The book of durrow was probably at durrow abbey by 916. Three angels arise from one of the cross arms of the chi. Book of durrow, public domain a page from an early gospel book shows a tiny central cross surrounded and threatened by an immense black area filled with interlaced beasts, illustrating how overwhelming the task must have seemed. Jun 15, 2016 x marks the spot the monogram of christ june 15, 2016 the library of trinity college dublin one of the most spectacular displays of ornamented text in early irish manuscripts is the chirho page in the book of kells fig. The forgotten hermitage of skellig michael uc press ebooks. The design features a central cross and three circles, perhaps symbolizing the trinity, amongst celtic knotwork. The place of creation may perhaps have been durrow abbey in ireland or a monastery in northumbria in northeastern england where the monastery at lindisfarne would be the likely candidate or perhaps iona abbey in western scotlandthe place of origin. When it is the most beautiful page of the most beautiful book in history, i think so. The chirho emblem can be viewed as the first christian cross as a prechristian symbol, the chirho signified good fortune.
It is illustrated with 12 decorated pages,written and illuminated by irish monks around 750 in ireland. The motif is already fully developed in the book of durrow, which dates to the. The interlacing knotwork border is about three quarter inch long. Jun 02, 2017 the doublearmed cross is unusual in insular carpet pages and survives only in the book of durrow and kells. The monastery was founded by saint columba in 563, and quickly became a centre of irish monastic art and culture.
The book of durrow and the question of programme anglo. The chi rho page in the book of kells volume 36 suzanne. As part of our discussion of the book of kells, we will contemplate the famous chi rho page from the book of kells. The book of durrow is a medieval illuminated manuscript gospel book in the insular art style. The developed irish ring cross is a later phenomenon. The letter chi dominates the page with one arm swooping across the majority of the page. The one shown here, chi rho iota page, comes from the book of kells, which is considered to be the greatest achievement of hibernosaxon art. Gall in the hills above lake constance in switzerland was founded in the 8 c. Codicology the study of the physical structure of a book. In the middle of the 6th century a monastery was founded here by st colomba, the monastery is famous for an illuminated manuscript, written here in the 7th century, known as the book of durrow. The blank verso of folio 33 faces the single most lavish miniature of the early medieval period, the book of kells chi rho monogram, which serves as incipit for the narrative of the life of christ. In ireland it was widely diffused and is seen on the ardagh chalice and in the book of durrow.
Dec 16, 2014 the cross page from the book of kells shows many of the same fantastic beasts as the earlier cross, but now it has broken out of its little circle and looms large and conquering over the beasts. Comments on the vellum, the makeup and other aspects, scriptorium 10 1956, 3 21, esp. Jul 28, 2017 one of the most common symbols in christian art is the chirho. The book was created about 800 by irish monks in the. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The book of kells, chirho or incarnation page kathy, the. Book of durrow project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The actual diameter is about 1 and a quarter inches. The book of durrow and the question of programme jstor. This form of the cross originated in eastern mediterranean art and had a very specific meaning referring to the shape of a reliquary of the true cross, that contained the fragments of the cross on which christ was crucified along with the titulus the title board. The durrow manuscript was lost in the sixteenth century, at the time of the dissolution of durrow abbey, but recovered some 100 years later. West of the church is a fine high cross, the east face is pictured on the right, the head features christ with sceptre and cross.
In the book of kells, the chi rho monogram has grown to consume the entire page. Textual decoration flowers with the chi rho monogram of this text. The place of creation may perhaps have been durrow abbey in ireland or a monastery in northumbria in northeastern england or perhaps iona abbey in western scotlandthe place of origin has been debated by historians for decades without a consensus emerging. Early christian manuscript art lindisfarne gospels carpetpage with cross 680 ce. The doublearmed cross is unusual in insular carpet pages and. Werner, the crosscarpet page in the book of durrow. Other important examples of monastic irish art include the codex usserianus primus 600610, the cathach of st columba 610620, the book of dimma c. It is created by superimposing the first two letters xp of the greek word for christ, the monogram also called a.
