A copy of the first hand-written, hand-illumed Bible to be produced for more than 500 years has been presented to a local religious institution.

St John's Bible was commissioned by the St John's Abbey and University in Minnesota USA and is the work of a team led by the celebrated calligrapher, Monmouthshire-based Donald Jackson.

Yesterday, Thursday, September 12, a copy of the bible was formally presented to St Davids Cathedral.

To honour the work undertaken by Donald Jackson and his wife Mabel, it was decided that a copy - part of a global heritage programme - should be presented to a place of Mr Jackson’s choosing.

He chose St Davids Cathedral and the bible was formally presented to the cathedral at a special service of Choral Evensong on Thursday September 12, in the presence of The Dean, the Bishop, the Jacksons and representatives from St John's Abbey, including Elaine and Bruce Culver, philanthropists and Episcopalians who funded the gift.

The St John's Bible has taken 25 years to complete and runs to seven volumes. The purpose was always an evangelistic one. So it was decided that it should be shared globally.

The St John's Bible Heritage Programme has produced 299 copies for distribution to churches and academic institutions around the world and it is one of these that has come to St Davids Cathedral.

Receiving the bible yesterday, Dean Sarah Llewellyn Jones, described the gift as a great honour.

"We share the aim that this bible should engage readers everywhere with the message of scripture,” she said.

“Volumes will be displayed in the cathedral, where visitors can turn the pages themselves, and at the Cathedral Education Centre for use in retreats, educational visits and workshops.

“We also plan to make volumes available to churches, ministry areas and the other cathedrals in Wales to run their own projects."