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LINDISFARNE

Fun facts!

    Lindisfarne Abbey was established in 643, by St Aiden - who sounds sound
    After the Synod of Whitby, which sided with the virgin Roman church over Chad Celtic Christianity, Aiden left Lindisfarne to go back to Iona
    This left the place somewhat rudderless, eventually St Cuthbert - who was also sound - was installed as bishop
    ...not for very long tho, as he soon felt that he was dying and retreated into hermitage
    The Lindisfarne Gospels were likely produced for St Cuthbert's cult
    Cuthbert's remains were taken from the Abbey to protect them from the Viking raids. They're now in Durham Cathedral
    The abbey was abandoned after the Danes took over the kingdom / formed the Danelaw. I should learn more about the Danelaw!
    Once the Normans invaded, a smaller sub-priory (under Durham Priory) was instantiated
    After the Normans, mostly quiet until Dicky no. 8 comes along and tears the whole thing apart, after which the buildings were used for military storage and fell into disrepair
    The 1860s saw the start of quicklime production on the island
    Many lime kilns remain and are actively preserved. The lime quarrying industry almost entirely destroyed the limestone caves, but a few remain


The history of Lindisfarne is entangled with the history of the early Christian church in Britain and the formalisation of Western Christianity. Initially set up as an outpost of Christendom in a pagan land, it had to adapt its customs as Christianity on the continent became more formalised and more powerful - and more integrated with power.

The famous sacking of Lindisfarne marks the official start to The Viking Age. As attacks continued, the abbey was abandoned, and as far as is known the island only became home to a religious community once again after the Norman invasion. Even then, it was reduced in size, being a sub-priory of Durham.

William I decimated the North of the country following the 1068 uprising; what political power the North had was greatly diminished, even to this day. The Normans consolidated and centralised power in the South, and their invading force depended on control from urbanised centres. Far from this politicking, the small priory at Lindisfarne seems to have been relatively undisturbed from then on, until eventually Henry VIII's ferocious reforms tore through the country and left the monastery an empty shell. Gradually it fell into ruin.

These days, a wall in the church of Saint Mary is the only remain of the pre-Norman building. Like the post-conquest abbeys which dot the country, the stonework shell of high and late medieval Lindisfarne remains as ruins.

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The first abbey at Lindisfarne was wooden, but wood rots and stone does not. It was built by Bishop Aidan, invited by the new King Oswald of the new kingdom of Northumbria.  Both these men were eventually canonised, tho remember this was back in early medieval Europe, when either miracles were more common or the bar for sainthood much lower.

Aidan does seem to have been a pretty sound guy tho. Christianity in the British archipelago, separated by time and sea from mainland Europe, had developed an ascetic and humble form. Bede writes that Aiden converted by way of getting to know people and their concerns and speaking with them on their level. Even if there's a degree of propaganda going on here, he sounds much more chill than Saint Wilfrid (more on Wilfrid soon. He was a twat).

This different branch of Christianity developed a different monastic tradition and a different method for calculating Easter. This became a touch embarrassing in the Northumbiran court when both traditions were attempting to co-exist, especially as the run up to Easter involves a lot of fasting. The Synod of Whitby (667) was called to resolve this issue.

This is where Wilfrid comes into the picture. Wilfrid was far more aligned to the Roman church and its association with state power and wealth (I am possibly a little biased here but 1 - don't align your religion with a state, it's always bad news, and 2 - he was a prick who used Christianity to amass political power and material wealth. The ascetic traditions of the Celtic branch were thus an intolerable challenge to him). Wilfrid spoke at the Synod and convinced King Oswiu, who determined the Celtic church had to be subject to the rule of Rome.

Aidan was displeased with this so left Lindisfarne and Northumbria, returning to the monastic community on Iona. Honestly, mood.

Enter St Cuthbert; again, he seems like a sound lad. Although he accepted Roman rule, he remained living a simple life and interested in the lives of the poor. Although only bishop at Lindisfarne for a handful of years - eventually he retreated into his hermitage when he felt death approaching - his popularity is attested by his later veneration. His cult remained popular throughout the medieval period, especially Northern England, and St Cuthbert is still the patron of Northumberland. The Lindisfarne Gospels themselves were produced for his cult.

Cuthbert was buried in Lindisfarne and the site became a place of pilgrimage; however the increasing frequency of the viking raids led to the monks to move and re-inter him. He now lies in Durham Cathedral. I would like to go to Durham Cathedral!