![]() ![]() In the part of the book preserved in Corpus (unharmed and safe in the Parker Library) the eagle symbol of St John survives. Both Matthew Parker and Robert Cotton believed that this gospel book was once owned by St Augustine of Canterbury. The Cotton collection was badly damaged by fire in 1731 and only charred fragments remain of Cotton’s part of this gospel book. The Cotton library was bequeathed to the nation by his grandson in 1702 (and formed the core of what was later to become the British Library). The larger part was acquired in the early seventeenth century by the great collector, Sir Robert Cotton. This manuscript is the surviving part of a lavish gospel book with elaborate decoration. ![]() The Northumbrian Gospels is amongst the oldest decorated books made in England. It normally leaves the College – securely chained to the Librarian – only for the enthronement of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1982, it was put in the place of honour between Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Robert Runcie during the first papal visit to England since the Reformation. In the later Middle Ages, the Gospels was probably kept on the altar at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. It is also the earliest surviving gospel book with figure illumination: although most of it has been lost, with only a picture of Luke as a scribe under an arcade, and a page of gospel images in a grid. The text is written in a clear and readable Italian uncial hand (those with some Latin should not be afraid to try). The Gospels of St Augustine is the oldest surviving gospel book in Latin, and one of the oldest surviving books in Europe. This small, and unutterably precious, book is said to have been given by Pope Gregory the Great to St Augustine in AD 597 a parting gift as Augustine left Rome on a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain to Christianity. The Gospels of St Augustine is one of the most famous manuscripts in the Parker Library. ![]() What follows is just a brief set of snapshots of the magnificent treasures which await visitors to Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms – Art, Word, War. The significance of the Corpus loan is clear and even clearer in the context of the exhibition itself. Below is a brief description and illustration of the eleven important manuscripts currently on loan from the College to the British Library. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |