Bayeux: The 1000-year-old threads have been uploaded to the internet. Photo / Ville de Bayeux
Bayeux: The 1000-year-old threads have been uploaded to the internet. Photo / Ville de Bayeux
The world-famous medieval Bayeux Tapestry may be off-limits to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but its keepers have put a digital version online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home.
At nearly 70 meters long, users may have to be skilled at usingthe scroll function of their computers.
A technician inspecting the tapestry in the Bayeux townhall. Photo / Ville de Bayeux
The resolution is so clear in the online panorama that you can see the fibres of each stitch when you zoom in.
The Bayeux Tapestry is thought to date to the 11th century. It was woven over 950 years ago and depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, bringing the era to life in vivid — and sometimes bloody — detail.
An army of technicians were drafted in to digitise the 70m loom. Photo / Ville de Bayeux
Despite being so old, it has shown relatively little decomposition. However, a plan to fix wear and tear in its storytelling weave has been put in place in a planned 2024 restoration by the museum that houses it in the Normandy town of Bayeux.
11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England. Photo / Kamil Zihnioglu, AP
From amphibious landings to arrows to the eye - you can see the rich tapestry of events yourself at bayeuxmuseum.com
