An ancient Latin Bible made by English monks and sent to Italy as a gift to the pope is returning to England's shores for the first time in well over a millennium for a rare British Library exhibition.
The Codex Amiatinus is the earliest surviving complete Bible in Latin, having been made at the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in the north-east of England in the early 8th century.
It did not remain in the monastery's hands for long as it was taken to Italy as a gift for the pope in the year 716.
Now, for the first time in over 1,300 years, the Codex Amiatinus has been returned to England, on temporary loan from the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, so it can be displayed as part of the British Library's exhibition on the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain.
In addition to the Codex Amiatinus, the exhibition will display other rare and exquisitely decorated Christian manuscripts, including copies of the 6th century St Augustine Gospels and the 7th century Book of Durrow.
The Echternach Gospels, believed to have been made at Lindisfarne around the year 690, have been loaned by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and will be on display with the British Library's Lindisfarne Gospels.
The Lichfield Angel, a carving of the archangel Gabriel discovered under the nave of Lichfield Cathedral in 2003, is another of the Christian treasures on display.
The Exeter Book, an anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry dating to the 10th century and loaned from Exeter Cathedral Library, will be displayed alongside the British Library's unique manuscript of Beowulf.
'Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms', which opened at the British Library last week, is the largest ever exhibition on the history, literature and culture of Anglo-Saxon England, covering the six centuries from the demise of Roman Britain to the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Other exhibits of note include the Domesday book, England's earliest surviving public record, as well as key objects from the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found; the Vespasian Psalter, which includes the oldest translation of part of the Bible into English; the earliest surviving English charter, issued in 679 granting land to the Abbot of Reculver; the oldest original letter written in England, sent from the Bishop of London to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 8th century; and the St Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest intact European book with its original binding, made at the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in the early 8th century.
Dr Claire Breay, Lead Curator of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War at the British Library, said: 'This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see an outstanding array of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and objects produced over six centuries, which demonstrate the sophistication and interconnected European world of Anglo-Saxon art, literature and history.'
