Think of a teenagers school book, and how the words on it the owners name say can be elaborated with doodles that coast. There is representational art, and there is nonrepresentational art, and theres also a sort of middle ground between these poles, and thats about it. Chi rho symbol is an ancient christian symbol, a christogram that is made by overlaying the initial two letters in capital of the greek word christos meaning christ. The book of kells glory of glories the most famous page is known as chi rho, which are the first letters of the word christ.
The evangelist symbols in the book of durrow are quite similar in style to zoomorphic iconography found on earlier pictish stone carvings. Matthew is the man, mark is the lion, luke is the calf, and john is the eagle. The book of durrow is a medieval illuminated manuscript gospel book in the insular script style. Each evangelist symbol page is followed by a carpet page except for matthew, whose carpet page is missing. View image of the most famous page is known as chi rho credit. Book of kells the library of trinity college dublin. The chi rho page is considered the most famous page in medieval art and introduces matthews account of the nativity. Patrick, like all effective missionaries, used the native beliefs of the irish to guide them to the gospel. The blank verso of folio 33 faces the single most lavish miniature of the early medieval period, the book of kells chi rho monogram, which serves as incipit for the narrative of the life of christ. The book of durrow and the question of programme jstor. Durrow discover tullamore tullamore directory accommodation.
Carpet pages and chirhos dublin institute for advanced. Chi and rho are the first two letters of christ in greek christos. Remember that the text of the manuscript is written on parchment or animal skin. Illuminated chirho page of the book of kells about richly illuminated manuscript on parchment, dimensions. In the book of kells, the chi rho monogram has grown to consume the entire page. Book of durrow chirho page of st matthew chi rho, saint matthew. While it was used very early by persecuted christians in the catacombs, when constantine i was struggling to become emperor, he used the symbol at the front of his armies and was victorious see below. Sometimes it is called the monogram of christ or chrismon or labarum.
The year was ad 410, and the roman lighthouses, or pharos, along britains channel coast went dark. The durrow manuscript was lost in the sixteenth century, at the time of the dissolution of durrow abbey, but recovered some 100 years later. Chi and rho written x p in greek are the the first two letters of the word christ in greek xpi. X marks the spot the monogram of christ early irish manuscripts. Matthew from the book of durrow, 2nd half of the 7th c.
Leabhar cheanannais dublin, trinity college library, ms a. Evangelist symbols page in the book of durrow, gesta 8 1969, 317. The chi rho page is considered the most famous page in medieval art and introduces matthews. One of the most sublime examples of medieval painting ever seen, the monogram chi rho page is the most important page in the late 8thcentury book of kells, arguably the finest of all illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages and famous for the intricate swirling patterns of its celtic art. In fact, it is the greek alphabet chi that resembles x and rho that looks like p. The book of kells exhibition what is the book of kells. The book of durrow is unusual in that it does not use the traditional scheme, usual since saint jerome, for assigning the symbols to the evangelists. Often, the monogram of christ also employed the greek letters alpha.
Each gospel begins with an evangelists symbol a man for matthew, an eagle for mark not the lion. The book of columba first, i should indicate that the book of kells is also called the book of columba, which presupposes that there was a columba. It was created in a columban monastery in either britain or ireland or may have had. The place of creation may perhaps have been durrow abbey in ireland or a monastery in northumbria in northeastern england where the monastery at lindisfarne would be the likely candidate or perhaps iona abbey in western scotlandthe. The chi rho symbol, from the the book of kells, gospel of saint matthew is an illuminated manuscript gospel book in latin, containing the four gospels of the. Textual decoration flowers with the chi rho monogram of this text. A small number of these manuscripts survive today along with the book of kells including the book of durrow, the durham gospels and the book of lindisfarne but it is the book of kells that contains the largest variety of styles and imagery. The book of durrow dublin, trinity college library, ms a. The book was created about 800 by irish monks in the monastery of iona, off the western coast of scotland. Dear readers, i am forwarding a little more information on the book of kells. The durrow manuscript was lost in the sixteenth century, at the time of the dissolution of durrow. The book of kells trinity college dublin ms 58 contains the four gospels in latin based on the vulgate text which st jerome completed in 384ad, intermixed with readings from the earlier old latin translation.
But since this singular treatment of the chi rho incipit appears so consistently in irish gospel books from the book of durrow on, it may be surmised that in the irish communities where these codices were used matt. The book was created about 800 by irish monks in the. Other symbols include dragons, birds, and other people. One of the most sublime examples of medieval painting ever seen, the monogram chirho page is the most important page in the late 8thcentury book of kells, arguably the finest of all illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages and famous for the intricate swirling patterns of its celtic art. The chi rho symbol, from the the book of kells, gospel of saint matthew is an illuminated manuscript gospel book in latin, containing the four gospels of the new testament what others are saying illuminated chirho page of the book of kells about richly illuminated manuscript on parchment, dimensions. The book of durrow is a medieval illuminated manuscript gospel book in the insular art style. The first 17 verses of the book of of matthew recounts the earthly ancestry of christ back to abraham, while verse 18 marks the point of the incarnation of christ in the book of matthew, the first of the gospels in the manuscript. Pronounced as keeroe, the monogram looks to have been formed with the english alphabets x and p.