The Cloisters Apocalypse

The Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation, was, according to European medieval tradition, written by John the Evangelist during his exile on the Greek island of Patmos. The opening chapters recount God’s instructions to the bishops of the seven churches in Asia Minor. The following chapters describe John’s extraordinary account of events to come at the end of time. The colorful illustrations of this manuscript bring these dream-like prophecies to life. A partly effaced coat of arms within the book suggests that it was created for an aristocratic couple in Normandy, the wife apparently a member of the de Montigny family.