27.05.2015
Magna Carta Exhibition at Christ Church Cathedral Launches Next Week
2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta or ‘Great Charter’, one of the most important documents in history. To celebrate this historic milestone, Christ Church Cathedral will host an exhibition based on its own copy of Magna Carta. Magna Carta at Christ Church will be launched on Thursday June 4 after Evensong at 6.00 pm by His Excellency Dominick John Chilcott CMG, British Ambassador to Ireland.
In 1215 on the banks of the River Thames, King John of England agreed to the terms of an extraordinary new document, one which would enshrine the rights of man forever. Magna Carta established the principle that everyone, even the king, is subject to the law and guaranteeing all subjects the right to a free trial. The effects of this document are still felt today. Its foundation principles are clearly seen in the 1791 American Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, penned after the Second World War.
Christ Church Cathedral will put its own Magna Carta on display as part of the worldwide Magna Carta 800th celebrations. Exclusive to Christ Church Cathedral, this very special 14th century copy of Magna Carta, contained within the cathedral’s Liber Niger or ‘Black Book’, an eclectic mix of literary, theological, administrative and annalistic material created by the Canons of Christ Church, will form the centrepiece of a new, interactive family–friendly crypt exhibition.
The display will explain the significance of Magna Carta from 1215 to the present day, the importance of Christ Church’s special copy and how Magna Carta was, and still is, relevant in Ireland. Find out why Magna Carta was necessary, how Dublin came to be associated with the charter, and discover the surprising link between Magna Carta and one of Irish history’s most famous couples, Strongbow and Aoife.
Alongside this exhibition the cathedral will be organising a series of public events on the theme of human rights with high profile speakers, historical lunchtime lectures, free workshops for schools, calligraphy classes and much more.
Further details will be announced soon.
For more information email magnacarta@christchurch.ie
Christ Church Cathedral is very grateful for funding received from the Magna Carta Trust to assist in the creation of this exhibition. The Magna Carta Trust’s 800th Anniversary Committee is charged by the Magna Carta Trust to co–ordinate activities, raise the profile of the anniversary and deliver a number of key national and international aspirations. For more information, visit www.magnacarta800th.com.