World’s Largest Bible Page Unveiled at Mainz Cathedral to Honor Gutenberg
(Photo: Getty/iStock)
In an extraordinary tribute to Johannes Gutenberg’s legacy, Mainz Cathedral in Germany is now home to the world’s largest Bible page. This impressive display marks the 625th anniversary of Gutenberg, famed for inventing the printing press and producing the Gutenberg Bible.
Measuring 5 by 7.2 meters (16.4ft x 23.6ft), this colossal page features the first page of John’s Gospel from the Shuckburgh Bible, a type of Gutenberg Bible. Visitors can marvel at this exhibit, located in the east choir of the cathedral, until August 31, 2025.
The unveiling ceremony on April 28 was attended by Mainz Mayor Nino Haase and Cathedral Dean Rev. Henning Priesel, who introduced the Bible page to the media.
Rev. Priesel remarked, “The huge page of the Gutenberg Bible fits well into the east choir of Mainz Cathedral. In the literal sense of the word, it is the hook for many creative offers that we are organising for young and old in the cathedral and in the cathedral and Diocesan Museum in the coming weeks for the 625th anniversary.”
He added, “Johannes Gutenberg is a great son of the city of Mainz, where else than in the cathedral could the largest Bible page be appropriately presented? Unique. You have to see it!”
A reading nook in All Saints’ Chapel enhances the exhibition, offering various Bible editions for both children and adults. Guests are encouraged to share their favorite Bible passages in a guest book available on site.
Mayor Haase expressed his delight, stating, “The printing of the largest Bible page in the world was an impressive spectacle. I am very pleased that it is now receiving further attention with the exhibition in Mainz Cathedral and can be admired even further by the people of Mainz and, of course, the guests of our city as a highlight in the year of the 625th birthday of the great inventor Johannes Gutenberg.”
This massive Bible page was printed on April 26 with a traditional letterpress technique by Markus Kohz and his team from the International Gutenberg Society. The printing process occurred during the opening of the “Kultursommer” (Cultural Summer) event at Fischtorplatz square in Mainz’s city center. A wooden printer cliché, milled by computer, was inked and pressed by the weight of a car driven over it multiple times.
The Kultursommer, with a focus on Gutenberg, paid homage to the inventor of the movable-type printing press.
Mainz Cathedral staff also played a vital role in organizing the Bible page exhibition, along with a special exhibit titled The Whole World on Parchment: The Choir Books from the Mainz Carmelite Monastery. This exhibition is running at the Mainz Cathedral and Diocesan Museum, accompanied by a related program through June 15.
A cathedral concert will conclude the Gutenberg anniversary and Bible page exhibition on August 24. Featuring 200 participants, the event will include performances by cathedral choirs, the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra, and the Collegium Musicum of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, presenting the symphony cantata Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) by Felix Mendelssohn.
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