A one-of-a-kind Bible finds a temporary home at the OLV Basilica in Lackawanna

But at one of Western New York’s most renowned places of worship, it happens to be true.

A replica of the Saint John’s Bible – believed to be the first hand-written and hand-illustrated interactive Bible created since the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago – is on display at Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica. It will be part of an exhibit there through Jan. 7.

The seven volumes of the original manuscript feature 1,170 handwritten pages and 160 illuminations. Complete but unbound, the manuscript is the handiwork of Welsh calligrapher Donald Jackson and his 23-member team of artists and scribes, who took 15 years to bring it to fruition. It currently resides in Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn. 

This is no ordinary book.

It was created using rare Chinese ink from the 1890s; special quills fashioned from goose, turkey and swan feathers; 300 sheets of calfskin vellum as pages, illuminated with gold and silver leaf and platinum. He used egg yolk during the illuminations to bind the color.

Jackson completed the project in 2011 and was subsequently awarded the Papal Apostolic Knighthood in 2016.

With his team, Jackson went on to create a number of replications of the original manuscript that could travel across the world. Referred to as the Heritage edition, these are the only full-size, limited, signed and numbered fine art editions of the original manuscript. There are 299 Heritage editions, 170 of which have traveled around the world, including museums, churches, hospitals and private residences. No two Heritage editions are identical. 

The Heritage Edition of the Bible has a temporary home at the basilica as part of its centennial celebration that honors the legacy of its founder, Father Nelson Baker.

On weekends, the book will be displayed at the OLV pulpit, while during the weekdays, it will remain downstairs…