The Colorado Adventure

Monks

Today Grace was learning about the spread of Christianity in Europe, monks, and monasteries. We didn’t have time to make our own illuminated pages, but we’ll do that this weekend. Grace says: Monks decided that the world needed books, not just the Bible, but books of classic Greek and Roman authors. So they went to the store and bought some paper. No wait, they got calf or sheep skin and softened it by leaving it in water for several days. Then they soaked the hair on the skins to loosen it. Next they stretched the skins and scraped the hair off with a knife. After drying it on a frame they took it off, wet it again and rubbed it smooth with a stone. When it was finally clean and dry they rubbed it with white chalk and then cut the skin into parchment papers and bound them in books. Whew! Next they copied letters one at a time and often drew gold and silver illuminations and even secret pictures into their work. At the printing museum in Houston we saw illuminated scripts and copies of books hundred of years old, cool.

Next came the gathering of the quill pens (ouch! For the geese.) Then the making of the black ink, usually soot and water and tree sap. They might also make ink out of galls or acorns (which is the version we might be doing.)

So, on Saturday we’ll be gathering supplies to write on parchment with quill pens and soot (or acorn) ink.

See some gorgeous illuminated manuscripts here.

More about monks here.

Picture from: http://colophon.com/gallery/minsky/illum.htm