The Benedictional of St Aethelwold: A Masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon Art

About this book

The Benedictional of St Aethelwold a book of ceremonial blessings made for St Aethelwold Bishop of Winchester from 963-984 is one of the most lavishly decorated manuscripts to have survived from Anglo-Saxon England. St Aethelwold was one of the leaders of the movement of ecclesiastical and cultural renewal in tenth-century England which led to the foundation of new monasteries the building of great cathedrals the compilation of major Latin and English texts and the production of magnificent works of art initiating the period known as the Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon art. The Benedictional is the most important surviving artistic product of this movement a symbol of the political religious and cultural outlook of Aethelwold and his fellow reformers. This beautifully produced facsimile reproduces the complete manuscript in full colour (with special gold) and to actual size for the first time. In his introduction Andrew Prescott explores the historical and liturgical context of this remarkable manuscript and provides translations of some of the blessings. This will be a must-have addition to the library of anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon art and history providing the chance to own a complete early English manuscript in facsimile at a very affordable price.