AFTER 700 YEARS, THREE FRAGMENTS OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK RETURN HOME TO AQUILEIA

For the first time in nearly 700 years, three surviving fragments of a sixth-century Gospel manuscript have been reunited in Aquileia, northeastern Italy. The exhibition, “The Gospel of Mark: Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story,” brings together portions preserved in Cividale del Friuli, Venice and Prague.

AN ANCIENT GOSPEL REUNITES AFTER SEVEN CENTURIES

The manuscript was traditionally revered as though it had been written by St. Mark himself. Historical research, however, dates it to the sixth century. St. Mark, remembered as a companion and interpreter of St. Peter, is traditionally connected with the evangelization of Aquileia. The city later became a major Christian center and a bridge through which Christianity spread toward Central Europe and the Balkans.
During the Middle Ages, the Gospel of Mark was separated from the larger codex and became an object of veneration. In 1354, Emperor Charles IV received two of its seven quires and took them to Prague. The remaining fragments eventually came under Venetian custody after Venice conquered Aquileia in 1420. Thus, one sacred manuscript became divided among Cividale, Venice and Prague.
Now those fragments have come together again — not simply as ancient parchment, but as witnesses to centuries of Christian faith, pilgrimage and European history. The exhibition runs through April 25, 2027, although the most fragile originals will be displayed only during the opening six weeks before high-resolution reproductions take their place.