NEW YORK, NY.- The Morgan Library & Museum has received a $2.5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment's Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative to support The Morgan Illuminated, a major project that will expand access to the Morgan's renowned collection of medieval and Renaissance religious manuscripts through a new digital portal, educational resources, and public programming.
Hosted on the Morgan’s website, The Morgan Illuminated will provide free, cover-to-cover access to hundreds of the collection’s most significant illuminated manuscripts through a searchable digital portal, scheduled to launch in 2029. In addition to high-resolution images and robust search tools, the platform will feature educational resources and interpretive content exploring these manuscripts and the role of religion in shaping history, art, and culture. Through programming and research, which will launch prior to the digital portal, the project will also examine how the Morgan engages audiences with complex ideas related to religion and spirituality more broadly, encouraging dialogue and understanding about a variety of objects and related themes.
“This project reflects the Morgan's commitment to making its extraordinary collections accessible to all, while creating meaningful opportunities for audiences to engage with the ideas, beliefs, and artistic achievements that have shaped our shared history,” said Colin B. Bailey, Katharine J. Rayner Director. “Long a priority of the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, we are deeply grateful to the Lilly Endowment for its generous support that makes this vision a reality.”
The Morgan’s collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts is the finest in the United States and among the most significant in the world, spanning nearly ten centuries and comprising more than 1,300 manuscripts and 300 papyri. Through The Morgan Illuminated, approximately 300 of the collection’s most important religious manuscripts—representing roughly 120,000 pages—will be digitized following a comprehensive process of conservation, photography, metadata creation, and digital preservation.
Beyond expanding digital access, the project will ensure the long-term preservation of these extraordinary works, enabling broader and safer physical access for generations to come. Conservation treatment will facilitate handling by staff and researchers in the Morgan’s Sherman Fairchild Reading Room; support teaching by curators and conservators in classes and seminars; and increase the availability of manuscripts for exhibition and loan. By undertaking this work now, The Morgan Illuminated will preserve these invaluable resources while significantly expanding opportunities for research, learning, and public engagement.
