In 1998 the Benedictine Monks of St.John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota commissioned the first hand-written and fully illuminated Bible in more than 500 years. It is now complete.
The final pages go on display today, Sept. 16, 2011 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, through November 13, 2011.
A massive undertaking, the Bible comprises 1,150 pages in seven volumes. "Words were written on large sheets of prepared vellum, or calfskin, and paints were hand-ground from such precious minerals or stones as gold, silver or malachite. Gold or silver leaf gild was then used to illuminate or bring pages to light," according to
today's article in Forbes Magazine. (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/09/16/general-us-st-john-apos-s-bible_8683345.html - broken link) "When open, the facing pages measure about 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall."
Another story on MPR shows samples of the pages.
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