Lindisfarne Gospels

Folio 27r of the Lindisfarne Gospel with the incipit from the Gospel of Matthew, ca. 700 CE, ink, pigments and gold on vellum, British Library

The Lindisfarne Gospels, the most spectacular manuscript to survive from Anglo-Saxon England, features in this contemporary exhibition about its meaning in the world today and its relationship with themes of personal, regional and national identity.   

Created on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, the book, which is on loan from the British Library, represents the golden age of design and craftsmanship in Northumbria and has survived in almost perfect condition for over one thousand years.   

The exhibition begins with an immersive digital experience and include a stunning selection of early medieval treasures brought together from across Britain, representing both personal and collective religious experiences in the 8th century. A selection of paintings, drawings and photographs further explores how art and spirituality have developed in the centuries since the Lindisfarne Gospels were created. 

Further information about the objects in the exhibition’s three spaces - a digital installation, the Inner Sanctum and Art and Spirituality - is available here. You can also You can zoom in on the book’s intricate illuminations and Old English gloss added between the lines of the main Latin text by a priest named Aldred on the British Library’s website.