The beginning of the Gospel of Mark from the Book of Durrow.

The Book of Durrow (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS 57) is a 7th Century illuminated manuscript made either in Northumbria in Northern England or at Durrow Abbey near Durrow in County Laois, Ireland, with modern and traditional scholarship tending towards Durrow. It is a Gospel Book, possibly the oldest extant complete illuminated gospel from Ireland or Britain. The text includes the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, plus several pieces of prefatory matter. It is 247 by 228 mm and contains 248 vellum folios. It contains a large illumination program including six extant carpet pages, a full page miniature of the four evangelist's symbols, four full page miniatures, each containing a single evangelist symbol, and six pages with decorated text. It is written in insular script. Image of page from the Book of Durrow. ... Image of page from the Book of Durrow. ... // Overview Events The Roman-Persian Wars end. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles, Danes and Norwegians which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the much smaller earldom... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... Durrow (Darú in Irish) is a small town in County Laois, Ireland. ... County Laois (pronounced Leash), also spelt Laoighis or Leix (Irish: Contae Laoise) , is a county in the midlands of Ireland. ... A Gospel Book is a codex or bound volume, containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... The Gospel of Matthew (literally: according to Matthew, Greek: Κατα Μαθθαιον ) is one of the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Mark is traditionally the second of the New Testament Gospels. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Gospel according to John is the fourth gospel document in the sequence of the canon of the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written down. ... Vellum (from the Latin for wool or pelt) is a sort of parchment, a material for the pages of a book or codex, characterized by its thin, smooth, durable properties. ... The beginning of the Gospel of Mark from the Book of Durrow. ...

The earliest known cumdach was made to house and protect the Book of Durrow at the behest of King of Ireland Flann Sinna (879-916). Cumdach is an elaborate ornamented case used to protect books. ... Henry VIII, became King of Ireland in 1542. ... Events Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona, founded the benedictine monastery at Ripoll. ... Events City of Mahdia founded in Tunisia Mercian warrior queen Aethelflaed conquers Wales Births Deaths St. ...

The five pound note of the "Series B" banknotes of the Republic of Ireland contained an excerpt from the book. Prior to the introduction of the Euro, the Republic of Ireland had its own currency: the Irish Pound. ...

References

• Calkins, Robert G. Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1983.
• De Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Boston: David R. Godine, 1986.
• Book of Durrow catalogue entry at University of North Carolina