The Long and Short of the Bayeux Tapestry

For centuries, historians studying the Bayeux Tapestry have wondered at the specifics of its unusual size and length. Stretching to 231ft or just over 70 metres long, the piece is just 50 cm or 20” wide.

A detail from the Bayeux tapestry (source)

Christopher Norton, Professor of Art History Professor at The University of York, has finally unravelled the reason for the Tapestry’s size. Studying surviving architectural features of the Bayeux Cathedral, Professor Norton has calculated the original size of the 11th Century nave and found it would have been a perfect fit.

The Bayeux Cathedral (source)

Indeed, the artwork’s narrative has been deliberately structured to fit around doorways and architectural features of the original cathedral.

Finally, a mystery is solved, which further enriches our understanding of this historic piece of needlework.

You can read more about this fascinating discovery at the MSN website.