This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows a technician working on a tablet on the digital version of the tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, on Jan.8 2020. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home.(Ville de Bayeux via AP)This file photo taken, Sept. 18, 2019 shows a large part of the 11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England, in Bayeux, Normandy, France. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows technicians holding the tapestry before digitalizing it in Bayeux, Normandy, on Jan. 3 2020 . The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (Ville de Bayeux via AP)This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows technicians standing behind the tapestry before digitalizing it in Bayeux, Normandy, on Jan. 3 2020. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (Ville de Bayeux via AP)This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows a technician inspecting the tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, in Jan. 8 2020. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (Ville de Bayeux via AP)This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows technicians working at the tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy on Jan. 8 2020. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (Ville de Bayeux via AP)FILE - This file photo taken, Sept. 18, 2019 shows a detail of the 11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England, in Bayeux, Normandy, France. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)FILE - This file photo taken, Sept. 18, 2019 shows a detail of the 11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England, in Bayeux, Normandy, France. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)
This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows a technician working on a tablet on the digital version of the tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, on Jan.8 2020. The world-famous Bayeux Tapestry maybe off limits to visitors as the pandemic has shuttered French museums, but its keepers in the small town of Bayeux in Normandy are putting a digital version out online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home.(Ville de Bayeux via AP)
PARIS – The world-famous medieval Bayeux Tapestry may be off-limits to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but its keepers have put a digital version online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home.
At nearly 70 meters (77 yards) long, users may have to be skilled at using the scroll function of their computers.
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The resolution is so clear in the online panorama that you can see the fibers of each stitch when you zoom in.
The Bayeux Tapestry is thought to date to the 11th century, and depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, bringing the era to life in vivid — and sometimes bloody — detail.
Despite being so old, it has shown relatively little decomposition. However, a plan to fix wear and tear in its storytelling weave has been put in place in a planned 2024 restoration by the museum that houses it in the Normandy town of Bayeux.
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