Mainz Cathedral unveils world’s largest Bible page to honor Gutenberg

May 12, 2025

To honor the 625th birthday of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, Mainz Cathedral in Germany is displaying the world’s largest Bible page to the public.

The Christian Post reports that the page, which measures 16.4 x 23.6 feet, features the first page of John’s Gospel along with a translation from the Shuckburgh Bible, a type of Gutenberg Bible.

The Dean of the Mainz Cathedral, the Rev. Henning Priesel, said, “The huge page of the Gutenberg Bible fits well into the east choir of Mainz Cathedral. In the literal sense of the word, it is the hook for many creative offers that we are organizing for young and old in the cathedral and Diocesan Museum in the coming weeks for the 625th anniversary.”

 According to the Christian Post, a special reading corner in the All Saints’ Chapel at Mainz complements the display and offers a selection of Bible editions for both children and adults to read.

The massive Bible page was printed using a traditional letterpress technique by printer Markus Kohz and his team from the International Gutenberg Society.

A Kultursommer (cultural summer) event, themed around Johannes Gutenberg, celebrates the legacy of the inventor of the movable-type printing press.

The giant Bible page will be on display until August 31 and will see a cathedral concert featuring the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz on Aug 24.

More than 200 participants are expected to take part in that concert.

Photo: top, Credit: Diego Grande/iStock