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March 20, 2008

Holy Island, Northumbria

I've just been away for the weekend to Northumbria and Holy Island, or Lindisfarne. I had a lovely much-needed break, with the sun out, and the sea wind whipping across and blowing away the cobwebs. The scenery was beautiful, and the island fascinating, with the historic castle, church, priory, and lime kilns. I only took a few photos. Here is the castle:

But I also found it moving, especially the stories of Aidan and Cuthbert. In 635AD Aidan came from Iona, and settled on Lindisfarne. There he established a monastery as a missionary base to bring the gospel back to England. He and his trainees learned language, lived simply, devoted themselves to prayer and study, lived and ministered with the poor, and went out sharing the gospel and forming Christian communities.

On the island is the church of St Mary, which houses a copy of the Lindisfarne gospels (the original being in the British Library). The beautifully artistic book is the work of Eadfrith, a monk on Lindisfarne, who died in 721. The oldest part of the church is from before the Norman conquest of 1066, and it is thought that it is built on the original site of the original monastery founded by Aidan.

The remains of the priory, built by Benedictine monks following the 1066 Norman conquest, can still be seen:

There is of course a long tradition of fishing on the island, and the harbour is lined with the upturned hulls of large fishing boats, now turned into work sheds. Many of these boats were once part of one of the large Herring Fleets that sailed off the east coast of England.

And finally, just a few scenic shots of the mainland Northumbrian coast and countryside, and of Bamburgh Castle:

Tags: lindisfarne photos

Posted by Keith at March 20, 2008 07:18 PM