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The Canterbury School

In AD 596 St. Augustine, a Benedictine monk landed in England, sent by Pope Gregory to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons, a year later he founded his first abbey that of St. Peter and St. Paul at Canterbury which became a focal point for Christian worship and illumination. All monks had to abide by the rule of St. Benedict which meant that even for the scribes a certain amount of time each day had to be set aside for manual work.

Canterbury Codex

Many manuscripts were written at Canterbury through the centuries, the mid-eighth century manuscript Canterbury Codex Aureus is noted for the ancient technique of dyeing the parchment purple and the use of gold and silver in its decoration. It may have been produced at the expense of King Athelbald of Mercia, who ’s power extended to Kent at that time. He was known to be a benefactor to Christ Church Cathedral of Canterbury as well as a friend to Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 758).

Extracts from “Celtic Beasts” Illustration by Courtney Davis and text by Father Dennis O Neill & Courtney Davis

First published by Blandford Press (1999) HB ISBN 0-7137-2727-6