![]() Traditionally, the book was thought to have been created in the time of Saint Columba, and quite possibly as the work of his own hands. The date and place of production of the manuscript are of somewhat a debate among researchers. The name Book of Kells is derived from the Abbey of Kells in Kells, County Meath, which was its home for much of the medieval period. It is also known there is a lot of uncorrected mistakes in the manuscript. The design of the book seems to take this purpose in mind, that is, the book was produced with appearance taking precedence over practicality. It is significant that the Chronicles of Ulster state that the book was stolen from the sacristy, a room in which the vessels and object that are used in the mass, are stored rather than from the monastic library. However, from historical research, it is probable that the reader would not actually read the text from the book, but rather recite from memory. A large, lavish Gospel, such as the Book of Kells, would have been left on the high altar of the church and taken off only for the reading of the Gospel during Mass. The book of Kells had a sacramental, rather than educational purpose. Today, it consists of 340 vellum leaves, which is the skin of a mammal, or folios. The Book of Kells contains the four Gospels of the Christian scriptures written in black, red, purple, and yellow ink in an insular majuscule script, preceded by prefaces, summaries, and concordances of Gospel passages. The Book of Kells is located at the Trinity College in Dublin and it is open for public visits, most times.
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