Golden skies, dark blue cloaks and angels in white: the splendid colours of mediaeval manuscripts are still capable of astonishing us today. Impressive examples are presented in the exhibition »Under the Star of Bethlehem« in the State Hall of the Austrian National Library. Visitors can marvel at 24 magnificently illuminated works on the Christmas story, an outstanding testimony to the high level of the book art and spirituality of the Middle Ages.
The exhibition follows the chronology of the Gospels, beginning with the Annunciation to Mary, continuing through the Adoration of the Magi and the Slaughter of the Innocents and ending with the Flight into Egypt. These events frame the central scene of the Christmas story: the Birth of Christ in a humble stable, home to an ox and a donkey.
Please note the opening hours during the holidays.
Our website uses cookies: in addition to those that are technically necessary for the functionality of our website and therefore cannot be rejected, we also use those whose purpose is to analyse website accesses, as well as those set by third-party providers such as Youtube and Google. With your consent to analysis and third-party cookies, data is processed both by us and by third-party providers, some of which are based in third countries (e.g. the USA). You can find more information about the tools and the partner:s in our data protection declaration. If you wish, you can adjust your cookie settings individually at any time via the link in the footer.
These cookies are necessary for the basic functions of the website. You can block or delete them in your browser settings, but then there is a risk that some parts of the website will not function properly.
If you activate Matomo, we can analyse your use of our website in order to adapt and further improve our services. The following cookies may be set:
If you activate Youtube, videos from this provider will be displayed on our website. The following cookies may be set:
If you activate Google Maps, maps from this provider will be displayed on our website. The following cookies may be set:
