The 775-year-old bible on display for first time

A treasured bible illustrated by a medieval master around 775 years ago has gone on public display for the first time – in the city where it was created.

The Sarum Master Bible can now be seen at Salisbury Cathedral, which managed to acquire it after a charity raised £90,000 to buy it.

Handwritten Latin text is squeezed onto its 17cm-high pages, and the first letter of each book of the bible is lavishly decorated.

The Sarum Master – whose real name is unknown – is considered "one of the finest English artists of the period", said cathedral librarian Dr Anne Dutton.

Many of the cathedral's medieval manuscripts are kept behind a gate which the public are not allowed through

It is believed the bible was created in Salisbury between 1240 and 1250.

After going on display, the 13th Century manuscript will be carefully kept in the cathedral's 600-year-old library, behind a gate that the public are not allowed through.

Dr Dutton said: "I can honestly say that it was the most spectacular Christmas present I have ever received – of course, not for me personally."

The cathedral's library is overseen by Dr Dutton

The writing is tiny – which means the decoration and colour on letters and illustrations are too, with none more than 2.5cm high.

Dr Dutton said: "It is virtually impossible to see the details without some kind of magnification."

She said lenses may have been used in the 1200s to magnify and create the illustrations and text.

The Sarum Master is said to have worked on the bible between 1240 and 1250

Dr Dutton said that "no details of the artist's life are known".

There would have been a lot of artists working in the area at the time, when the cathedral was being built, she said.

Dr Dutton's favourite illustration is an 'A' at the start of the Book of Revelation

Dr Dutton does have a favourite decorated initial letter, one from the Book of Revelation: "The initial capital A shows the author – St John – depicted as a medieval scribe.

"He is holding a quill pen and a pen knife, exactly as a medieval scribe."

The money for the bible was raised by Friends of the Nations' Libraries, after Dr Dutton spotted it for sale at Sotheby's and was contacted when it did not sell at auction.

The bible is on display in Salisbury Cathedral until 20 March, after which it will be kept in the library, which researchers can visit by appointment and the public can see on open days.