Sacred rites shrouded in history
The parchment, on which medieval monks created their glorious manuscripts, came from the hides of calves. The skins of slaughtered animals were carefully selected for their texture and the absence of holes made by ticks. Next, the animal’s hair had to be taken off, not an easy task. However, help was at hand from an unlikely source; the monastery cesspool. A skin, left soaking in urine, shed its hair.
But not everybody’s pee, it seems, is equally effective as a hair remover. Best results were obtained using the abbot’s product. His diet was richer than that of more humble monks and this, apparently, meant the water he passed was more effective at dislodging hair. So the Book of Kells, Ireland’s greatest art treasure and sacred text has a murky past.
