Bayeaux Tapestry
For Gosh Sakes, can we just call it an even Thousand?
Years, that is. One thousand years, and about a century before the births of Borte and Genghis Khan!
That’s the age the Bayeaux Tapestry is closing in on, give or take a century. Okay, well, nine hundred. And fifty. Nine hundred fifty. Now, after all this time - yes, after 950 years the tapestry is being sent as a loan to England to be displayed at the British Museum while its home museum in Bayeux is closed for renovations. The piece will be available for public viewing
The tapestry - technically an embroidery - was created in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and sewn in Great Britain. When I say aftermath, I mean in the decades immediately following the battle. You know, the one where the Normans, led by William, Duke of Normandy, snuck across the channel, probably in the dead of night, and slayed the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson. William was later crowned king, thus changing the course of British history.
Commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother to William of Normandy himself, the tapestry was first displayed in Odo’s palace before being moved to the Bayeux Cathedral, pictured below, where it is listed in a 1476 inventory of the cathedral’s treasures. At any rate, the tapestry has survived such harrowing events as the French Revolution, seizure by the Gestapo, and a 19th century restoration.
Just as harrowing has been the reaction of the French and English experts and media surrounding the transport, storage and loan (some say ‘coming back home’) for display of the tapestry. Granted, it’s a delicate operation to move a millennium-old swath of linen fabric that stretches nearly 225 feet in length and 20 inches in height. Presuming all goes perfectly, the pubic will be able to see the tapestry, for a fee, starting in September and continuing until July of 2027, where it will be sent back to Normandy in time for the re-opening of its namesake museum, the Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux.
I’ve pasted below a few links to interesting articles about this storied event. If I lived nearby, I’d certainly visit, but since I’m not I will honor this most intriguing craftwork and its precarious journey and display here on Substack. If you are so inclined, link and read for more information on this fascinating artifact unique in world history.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/france-moves-bayeux-tapestry-for-british-museum-exhibit
https://www.thetimes.com/article/b8fc055e-bf08-40a6-9dd0-70b4d4d03824
https://www.thetimes.com/culture/art/article/bayeux-tapestry-how-the-british-museum-pulled-off-a-tremendous-coup-6txwstx6t
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/bayeux-tapestry-to-return-to-uk-for-the-first-time-in-900-years-3dx9zclch
https://www.thetimes.com/article/68dad9bf-84b2-45e0-9138-5f8bdf192107 (password bayeaux)
The tapestry has so many details. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know about its existence.
It is amazing to think of anything lasting that long!