the first of the apostles: “As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow me.” The man got up and followed him” (Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark – Chapter 2 – Verse 14).

Considered the author of the very first Gospel (which he begins with the genealogy of Jesus), Matthew (or Levi) appears in the Book of Kells in the form of a man . He symbolizes the humanity of Jesus (his birth and his incarnation).

Saint Mark

One of the first verses of Mark's Gospel depicts a desert setting. At that time, the lion was still present in Palestine, particularly near the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John.

Marc in his figure of the lion is the illustration of the strength . In the Bible, the lion evokes the messiah (Rev 5:5: "The lion of the tribe of Judah, the descendant of King David, has won the victory"). In the Book of Kells, all the representations of the evangelists have wings and a halo (symbolizing spiritual elevation and holiness respectively).

Saint Luke

Luke begins his Gospel in the temple with the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah and then to Mary (the Annunciation). It was also in the temple that animals were sacrificed (as an offering) bulls farewell.

It exists other explanations , but I will retain this one: the illustration of his power of work. Depicted in this way, Luke represents both the sacrifice offered to God by Christ, and his involvement in the writing of the Gospel and in that of the Acts of the Apostles.

Saint John

If John takes the symbol of the eagle , this is probably due to the height of the analysis he demonstrates in the very writing of his gospel. It appears very clearly that the gospel of John is different from the other three.

Many passages in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke overlap in their themes and shared episodes. But John does not address the nativity or genealogy of Christ. Nor is there an account of Jesus' temptation or baptism. John focuses on revealing Jesus' identity and emphasizes that he is much more than just a prophet.

Who made it these illuminations?

Examination of this work by the most eminent specialists in their field reveals at least three artists (master illuminators): a goldsmith (author of the opening pages of the Gospels), an illustrator, and a portraitist. They were undoubtedly not the only ones to contribute to this masterful achievement. It has even been hypothesized that the nine apostles depicted on the left of folio 202, illustrating the temptation of Christ by Satan (opposite), are in fact the authors of the book!

What is eminently remarkable about the Book of Kells is the precision and finesse of the lines that make up its various illuminations. Some pages contain details almost invisible to the naked eye. However, the invention of the magnifying glass did not appear until the 13th century (magnifying glasses of Roger Bacon ). The authors of this work must therefore have had excellent eyesight!

The completion of the 680-page Book of Kells took nearly 30 years. Many questions will remain (probably for a long time) about the mysteries of its creation.