At long last

It took over a decade and cost millions of dollars, but a hand-lettered and hand-drawn complete edition of the Saint John's Bible has finally been completed, and pages from the finished work will be available for public viewing at the Minneapolis Institite of Arts until November 13, 2011.

The Bible was commissioned by the Benedictine monks at St. John's Abbey and St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. It was created using quills and paints hand-ground from precious minerals and is adorned by lapis lazuli, malachite, silver, and 24-karat gold. The first words were written on Ash Wednesday 2000, and the final word ("Amen") was written on May 9, 2011.