The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels in Latin, produced by Celtic monks and regarded as a masterpiece of Insular art. Its pages are filled with intricate decoration, including interlaced patterns, animals, human figures and elaborate initial letters, the most celebrated being the Chi Rho page that opens the account of the birth of Christ. It was probably begun on the island of Iona off Scotland and later brought to Kells in County Meath, Ireland, after Viking raids on Iona. It was taken to Trinity College Dublin in the seventeenth century. It is on display in the college's Old Library, where it attracts large numbers of visitors.
Before and after
- 18 November 794 CEFounding of Kyoto
- from 800 CE to 1600Mississippian culture
- 8th centuryOrigins of Prague
- from 8th century to 9th centuryRise of Carolingian Renaissance
- 800 CEBook of Kells
- from 800 CE to 909 CEAghlabids
- from 800 CE to 887 CECarolingian Empire
- from 8th century to 13th centuryHouse of Wisdom
- 8th centuryConstruction of Borobudur Temple
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 1000 to 1200Rise of Romanesque art
- July 1054East-West Schism
- from 11th century to 14th centuryOrigins of Catharism
- 1320The Divine Comedy
- 1400Rise of Renaissance music
- c. 1490sThe Last Supper
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 8th century.