The Secret of Kells

Abstract

Ireland, 9^th century. In the middle of the Middle Ages, Brendan, a 12-year-old monk, helps build a great wall that protects him and the rest of the Christian brotherhood of Kells Abbey from the Viking invasion that has ravaged the region for more than a century. The arrival of the charismatic brother Aidan at the abbey, fleeing the destruction wreaked by the Northmen on the monastery island of Iona, marks a significant turn in the young man's life. Seduced by her curiosity and beauty, Brendan agrees to complete Iona's book, an ornamental manuscript of the four Christian gospels, which the newcomer carries under his arm. But in order to complete it, Brendan must break the ban imposed by his uncle, the severe abbot Cellach, to enter the mysterious forest that surrounds the abbey, taking a first step towards his personal, creative and spiritual maturity.