iona18 The Book of Kells "The Work Not of Men but of Angels…" (Giraldus Cambrensis, c.1150 AD) The Book of Kells is one of the most famous books in the history of the world and was completed in about 800 AD. The vellum (calfskin) manuscript contains transcriptions of the four Gospels, lavishly illustrated and ornamented. It is the most elaborate manuscript of its kind to survive from the early Middle Ages. It was most likely produced in the Iona Abbey by Columban monks. The Book of Kells contains 680 pages (or 340 folios). Just two of the pages are without ornament, while about thirty folios, including some major decorated pages, have been lost. To protect the book from marauding Vikings, it was moved to the Library of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where it is permanently on display.