A campaign has been launched to bring a remarkable 16th-century tapestry commissioned by Henry VIII from Spain to be the centrepiece of a new UK museum dedicated to faith opening in October.
Saint Paul Directing the Burning of Heathen Books is “effectively the birth certificate of the Church of England”, according to Jonathan Ruffer, the founder of the Auckland Project in County Durham, the site of the Faith Museum.
For 200 years the tapestry, which is about 6 metres (almost 20ft) long, was thought to have been destroyed. But in 2014 conservators discovered it unrecognised in a Spanish collection.
The Spanish government imposed an export ban on the work but said if it could be bought by suitable UK institution it would be allowed to return to Britain. It is being sold for £3.55m with a further £1m needed for export taxes and other costs.
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has backed the campaign to return it to the UK, saying: “This wonderful, unique tapestry is a key part of the Church of England’s history and that of the whole nation,” he said.
As well as crowdfunding, the Faith Museum is applying for grants from UK bodies in its efforts to secure the tapestry. “It would be a massively significant addition – the star piece” of the new museum, which has been 10 years in the making, said its curator, Amina Wright.
The museum covers 6,000 years of faith in Britain through objects, personal testimonies and contemporary art commissions. About 50 national and local institutions and private individuals have loaned items for display.
It is housed in a 14th-century wing of Auckland Castle, the ancient seat of the prince bishops of Durham, and a new contemporary building containing gallery spaces. The north-east was the birthplace of Christianity in England.
Part of the museum is a journey through the history of faith, starting with the Gainford stone, dating to 4,000-2,500BC, with some objects arranged thematically.
Among the items on display is the Binchester ring, excavated in 2014 at the Vinovium Roman fort. The silver ring with carved carnelian stone featuring images of an anchor and fish provides rare early evidence of Christianity in Britain.
Another is the 13th-century Bodleian bowl, lent by the Ashmolean in Oxford, is inscribed in Hebrew with the name of Joseph, son of Rabbi Yechiel, a famous scripture scholar in Paris. Joseph may have given the bronze bowl to the Jewish congregation in Colchester, Essex.
There is a set of 20th-century prayer beads previously owned by Lord Headley, who converted to Islam in 1913 and is believed to be the first Briton to legitimately complete the hajj pilgrimage.
A copy of William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament from 1536 is one of only a small number to have survived. Tyndale’s Bible helped spread the ideas of the Reformation.
The museum also has the Morton frontal, a patchwork made from 15th-century silk velvet church vestments that were beautifully embroidered to depict imagery such as the lily crucifix. The pieces were later clumsily stitched together to form a rectangular piece, assumed to be a wall hanging.
The upper galleries are dedicated exhibition spaces housing temporary exhibitions and installations. They feature a display by 10 contemporary British artists – including Khadija Saye, the British-Gambian photographer who died in the Grenfell Tower fire – offering perspectives on faith today; a large-scale installation specially created by the artist Mat Collishaw; and a collection of paintings by Roger Wagner depicting biblical scenes in modern landscapes.
“Faith is a difficult subject to address in a museum because it’s intangible,” said Wright. “It’s not something you can easily put in a display case.”
The museum was not aimed at people who “know everything there is to know about religion. This is designed for everyone. It’s about the experience of faith, about a power bigger than ourselves.”
The Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland opens on 7 October
