The Book of Kells Experience is an upcoming attraction to be held within the walls of Dublin’s legendary Trinity College. It will be dedicated to the famous Book of Kells, a medieval manuscript dating from the 9th century and one of the greatest masterpieces of medieval Irish calligraphy and illumination. An attraction full of promise, which will be both grandiose and immersive!
The Book of Kells – Gerhard Huber – cc
Housed in the Old Library of Trinity College, the Book of Kells is considered a jewel of Irish culture. The Book of Kells, also known as the Great Gospel of Saint Columba, is a beautiful illuminated manuscript considered a masterpiece of island art, which developed in the British and Irish Isles between the 7th and 9th centuries.
In the pure monastic tradition, it dates from the late 8th or early 9th century, although precise details of its chronology remain unclear and open to interpretation by researchers.
It is said to have been created in the monastery of Iona, on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. This monastery is said to have been founded by Saint Colomba, an Irish monk and missionary, in the 560s.
However, due to frequent Viking raids, work on the manuscript would have been transferred to and probably completed at Kells Abbey, located in the province of Leinster in Ireland. At that time, Kells Abbey was one of the main religious centers of medieval Ireland, and served as a refuge for the monastic community of Iona fleeing attacks.
Renowned for its breathtakingly complex illustrations, the Book of Kells has since become a celebration of medieval art, brimming with eye-catching interlacing, animal motifs and ornate lettering. Illuminators of the period drew on a rich and varied palette of colors, using local and imported pigments to bring their creations to life, including the vibrant blue of lapis lazuli, which had traveled from the far reaches of Afghanistan.
The Book of Kells Experience
Although the attraction is not yet open to visitors, it is sure to become one of Dublin’s most popular tourist attractions. Located within the walls of Trinity College, Dublin’s famous university, this attraction promises a new kind of experience, plunging you into the heart of Irish history, at the time of the monks who celebrated Christianity by competing inventiveness in their manuscripts.
It was created as part of the vast project to restore the university’s Old Library. A project designed to further protect the Long Room (the library’s most famous room), and to ensure better conservation of books within the site. This 3-year project forced the university to rethink the experience it offered its visitors.
The Book of Kells Experience will also be a brand new attraction, entirely redesigned to offer visitors a new vision of the Book of Kells. Housed in a brand-new pavilion adjoining the Long Room, the site promises an experience on a grand scale.
With this in mind, the attraction takes you on a real journey back in time, from the monastery of Iona in Scotland, birthplace of the Book of Kells, to the book’s move to the famous Kells Abbey in Ireland.
The visit will be interactive and immersive in 360 degrees: sounds, lights… A thundering entry into the Irish Middle Ages!
And the program is particularly rich! Entire pages of the book will be projected, with audio explanations. Re-enactments of key moments in its history will be presented, giving you the impression of plunging into the heart of the medieval Irish world of the time.
An opportunity to find out more about the Book of Kells, its page-by-page representations and their meanings. You’ll learn more about the symbolism of the period, the techniques of illumination and calligraphy, and the scientific discoveries made on the manuscript.
A section will also be dedicated to the monastic life of the time, the daily life of the monks, and the time devoted to their art…
But that’s not all!
The attraction will also feature the Long Room, the famous room in Trinity College’s Old Library, renowned as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world! The attraction features a 3D reconstruction of the room, with breathtaking projected images!
It will also feature books and manuscripts from the Old Library’s historically significant collections. Visitors will travel back to 1916 to hear the Proclamation of the Irish Republic; interact with animated sculptures including Ada Lovelace, Jonathan Swift, Rosalind Franklin and William Shakespeare; and witness the architectural evolution of the re-imagined Long Room from 1732 to the present day.
In short, the Book of Kells Experience will be an opportunity to put modern technology at the service of history. This attraction will offer a new, more in-depth look than ever at the history of a unique vestige, straight from the depths of time.
A magnificent project already eagerly awaited by travelers and history buffs alike. Stay tuned for future opening dates!
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not open at the moment
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