The British Library bought the ancient Gospel of £ 9 million

British Library bought the Gospel of St. Cuthbert, considered the oldest fully preserved book in Europe. According to tradition, this John was put in the coffin of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c. 634-687) during his funeral. The exact date of the creation of the manuscript is unknown, but scholars date it the end of VII century. I found a book in 1104, when the relics of the saint, which turned to the moment in the cathedral city of Durham, shifted into a new cancer. Traces of the Gospel of St. Cuthbert's lost in the XVI century. Only a few centuries the book has passed the Jesuits, who in 1979 handed over the manuscript to the temporary storage of the British Library. A year ago, the librarians were able to agree with the Jesuits for the sale of relics, get off at the price of 9 million. Pounds. Money collected all the world for a year - among donors public and private foundations, and simply indifferent to the ancient writings of the people. The new owners will now be to expose the book itself alternately in the British Library in Durham, where it was originally stored. In addition, all the pages of the Gospel in the digital form will appear on the website of the library.