This Georgia university has the only full-size replica of the famous Bayeux Tapestry in the US
As the Bayeux Tapestry is unveiled for the first time in England in nearly 1,000 years, a Georgia university is offering Americans the chance to view the U.S.'s only full-size replica of the historic embroidery.
The tapestry, stretching about 224 feet long, shows the build-up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The battle resulted in the defeat of England's King Harold II by William, duke of Normandy, handing control of the nation to the Normans.
Tickets have sold out to view the original tapestry in the British Museum for the rest of the year as visitors flock to see the artifact in the country in which it was produced in 1066. The tapestry is currently on loan from a French museum.
The only full-size replica of the tapestry in the U.S. can be viewed for free in a makeshift setup in a basketball arena at the University of North Georgia. It is displayed for only a few days per year, as the space is used for sports and other campus events, Ana Pozzi Harris, assistant professor of art history at the University of North Georgia, told ABC News.
The university typically receives about 500 visitors each year when it is displayed, but this year, Pozzi Harris said she has already received increased interest.
"We are promoting more this year," Pozzi Harris said. "We are getting more interest, and at the same time, I think we are experiencing more of that because of the London exhibition for sure."
The piece goes on display on Saturday and will be taken down on Tuesday, Sept. 15 due to a campus event in the arena the following day, Pozzi Harris said.
"We don't have a museum or even a gallery where we could install it permanently or even semi-permanently, and so this is what we can do, and we just take advantage of it," Pozzi Harris said.
The replica was hand painted on a cotton canvas by Margaret ReVille in 1986 and was commissioned by Judge Edd Wheeler for educational purposes, according to the university. It was donated to the University of North Georgia in 2014 and has been judged the most accurate copy in the world, the university said.
The Bayeux Tapestry is world renowned as both an impressive work of embroidery and an artifact of historical significance. Scholars study the sequence of events woven into the piece for insight into the dramatic Norman Conquest of England, which drastically transformed British politics and law.
University of North Georgia students can take a course to study the replica and lead community educational initiatives during its exhibition, including guiding tours for members of the public, Pozzi Harris said.
Other full-size replicas of the tapestry can be found in New Zealand, London's Reading Museum, Denmark and Canada.
The Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in France has housed the original Bayeux Tapestry since 1983. Before that, the piece moved between several locations in France.
The original is scheduled to be loaned to the British Museum until July 2027. It will then return to the French museum in the fall once that museum is done being renovated.
