A rare medieval Bible has been returned to Canterbury Cathedral in England, 500 years since it went missing during the Reformation.
The Lyghfield Bible. PICTURE: National Memorial Heritage Fund.
Now known as the Lyghfield Bible after the 16th century monk from Canterbury who once owned it, the cathedral purchased the Bible for £100,000 from a private seller at an auction held in London during July. Most of the funds – almost £96,000 – were provided via a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund with the remainder coming from the Friends of the National Libraries, the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral and a private donation.
The pocket-sized Bible, probably made for personal use, was created in the latter part of the 13th century on high quality parchment known as vellum. Its fine Latin script and illumination mean it was probably produced in Paris, one of the medieval centres for such work.
It formed part of the collection of texts owned by the medieval monastery at Canterbury in the 16th century when, during the Dissolution of the English monasteries, the library and book collection was dispersed with many of the volumes destroyed or broken apart so their materials could be reused. It is now the only complete Bible from the medieval collection now at the cathedral.
The cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, says it has plans to display the book in a new exhibition.
Cressida Williams, head of archives at the cathedral, said the cathedral was grateful to those who funded the purchase.
“It is of the utmost significance to us to have here in our collections a copy of the core Christian text which was owned by one of the last monks of the medieval monastic community,” she said. “The Bible bears witness to the upheavals of the Reformation, a time which defined what the Cathedral is today, and will have a key role in telling visitors our story.”
