After 950 years, France to lend Bayeux Tapestry to Britain
The 70-metre treasure, whose origins are obscure, is on display in Bayeux, Normandy
France will lend Britain the Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th century treasure that tells the tale of how William the Conqueror came to invade England in 1066, an official at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris said yesterday.
The announcement, a day before French President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit Britain for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May, was greeted with enthusiasm in Britain where the tapestry has powerful historical resonance.
“This is huge. This is an extraordinary diplomatic outreach by the president of France and a fantastic gesture of goodwill from one of our nearest and closest allies,” said lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
The 70-metre long tapestry, whose precise origins are obscure and which has not left France in its nearly 950-year known history, is currently on display in the town of Bayeux, in the northwestern French region of Normandy.
The Elysee official said the loan was agreed in principle but would not take place for several years because work needed to be done on the tapestry to ensure it was safe to move it.
The invasion of England by Duke William of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, and his victory over the Anglo-Saxon King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, changed the course of English history.
There is no consensus on where the tapestry was made. Some researchers believe it was made in Kent, southern England, but many others have pointed to locations in France.