From Vimy Ridge, Mark and I travel to the village of Bayeux to see what is arguably the greatest of all the ancient European artifacts.
It is the 210 foot long embroidered depiction of William the Conqueror's campaign to invade England in the year 1066.
The Bayeux tapestry took a small army of women artists three years to complete. It is now on display in the Bayeux museum having survived wars, revolutions and the depredations of art thieves.
In the French revolution, command was given to destroy the tapestry. It was considered to be a distasteful relic of a bygone aristocratic system that had no place in the new France.
Nuns spirited the tapestry away to a nearby convent.
In 1944 it had been stored in the Louvre gallery for safety. Herman Goering gave orders for it to be transported back to Germany as legitimate spoil of the Nazi conquest. Again the tapestry was successfully concealed until the occupation was over.
Now it is in it's rightful place in Bayeux, where it all began.
I was never a fan of King William, but I wholeheartedly applaud the ladies who stitched their way into history in Bayeux 950 years ago.
Jubilate.
Ian
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