Echternach Gospels
Date:
690–710
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
United Kingdom,
Luxembourg
Medium:
Parchment
Dimensions:
335 × 260 cm
Description:
This Gospel book is named after the monastery of Echternach (Luxembourg), which was founded in 698 by the Northumbrian monk Willibrord (658–739). Although this manuscript was at Echternach by the first half of the eighth century, it is uncertain whether it was written there or by a scribe from the Northumbrian monastery of Lindisfarne. The text and decoration also reflect Irish influences. Each of the four gospels begins with a page dedicated to an evangelist symbol: the man of Matthew, lion of Mark, ox of Luke, and eagle of John. These symbols appear not with their associated evangelists but rather on their own and against geometric backgrounds. Each has an identifying text, for example "imago leonis" (image of the lion).
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
3
Repository and Online Resources:
• See the digitized manuscript on the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
