A Bible Gun that belonged to Francesco Morosini, could be Fired Without Opening the Book

In the midst of the Great Turkish War (1688 to 1694), Venice was under the rule of Francesco Morosini. Francesco possessed a unique Bible with a concealed firearm cleverly hidden within its pages. The gun is intricately concealed, making it challenging to detect or extract once the book is shut, yet it can be readily activated by tugging on the silk bookmark.

Have you ever seen a gun that is attached to a book? This Bible has a chamber for a gun and it was made in Venice for Doge Francesco Morosini in the second part of the 17th century.

Francesco Morosini. IMAGE: wikipedia

From 1688 until 1694, during the height of the Great Turkish War, Francesco Morosini served as Doge of Venice. While the bible was still unopened, the owner of the bible can pull out the silk bookmark to shoot. The gun book is now on exhibit in Venice’s Museo Correr.

Lorenzo Cittone writes in his book Venise, L’hiver Et L’ete, De Pres Et De Loin, about this incredible gun-book: “I’ve found in a display case of the Correr museum, in Venice, Morosini’s prayers book that I used to love so much as Apart from a few prayers, this beautiful book features a buttless gun. Of course, the binding is stunning. And it’s difficult to get the gun out once the book is closed.”