Exhibition throws light on early Christian history

The gospels usually leave Corpus Christi College in Cambridge only for the inauguration of Archbishops of Canterbury, who swear their oaths over them, but will be on show at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from next week. The exhibition aims to tell the history of illuminated manuscripts using 200 medieval and Renaissance texts spanning 10 centuries. All come from Cambridge colleges or university institutions.

Stella Panayotova, the show's curator, said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of the fragility of the manuscripts, which include works commissioned by the kings of England and France and the Medicis.

Cambridge Illuminations runs from 26 July to 11 December.