Replica of St Albans Psalter now on public display
Replica of St Albans Psalter now on public display
A valuable and faithful reproduction of the beautifully detailed and famous St Albans Psalter, created in St Albans almost a thousand years ago, was presented to the Cathedral during a special evensong on Tuesday 16th August by the Bishop of Hildesheim. The St Albans Psalter is now on permanent display in the exhibition area of the cathedral for all to enjoy.
The original St Albans Psalter was made in the scriptorium of St Albans Abbey between 1123 and 1143. It is believed to have been put together as a gift for Christina of Markyate from Geoffrey of Gorham, Abbot of St Albans from 1119 to 1146.
A psalter is usually a book containing the psalms of the bible used in daily worship, but the St Albans Psalter has much more. Regarded as a masterpiece of English Romanesque art, the Psalter has 46 beautiful full page illustrations and the earliest known image of Saint Alban’s martyrdom.
Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, said: "It is easy to forget that St Albans was once England's leading place of learning. The St Albans Psalter is the greatest treasure that was produced by the famous scriptorium of St Albans Abbey.
"We are profoundly grateful to the Bishop of Hildesheim for making us a gift of this extremely valuable and beautiful reproduction. It is a great joy that once again this perfect jewel of medieval Christian art will be seen in the place where it was created."
The original Psalter is kept at the Church of St Godehard in Hildesheim. The book presented to St Albans Cathedral is an exact copy, painstakingly reproduced, including hand applied gold leaf.