Ancient Diocese and Monastery of Lindisfarne
(Lindisfarnensis).
The island of Lindisfarne lies some two miles off the
Northumberland coast, nine and one-half miles southeast of the
border-town of Berwick. Its length is about three miles and its
breadth about one and one-half. At low water it is joined to the
mainland. Twice each day it is accessible by means of a three-mile
track from Beal across the sands. The wet and plashy road is
indicated by wooden posts. This island is now usually called Holy
Island, a designation dating back to the eleventh century.
Lindisfarne is famous for being the mother-church and religious
capital of Northumbria, for here St. Aidan, a Columban monk-bishop
from Iona, founded his see in 635. The resemblance of Lindisfarne
to the island whence St. Aidan came has obtained for it the title
of the Iona of England. Aidan's mission was started at the request
of King Oswald, who had been educated by the Celtic monk, and who
then resided on the mainland at the royal fortress of Bamborough.
Holy Isle became the center of great missionary activity and also
the episcopal seat of sixteen successive bishops. The influence of
these spiritual leaders was considerable, owing in great measure
to the patronage afforded by kings such as St. Oswald. Not only
did St. Aidan fix his see here, but he also established a monastic
community, thus conforming himself, as Bede says, to the practice
of St. Augustine at Canterbury (Hist. eccl., IV, xxvii). From this
monastery were founded all the churches between Edinburgh and the
Humber, as well as several others in the great midland district
and in the country of the East Angles. Among the holy and famous
men educated in Lindisfarne were St. Ceadda (Chad) of Lichfield
and his brothers Cedd, Cynibill, Caelin, also St. Egbert, St.
Edilhun, St. Ethelwin, St. Oswy the King, and the four bishops of
the Middle Angles: Diuma, Cellach, Trumhere, and Jaruman. Bishop
Eata was one of the native Northumbrian boys whom Aidan had taken
to Lindisfarne "to be instructed in Christ". St. Adamnan visited
the monastery, and St. Wilfrid received his early training there.
The original buildings were probably of wood. We gain some notion
of their unpretending character from the fact that St. Finan,
Aidan's successor, found it necessary to reconstruct the church so
as to make it more worthy of the see. This he did after the Irish
fashion, using hewn oak with a roof of reeds. A later bishop,
Eadbert, removed the reeds and substituted sheets of lead. This
modest structure was dedicated by Archbishop Theodore of
Canterbury in honour of St. Peter, and within it, on the right
side of the altar, reposed the body of St. Aidan. Portions of this
primitive cathedral existed in 1082, when they disappeared to make
room for a more elaborate and lasting edifice. Owing probably to a
desire to guard against irregularities, such as had taken place at
Coldingham, entrance to the church was not permitted to women. For
the latter a special church was provided, called the Green Church
form its situation in a green meadow. This exclusion of women was
for a time observed at Durham.
Lindisfarne owes much of its glory to St. Cuthbert, who ruled its
church for two years, and whose incorrupt body was there venerated
during two centuries. In 793 the Danes invaded the island,
pillaged the church, and slaughtered or drowned the monks. In 875
they returned, bent on further destruction, but the monks had
fled, bearing with them St. Cuthbert's shrine. This took place
during the episcopate of Bishop Eardulf, who was the last to rule
the see of Lindisfarne. The half ruined church, however, gave
temporary shelter to the relics of St. Cuthbert at the time when
William the Conqueror was engaged in subduing Northumbria, but the
see was never re-established there. It was fixed for a time at
Chester-le-Street by Eardulf, and in 995 transferred to Durham.
Here it remained till the change of religion in the sixteenth
century. The Anglican succession, however, still continues. When
the hierarchy was restored to England by Pius IX in 1850, this
venerable Catholic bishopric was refounded under the title of
Hexham and Newcastle.