Codex a book composed of folded sheets sewn along one edge. Both letters are divided into compartment which are lavishly decorated with knot work and other patterns. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. The chi rho also appears in a different form as a monogram folio 344r in the famous illuminated manuscript, the book of kells produced by celtic monks about 800 ad. The chi, the rho and the iota are the letters used as the abbreviated form of christs name in greek, and open the passage from matthew in latin christi autem generatio sic erat now the. Werner, the cross carpet page in the book of durrow. In this illumination the chi is the dominant form, an x with uneven arms, somewhat resembling a pair of curvaceous pliers. The book has the largest number and greatest variety of fullpage illuminations, including carpet pages, evangelist symbols, portrayals of mary and christ, new testament narrative scenes, canon tables. Compare the cross page, from the lindisfarne gospels to the chi rho iota page from the gospel of matthew, book of kells. But since this singular treatment of the chi rho incipit appears so consistently in irish gospel books from the book of durrow on, it may be surmised that in the irish communities where these codices were used matt. The book of durrow dublin, trinity college library, ms a.
See more ideas about illuminated manuscript, book of kells and celtic art. Book of durrow chirho page of st matthew chi rho, saint matthew. Chi rho, chrismon, monogram of christ, or labarum early. It was vital that the high cross was protected from any further deterioration. The letter rho is snuggled underneath the arms of the chi. Durrow discover tullamore tullamore directory accommodation. This second opening is an elaborate chirhoiota initial illumination for the opening of the story of the birth of christ from matthew 1. If an item is subject to sales tax, in accordance with state tax laws, the tax is generally calculated on the total selling price of each individual item, including shipping and handling charges, giftwrap charges and. The word made flesh click here for a smaller 72 dpi image. Mcgurk, the text at the opening of the book, the book of kells. This irish gospel book contains 268 pages4 folioswith the latin gospels according to matthew, mark, luke and john. Details from the lower right circle of the eight circled cross page of the book of kells.
X marks the spot the monogram of christ early irish. Early christian manuscript art lindisfarne gospels carpetpage with cross 680 ce vellum. In spring 2004 the government bought durrow abbey and high cross. Book of kells mcgill university school of computer science. Chi rho a monogram composed of the letter xp the greek chi and rho, the first two characters of christs name. Book of durrow this design is based on a carpet page from the book of durrow, a 7th century celtic manuscript created at durrow monastery in county offaly, ireland. Leabhar cheanannais dublin, trinity college library, ms a.
See more ideas about book of kells, chi rho and celtic. Within this mass of decoration are hidden animals and insects. The book of durrow is a medieval illuminated manuscript gospel book in the insular script style. This miniature is the largest and most lavish extant chi rho monogram in any insular gospel books and is the culmination of a tradition that started with the book of durrow.
See more ideas about illuminated manuscript, book of kells and medieval manuscript. Also in the book of deer, the book of durrow, the corpus irish gospel. The book of kells is one of irelands greatest treasures, and over 500,000 people from all over the world go each year to view its beauty. One of the most sublime examples of medieval painting ever seen, the monogram chirho page is the most important page in the late 8thcentury book of kells, arguably the finest of all illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages and famous for the intricate swirling patterns of its celtic art. The letters themselves are the centrepiece of the folio. The necessary layout required by the scribe before interlacing in two lines. There is no better example from the book of kells that portrays these words of art historians better than the chi rho monogram page. Chirho labarum, constantines cross, christogram, monogram. The most famous page is known as chi rho, which are the first letters of the word christ in ancient greek. The book of kells, chirho or incarnation page kathy.
1239 355 1143 724 1406 492 975 676 1084 13 1593 701 580 1170 197 1026 1098 1133 1402 368 230 1098 711 98 645 117 262 304 935 928 128 1317 1266 452 1293 335 324 1170 788 937