The Lindisfarne Gospels

The Lindisfarne Gospels were written and illuminated in the eponymous monastery on what locals nowadays call, quite simply, 'Holy Island'. They constitute the most spectacular manuscript to survive from Anglo-Saxon England, and are currently on loan from the British Library to Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, where they form the centrepiece of an exhibition of medieval treasures from around Britain. This itself is embedded in a further display looking at what the manuscript has meant across the ages, and exploring its relevance to life in the 21st Century. 

My talk will look at the context in which the Gospels were made, and look at more than the single spread which will be on view during the course of the exhibition (until 4 December). It will then focus on the other medieval works in the exhibition, before giving an overview of the display as a whole. 

Ideally this might inspire you to make a pilgrimage to the North East, home to St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, but failing that, it will allow us to discover the significance of this great work, and to virtually flock through some of its pages, as, for obvious reasons, it is something we are very unlikely to be able to do in person.