An Post, the Irish postal service, has issued two new stamps featuring illustrations from the Book of Kells.
The brightly colored stamps show the profile of the lion, a reoccurring image in the manuscript, symbolizing Christ and the Resurrection.
The Book of Kells is believed to have been produced by the Monks of St. Columba”™s order of Iona, Scotland and brought to the Abbey of Kells in County Meath in 806 AD after the Viking raids on Iona. It has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin since the mid-19th century and now attracts in excess of 500,000 visitors a year.
“We are delighted these exquisite images from the Book of Kells will feature in An Post”™s Stamp for Ireland series marking St Patrick”™s Day,” said Helen Shenton, librarian and college archivist at the Library of Trinity College Dublin. “The Book of Kells is an iconic symbol of Irish identity worldwide and it is very fitting that such beautifully illustrated stamps communicate with those living in Ireland and abroad.”
Photograph courtesy of An Post
