The Bayeux Tapestry

This is actually an extension of the Normandy entries.  On our 3^rd day in Normandy, we visited the city of Bayeux and the Tapestry depicting the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England, the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The "Tapestry" which is actually embroidery, was made in the 1070's. It measures 70 meters (230 feet) in length, 50 cm (20 inches) wide. It's survival nearly intact is considered "little short of miraculous". Wikipedia has an excellent entry which can be found here.

The tapestry tells the story in pictures of scenes occurring from 1064 to 1066 of William, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror). It represents early "narrative art" intended for an audience that was mostly illiterate depicting the invasion. Bryan Talbot referred to the tapestry as "the first known British comic strip". There have been many knock-offs, including this New Yorker cover by Rea Irvin in 1944.

July 15, 1944

These are pictures I took of the tapestry. They do not begin to capture the story.

By clicking here, you are taken to a .jpg file in the Wikipedia web site that shows in detail the entire length of the tapestry. Try it!

Down the street from the museum housing the tapestry sits the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Bayeux. The tapestry resided here for many centuries prior to finding its way to its new home in the museum built to house it.

There is one particular scene fairly early in the tapestry sequence of William and Harold on a quest. While on their quest, Harold is depicted rescuing two soldiers from the quicksand at Mont Saint Michel, seen here:

For more on Mont Saint Michel, see Normandy (part 4).