Mainz Cathedral in Germany is showcasing the world’s largest Bible page to the public in honor of the 625th birthday of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press and producer of the Gutenberg Bible.
The 16.4 x 23.6 foot page presents the first page of John’s Gospel with a translation from the Shuckburgh Bible, a type of Gutenberg Bible and it’s on display through Aug. 31. It has been placed in the east choir section of the cathedral.
The Mayor of Mainz, Nino Haase, and the Dean of Mainz Cathedral, the Rev. Henning Priesel, presented the Bible page at a media presentation on April 28.
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“The huge page of the Gutenberg Bible fits well into the east choir of Mainz Cathedral. In the literal sense of the word, it is the hook for many creative offers that we are organizing for young and old in the cathedral and Diocesan Museum in the coming weeks for the 625th anniversary,” said Priesel, who serves as dean of the cathedral.
“Johannes Gutenberg is a great son of the city of Mainz, where else than in the cathedral could the largest Bible page be appropriately presented? You have to see it!”
A special reading corner in the All Saints’ Chapel at Mainz Cathedral complements the display, offering a selection of Bible editions for both children and adults to read. Visitors are also invited to write down their favorite Bible passages in a guest book provided on site.
“The printing of the largest Bible page in the world was an impressive spectacle,” said Haase. “I am very pleased that it’s now receiving further attention with the exhibition in Mainz Cathedral and can be admired even further by the people of Mainz and, of course, the guests of our city as a highlight in the year of the 625th birthday of the great inventor Johannes Gutenberg.”
The Bible page was printed using a traditional letterpress technique on April 26 by printer Markus Kohz and his team from the International Gutenberg Society. The printing took place during the opening of the “Kultursommer” (cultural summer) event at Fischtorplatz square in the center of Mainz. A computer-milled wooden printer cliché was inked and pressed using the weight of a car that drove over it multiple times.
The Kultursommer event, themed around Johannes Gutenberg, celebrated the legacy of the inventor of the movable-type printing press.
The Bible page exhibition was made possible through the efforts of Mainz Cathedral staff, who also organized a special exhibition titled The Whole World on Parchment: The Choir Books from the Mainz Carmelite Monastery. The exhibition is on display at the Mainz Cathedral and Diocesan Museum and is accompanied by a related program running through June 15.
A cathedral concert is planned to mark the Gutenberg anniversary and end of the Bible page exhibition with 200 participants on Aug. 24. It will involve cathedral choirs, alongside the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Music will involve the symphony cantata Lobgesang (“Hymn of Praise”) by Felix Mendelssohn.
