There are few places you can step out of the car, breathe in 2000 years of history and take in breathtaking scenery. The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is one of these places and the ruins of its priory have an unforgettable quality.

The priory we see today was founded in Norman Times as a daughter house of the Benedictine Abbey of Durham. Before that however a far older monastery was here founded by St Aiden in 635 A.D. consisting of Irish monks who followed the Celtic tradition of Christianity as opposed to the Roman.

Little remains of this community as the buildings would have been wattle and daub constructions but an interesting exhibition in the village church gives further details as do the fascinating displays in the Museum and Heritage Centres.

The world famous Lindisfarne gospels were created here and the island will be forever associated with St Cuthbert. The priory was sacked by the Vikings in 793 A.D., the first such raid on a monastic house in England, and these continued throughout the following century. So much so, that in 875 A.D. the monks fled from the island with the body of St Cuthbert, eventually arriving at Durham about a century later.

The Norman priory that we see today started off as a small church but by 1200 the standard monastery plan had been established.  It is interesting to note that the monks realised they were not immune to the border troubles and the priory has much evidence of this.

The Prior’s lodgings have strong defences, a new perimeter wall with a wall walk was constructed and arrow slits can still be seen today in the upper parts of the west gable above the main doorway.

 The Anglican Parish Church is the oldest building on the island and reputed to stand on the site of the original monastery founded by Aidan. Indeed parts of the church date back to the 7th century, several hundred years before the appearance of the Priory.  It is even possible that some of these stones could be from the church that was built around St Aidan’s wooden church.

St Cuthbert's Isle can be reached at low tide from Holy Island. St Cuthbert would come here when he wished to be alone and the remains of his small chapel can still be seen.

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