The Lindisfarne Gospels Durham: One Incredible Book, One Amazing Journey 

1 July 2013 – 30 September 2013

Palace Green Library

The Lindisfarne Gospels book is one of the greatest landmarks of human cultural achievement. Created by the community of St Cuthbert on Lindisfarne, it is one of the best examples of creativity and craftsmanship of the Medieval era. Lindisfarne Gospels Durham: one amazing book, one incredible journey led visitors on an exploration of the meaning and contexts of the book, learning how and why this masterpiece was created, its influence on Medieval Europe and how artistic and Christian traditions from Britain, Ireland and the Mediterranean mainland came together in North East England. 

On display were fabulous artefacts wrought from precious metals and minerals including gold, garnet and silver and stone sculpture alongside uniquely important medieval manuscripts including the St Cuthbert Gospel and the Durham Gospels. The centrepiece of the exhibition was the gospel book itself, written in honour of St Cuthbert and displayed alongside the relics from his shrine. 

As part of the exhibition, the free Wolfson Gallery gave children and their families a taste of what it was like to live like medieval monastics. Children and adults dressed as ninth-century monks, created their own Gospel carpet page using light boxes and examined the gospel book in detail using state-of-the-art turning-the-pages technology.  

The Lindisfarne Gospels book in display case.