The Book of Kells

Created around the year 800 AD, the Book of Kells – which depicts the 4 gospels of the New Testament – ​​is undoubtedly the major work of island illumination and one of the most remarkable vestiges of religious art medieval.

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

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

The Viking invasions whose primary objective was to pillage villages and monasteries very probably precipitated the decision of the monks to leave the island, and to go to Ireland (within the abbey that they founded in Kells) to protect the “Book” (then unfinished), which you will have understood , will give him his name.

THE Annals of Ulster (which record medieval Irish history) relate that the Book of Kells (designated as "the most precious object in the Western world") was stolen around 1007 and then found some time later, ... buried in a ditch!

Surprisingly, the work is intact, but “reduced” from its precious cover encrusted with gold and precious stones (which naturally sheds light on the reason for the package).

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

Book of Kells. Monogram of Christ in the page known as “Chi-Rho”, which opens the Gospel of Saint Matthew.

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

Cromwell was a Protestant British soldier who arrived 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 who wished to emancipate themselves from the Kingdom of England.

Cromwell's mission is to embody the opposition to King Charles I. He succeeds and ends up having the king brought before an extraordinary court which sentences the sovereign to death.

Oliver Cromwell, with this political success which propelled him to the rank of symbol, began a series of battles and sieges directly directed against Irish Catholics. The result is a massacre: the Irish population is divided by 2.4. British hegemony asserts itself. New settlers invade the area and religious and political oppression sets in, leading the Irish people into historically famous poverty 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 requested permission to preserve 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 so-called “Tetramorphs” symbolism, 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 . It symbolizes the humanity of Jesus (his birth and incarnation).

Saint Mark

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

Marc in his figure of 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, won the victory”). In the Book of Kells, all 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 then to Mary (the annunciation). It was also in the temple that people sacrificed (as an offering) bulls farewell.

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

Saint Jean

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

Many passages from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke overlap in the themes addressed and common episodes. But John does not address the nativity or the genealogy of Christ. Nor do we find any account of Jesus' temptation or his baptism. John focuses on showing the identity of Jesus and emphasizes the fact that he is much more than just a prophet.

Who made 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 9 apostles shown on the left of folio 202, illustrating the temptation of Christ by Satan (opposite) are in reality the authors of the book!

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

The creation of the Book of Kells (680 pages) will take nearly 30 years. There will remain (probably for a long time) many questions to be resolved about the mysteries of his execution.