For other uses, see The Book of Kells (disambiguation).
The Book of Kells
Codex Cenannensis Leabhar Cheanannais
Christ enthroned.
Also known as
Book of Columba
Language
Latin
Date
9th century
Provenance
Columban monasteries in Ireland, Scotland & England
Manuscript(s)
TCD MS 58
Genre
Gospel Book
Length
340 folios, 680 pages
Sources
Vulgate, Vetus Latina
The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript and Celtic Gospel book in Latin,[1] containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Ireland or Scotland,[2] and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from each of these areas. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is regarded as a masterwork of Western calligraphy and the pinnacle of Insular illumination. The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, County Meath, which was its home for centuries.
The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass those of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations.
The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes, 330 mm by 250 mm (13 inches by 9.8 inches). The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands.
The manuscript is on display to visitors in Trinity College Library, Dublin and shows two pages at any one time, rotated every 12 weeks. A digitised version of the entire manuscript may also be seen online.[3]
^King, Laura. "Brief History - Book of Kells". www.people.vcu.edu. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^Lesso, Rosie (3 October 2022). "What Is the Book of Kells?". TheCollector. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^"Digital Collections: Book of Kells". Trinity College Dublin.
BookofKells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. [58], sometimes known as the Bookof Columba)...
The Secret ofKells is a 2009 animated fantasy drama film about the making of the BookofKells, an illuminated manuscript from the 9th century. The film...
The Abbey ofKells (Irish: Mainistir Cheanannais) is a former monastery in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, 59 kilometres (37 mi) north-west of Dublin. It...
considered heretical by some. The BookofKells features two errors within its text: The genealogy of Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, lists an extra ancestor...
use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century St. Teilo Gospels, the BookofKells and the Lindisfarne Gospels...
symbol of Ireland, a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, and the BookofKells. One of the four volumes of the BookofKells is on public...
Ireland, with Kells becoming the new main Columban house. Though not mentioned, this might well have been when the BookofKells came to Kells. However, Iona...
before the BookofKells but after the Lindisfarne Gospels. Marginal entries indicate that the manuscript was in the possession of the church of St Teilo...
Library of Trinity College Dublin (TCD MS 57). It is the oldest extant complete illuminated Insular gospel book, for example predating the BookofKells by...
the BookofKells and Bookof Lindisfarne. The "X" was regarded as the crux decussata, a symbol of the cross; this idea is found in the works of Isidore...
of Trinity College Dublin, holding the BookofKells, is one of the city's most visited sites. The BookofKells is an illustrated manuscript created by...
to give an impression of depth, volume or recession. The best examples include the BookofKells, Lindisfarne Gospels, Bookof Durrow, brooches such as...
attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and BookofKells. The west and south west, which includes the Lakes of Killarney and the Dingle peninsula in County...
Medieval art of Britain and Ireland, which produced the BookofKells and other masterpieces, and is what "Celtic art" evokes for much of the general public...
largest library in the country and housing the BookofKells since 1661. The university has educated many of Ireland's most successful poets, playwrights...
Skeat 1983, pp. 15–22. Skeat 2004, p. 45. Skeat 2004, pp. 45–46. "The BookofKells | Symbols, History & Art". study.com. Archived from the original on...
Terror of the Hebrides (1998). The Academy Award–nominated Irish animated film The Secret ofKells is about the creation of the BookofKells. One of the...
Destiny All pages with titles containing Kell All pages with titles beginning with Kell Kel (disambiguation) Kells (disambiguation) Kelly (disambiguation)...
see BookofKells), and is notable for having possibly originated in what is now considered a Lowland area. The manuscript belongs to the category of Irish...
up kells in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Kells may refer to: Kells, County Clare (Irish: Na Cealla) Kells, County Kerry (Irish: Na Cealla) Kells, County...
Potts, Donna (1 January 2003). "Convents, Claddagh Rings, and Even The BookofKells: Representing the Irish In Buffy the Vampire Slayer". SIMILE: Studies...
Derrynaflan Chalice, and the late Cross of Cong, which also uses Viking styles. BookofKells Ardagh Chalice Cross of Cong Muiredach's High Cross Tara Brooch...
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