AUTHOR: FERDOMNACH OF ARMAGH, ST. PATRICK, AND OTHER SCRIBES

LANGUAGE: LATIN, OLD IRISH

DATE: 9TH CENTURY

PAGE #: 440

REPRODUCTION DIMENSIONS: 11.75 X 8.75 IN

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION: THE BOOK OF ARMAGH, ALSO KNOWN AS CANON OF PATRICK, CODEX ARDMACHANUS, LIBER ARDMACHANUS, IS A NINTH CENTURY IRISH ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT THAT IS MAINLY WRITTEN IN LATIN. IT IS HELD BY THE LIBRARY OF TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN. THE MANUSCRIPT IS VALUABLE FOR CONTAINING EARLY TEXTS RELATING TO ST. PATRICK AND SOME OF THE OLDEST SURVIVING SPECIMENS OF OLD IRISH, AND FOR BEING ONE OF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS PRODUCED BY AN INSULAR CHURCH TO CONTAIN A NEAR COMPLETE COPY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
THE MANUSCRIPT WAS ONCE REPUTED TO HAVE BELONGED TO ST. PATRICK AND, AT LEAST IN PART, TO BE A PRODUCT OF HIS HAND. RESEARCH HAS DETERMINED, HOWEVER, THAT THE EARLIEST PART OF THE MANUSCRIPT WAS THE WORK OF A SCRIBE NAMED FERDOMNACH OF ARMAGH (DIED 845/6). FERDOMNACH WROTE THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK IN 807 OR 808, FOR PATRICK’S HEIR (COMARBA) TORBACK, ABBOT OF ARMAGH. TWO OTHER SCRIBES ARE KNOWN TO HAVE ASSISTED HIM.
THE BOOK ORIGINALLY CONSISTED OF 222 FOLIOS PF VELLUM, OF WHICH FIVE ARE MISSING. THE TEXT IS WRITTEN IN TWO COLUMNS IN A FINE POINTED INSULAR MINUSCULE. THE MANUSCRIPT CONTAINS FOUR MINIATURES, ONE EACH OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS' SYMBOLS. SOME OF THE LETTERS HAVE BEEN COLORED RED, YELLOW, GREEN, OR BLACK. THE TOOLED-LEATHER SATCHEL THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MANUSCRIPT IS BELIEVED TO BE FROM THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
THE MANUSCRIPT WAS REBOUND IN 1896-1900 BY ROGER POWELL.
POWELL ALSO REPAIRED, [RESERVED, AND REBOUND MANY OTHER FAMOUS WORKS SUCH AS THE BOOK OF KELLS, BOOK OF DIMMA, BOOK OF DURROW, AND THE LIBER HYMNORUM.

REPRODUCTION DETAILS: OUR HARDCOVER BOOKS ARE MADE WITH REAL WOOD FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS AS WELL AS THE SPINE. THE LEATHER IS A 4 OZ COWHIDE, FROM A SMALL SUPPLIER IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LEATHER IS ADHERED TO THE COVERS WITH GLUE AND MOLDED INTO THE SHAPE AT THE HAND OF OUR LOCAL ARTISANS. THE SIGNATURES/PAGES ARE HANDSEWN USING A LIBRARY BINDING METHOD. THE SEWN BOOK IS BOUND WITH A STRONG ADHESIVE GLUE THAT MAKES THE BINDINGS LAST, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LARGER BOOKS. WE ALSO ADD A THICK MULL CLOTH TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BINDING, DRYING IN BETWEEN EACH LAYER, A TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE THE BINDING STIFF, STRONG, AND RESILIENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

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