Great Bibles of Henry VIII, Cromwell reunited in Wales

The personal Great Bibles of King Henry VIII and his chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell, have been reunited for the first time in nearly 500 years at the National Library of Wales. These luxurious copies, printed on parchment and hand-coloured by Europe's finest artists in 1538-9, were pivotal in the English Reformation as the first English translation mandated to be placed in churches, increasing lay access to scripture. The Hidden in Plain Sight project has employed cutting-edge technologies like 3D microscopy and DNA analysis to uncover modifications in the Bibles, such as Cromwell's portrait pasted onto a title page and alterations aligning with political shifts, revealing the dynamic nature of their creation. Though Henry VIII was ambivalent about lay reading of the Bible and imposed restrictions after Cromwell's execution, the Great Bible's influence endured, spreading use in churches and homes beyond his reign. The exhibition offers a rare chance to see these historically significant objects side-by-side, deepening understanding of Tudor religious and political history and the technological advances that illuminate it today. This reunion also resonates with Wales' cultural heritage, as seen in the simultaneous display of the first complete Welsh Bible translation from 1588 at St Davids Cathedral.