Illuminated Manuscripts

• Remember, only monks and priests could read and write

• There were no printing presses or photocopiers – all books had to be written by hand

Legend of St. Margaret, Florence

•These “illuminated manuscripts” were often decorated with pretty pictures

•Words were written in a decorative script and the first letter of the page was usually larger and decorated

Bible of Matteo di Planisio, Vatican

Book of Kells

• Completed around 800 in Scotland, the Book of Kells is the four Gospels of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) written by hand by Monks

• There are 680 pages – only 2 aren’t decorated• Located at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland

Text in the Book of Kells

Portrait in the Book of Kells

Assignment

• On a separate sheet of paper, copy the words, illuminating the border or first letter of the work, in the same manner used by the Celtic monks. Use color and calligraphy to decorate the page. A picture will also help to decorate the page.

“To have another language is to possess another soul.”

-Charlemagne