Beginning of Mark's Gospel - Folio 130r

Drawn from the magnificent opening page of St. Mark’s Gospel in the Book of Kells, this design illuminates the sacred words:

Initium evangelii IHU XPI
“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The Kells artists transformed scripture into radiant ornament, weaving sacred abbreviation, interlace, and symbolic geometry into a page of extraordinary visual devotion. In the manuscript tradition, “IHU” signifies Jesus and “XPI” Christ — sacred forms rendered with reverence and artistic splendor.

Hand-painted in enamel on traditional Palestinian hand-blown glass from Bethlehem, this ornament unites Celtic illumination with ancient Middle Eastern glassmaking traditions.