The four surviving original copies of Magna Carta will be brought together for the first time in history, in London, to celebrate its 800th anniversary, the British Library has announced.

Written in Latin on parchment, Magna Carta established for the first time that the King was subject to the law, rather than above it, and became the cornerstone of the British Constitution.

Its principles were echoed in the US Constitution and by others around the world.

The documents will be displayed side-by-side at the library for just three days in early 2015.

It will be part of a year of celebrations across the UK and the world, commemorating the issue of the charter by King John in 1215.

Experts in the documents will be given a unique opportunity to closely examine the four faded texts together, two of which belong to the British Library while Lincoln Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral each own one copy.

Magna Carta’s clauses on social justice are as relevant today as they were 800 years ago and are at the heart of all we aspire to

Claire Breay, lead curator of Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts at the British Library, said: “Bringing the four surviving manuscripts together for the first time will create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for researchers and members of the public to see them in one place, and will be a fantastic start to a year of celebrations.”

The Dean of Salisbury, the Very Rev June Osborne, said: “Magna Carta’s clauses on social justice are as relevant today as they were 800 years ago and are at the heart of all we aspire to.

“We hope the publicity generated through the plan-ned unification and 800th anniversary year will increase awareness of its importance, values, ideals and modern significance to a huge new audience.”

Lincoln Cathedral will also open its new purpose-built Magna Carta centre in Lincoln Castle to mark the anniversary.