Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
 Abbeys |
This ancient monastic site, also known by its Celtic name Lindisfarne, was one of the brightest beacons of Christianity during the Dark Ages. A monastery was founded here in AD 634 by St Aidan and flourished for a number of centuries. St Cuthbert taught here until his death in 687, in which year he was buried in the local church but, Viking raids in 875 led to the monks fleeing the island with St Cuthbert's bones - both they and the bones eventually found a permanent home in Durham.
Nearby the church are the remains of a Benedictine priory, built in 1093 - a local museum is now the keeper of religious relics from this monastic ruin. A small castle was built on a rocky crag on the island in the 16th century, to defend the harbour from aggressors - it eventually fell into disrepair, and thus it remained until, in 1902, Edwin Lutyens received a commission to restore it. On the site of the former castle, he constructed the romantic Lindisfarne Castle that now dominates the island. In St Mary's Church, visitors are fortunate enough to be able to see a copy of the famous and beautifully worked Lindisfarne Gospels, illuminated here in the 7th century and kept securely for centuries in Durham - the original may now be seen in the British Museum.
Holy Island would seem an ideal prospect for the secluded monastic life of contemplation, it is remote, barren and eternally windswept, surrounded by sand-flats which are covered twice a day by the tides - careful attention to the tide table is recommended here before visitors cross to the island via the causeway.
Apart from the history of the place the other attraction here is the swarming birdlife, much of it coming from the nearby Farne Islands - these islands also provide breeding grounds for Grey Seals, often to be seen basking offshore of Lindisfarne.