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 from the Middle Ages.

The Lindisfarne Gospels Durham exhibition takes visitors on a journey of exploration, learning how and why this masterpiece was created, its influence on Medieval Europe and how artistic traditions from Britain and the Mediterranean mainland came together in North East England.

On show in Durham University’s Palace Green Library, completely redesigned and refurbished for this event, will be fabulous artefacts wrought from precious metals and minerals including gold, amber and silver and stone sculpture alongside medieval manuscripts including the St Cuthbert Gospel and the Durham Gospels.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is the gospel book itself, written in honour of St Cuthbert and displayed alongside his treasures. However, the gospel book will for the first time since the 16th century be shown alongside the jewelled cross, the travelling altar and the sapphire ring, all found in St Cuthbert’s coffin. The exhibition, launched to coincide with St Cuthbert’s Day, will also display Europe’s oldest surviving bound book, the St Cuthbert Gospel, Anglo-Saxon artefacts and medieval manuscripts.

There are plenty of hands-on opportunities for visitors, especially families, to discover how Medieval manuscripts were created and to use technology to virtually turn the pages of the book to explore the beauty and detail of the book’s illuminated pages.

No visit to the exhibition will be complete without a visit to Durham Cathedral to see St Cuthbert’s Shrine and throughout the three-month exhibition, a wealth of performances, activities and events will complete a memorable visit to Durham.

Lindisfarne Gospels Durham will be open to the public from 1 July to 30 September 2013. Tickets for the exhibition are sold online at www.lindisfarnegospels.com

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