Illuminated manuscripts, typically but not always Bibles or books of the Bible, were some of the highest forms of art of the Middle Ages. The Lindisfarne Gospels, Durham Gospels, and the Book of Kells are among the chief examples of illustrated manuscripts from the British Isles in the early Middle Ages. Art from the British Isles during this time period is referred to as being in the "insular style," which refers to the art produced in the islands between the departure of the Romans and the Norman Conquest.

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidered fabric, not a woven tapestry. It was commissioned by the English Bishop Odo, and it is 230 feet long and 20 inches high.

The Bayeux Tapestry is like a Romanesque illuminated manuscript depicting the Battle of Hastings and its foregoing events. It is set in Normandy and England. Since Paris is not part of the setting, Notre Dame cathedral (which wasn't yet constructed) is not depicted.

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidery of wool thread on linen, not a woven tapestry. Its sequential panels tell the story of the Battle of Hastings and its preceding events. The figures' flat and out-of-proportion appearance resembles that of figures on medieval manuscripts.

In the Christian tradition, Jesus is said to have given Peter the keys to his Kingdom, which the Roman Catholic church interpreted as making Peter the first Pope. In the highly symbolic and representative religious art of the middle ages, illiterate viewers could recognize St. Peter in painting by seeing him holding a set of keys.

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous and well preserved Medieval tapestries, a common artistic form of the time period that served as a pictorial chronicle. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the conquest of England by William II, Duke of Normandy, in 1066, and his defeat of the English King Harold Godwinson. The tapestry represents a certain kind of Romanesque art on a grand scale that has not survived in large numbers, while also serving as a historical record of William's conquest.

Iconoclasm refers to the destruction of religious images. A government-led iconoclasm occurred in the Byzantine era after the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian saw an increase in the creation of icons.

The pietà was a common theme among Gothic and Medieval artists who were Christians and used religious themes because it was one of the most dramatic moments of Christ's crucifixion story. The pietà depicts a dead Jesus who has just been taken down from the cross laying across the Virgin Mary's lap, with Mary looking extremely sorrowful.

The Poor Man's Bible was a way for the largely illiterate Medieval peasantry to be able to learn Bible stories despite their inability to actually read the Bible. In many cathedrals, most notably at Canterbury Cathedral in England, the Poor Man's Bible was a giant stained-glass window that had dozens of Biblical stories that could be easily referenced by priests and parishioners alike.

"Adoration of the Magi" is an Anglicization of the Vulgate Latin phrase "a Magis adoratur," a phrase found in the Gospel of Matthew. The scene, which features three distinguished men from the East visiting the newborn Jesus, was a popular one in Medieval art, thanks to its portrayal of precious gifts, ostentatious figures, and the Christ child in one scene.