Reply To: Bibles for the illiterate

[Lacey Miller]

The illustrations of the Bayeux Tapestry are the most obvious example of this in the Romanesque wing. Words are outweighed by imagery here, giving an opportunity to those unable to read, to, in essence, read a story with their eyes. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN’S LIBER SCIVIAS is also an example of a picture story. The churches were careful to represent their characters in an obvious way, primarily so the illiterate would recognize the subjects. Because the church was a welcoming place to the rich and the poor, the uneducated had to be accommodated as well, better for business.