The ecclesiastical ruins on Holy Island date from the eleventh
century. By a charter of 1082 Bishop Carileph bestowed the church
of Lindisfarne on the Benedictines, whom he had brought to Durham
from Wearmouth and Jarrow; and for them he began the Norman church
the remains of which still exist. His successor, Bishop Flambard,
completed the work, the architect being a monk from Durham named
"XX"dward. The succession of priors and monks was always appointed
by the mother-church of Durham, and their yearly accounts were
rendered to the same parent-house. From these statements, still
extant, we gather that in its best days the priory income was
equal to about 1200 pounds of present money. During the priorate
of Thomas Sparke (1536) the house was dissolved, and at his death,
in 1571, the property passed into the hands of the Dean and
Chapter of Durham. Since 1613 the site of the priory has belonged
to the crown. The church, under the invocation of St. Cuthbert,
was a copy of Durham Cathedral on a small scale. The similarity is
especially observable in the voluted and chevroned columns of the
nave. Its length was 150 feet. The tower was still standing in
1728. A pilgrimage, consisting of 3000 persons, crossed the sands
to Holy Island in 1887 -- the twelfth centenary of St. Cuthbert's
death. The following is a list of the Bishops of Lindisfarne, with
dates of accession:
1.Aidan, 635; 2.Finan, 652; 3.Colman, 661; 4.Tuda, 664;
(For fourteen years Lindisfarne was included in Diocese of York
under Chad and Wilfrid.) 5.Eata, 678; 6.Cutbert, 685; 7.Eadbert,
688; 8.Eadfrid, 698; 9.Ethelwold, 724; 10.Cynewulf, 740;
11.Higbald, 780; 12.Egbert, 803; 13.Heathored, 821; 14.Ecgred,
830; 15.Eanbert, 845; 16.Eardulf, 854.
The book called the "Lindisfarne Gospels" ("St. Cuthbert's
Gospels" or the "Durham Book") is still preserved in the British
Museum Library (Cotton manuscript, Nero D. iv). This copy must not
be confounded with a small copy of St. John's Gospel found in St.
Cuthbert's coffin in 1104, and now at Stonyhurst. The former was
written at Lindisfarne by Eadfrid "in honour of St. Cuthbert"
about 700. It consists of 258 leaves of thick vellum, 13 1/2 X 9
7/8 inches, and contains the Four Gospels in the Latin of St.
Jerome's Version, written in double columns with an interlinear
Saxon gloss -- the earliest form of the Gospels in English. It
also contains St. Jerome's Epistle to Pope Damasus, his Prefaces,
the Eusebian Canons, arguments of each Gospel, and "Capitula", or
headings of the lessons. The glossator, Aldred, states that the
ornamentation was the work of Ethelwold (724-740), and that the
precious metal cover was made by Bilfrid (Billfrith) the
anchorite. It is written in a splendid uncial hand, and adorned
with intricate patterns, consisting of interlaced ribbons, spiral
lines, and geometrical knots, terminating sometimes in heads of
birds and beasts. The intervening spaces are filled with red dots
in various designs. Before each Gospel is a representation of the
Evangelist. A table of festivals with special lessons seems to
indicate that this manuscript was copied from one used at a church
in Naples. (For a fuller treatment of the origin of the
manuscript, see Dom Chapman's "Early History of the Vulgate
Gospels", where he gives a slightly different view of the
subject.) The book remained at Lindisfarne till the flight of the
monks, about 878, when it was carried away together with the
relics. During the attempted passage to Ireland, it fell into the
sea, but was miracuously recovered after four days. In 995 it was
brought to Durham, and afterwards replaced in Lindisfarne, when
the church there was rebuilt. For the space of 100 years it was
lost sight of. In 1623 it was in the possession of Robert Bowyer,
clerk to the House of Commons. He disposed of it to Sir Robert
Cotton, whence it passed to the British Museum. Traces of its
immersion in the sea have been detected by experts. Its present
precious binding was a gift of Bishop Maltby. The codex was edited
by Stevenson and Waring (1854-65), and by Skeat (1887).
COLUMBA EDMONDS
Transcribed by Paul Knutsen
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc.
Taken from the New Advent Web Page (www.knight.org/advent).
This article is part of the Catholic Encyclopedia Project, an
effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
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editor of the New Advent Catholic Website. If you would like to
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