The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the supreme achievements of the Norman Romanesque, the extraordinarily delicate product of the simplest of artistic techniques – an embroidery of woollen thread on linen backing. Its survival almost intact over nine centuries is little short of miraculous, given how many great stone buildings have been reduced to ruins in that time. Removed from Bayeux Cathedral in the 1790s, amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution, it was subsequently entrusted by Napoleon Bonaparte to the care of the citizens of Bayeux, where today it is displayed at the Centre Guillaume-le-Conquérant in a U-shaped gallery purpose built to show it at its best. People of all ages and nationalities come each year in their hundreds of thousands to view it. No one leaves disappointed. Its exceptional length, the harmony and freshness of its colours, its exquisite workmanship, and the genius of its guiding spirit combine to make it endlessly fascinating.