The parish church stands on the site of the wooden church built by St. Aidan in 635 AD, which during the Anglo-Saxon period was replaced by a small stone church. The Benedictine monks of Durham, who in the 12th century began to build the second monastery, decided this should be the parish church and employed and paid a chaplain to care for the villagers.

The building was enlarged twice: once in the 12th century by a Romanesque north arcade and a Norman apse (now gone) and an early English south arcade and chancel in the 13th century. Parts of the original Saxon church survive in the wall containing the chancel arch. The tower and the porch were added later.

At the Reformation the church became Anglican and, as the centuries went by, fell into great disrepair. A thorough restoration in 1860 restored it to a clean, usable state, with oak furnishings in the chancel and pine in the nave.

Originally home to the Lindisfarne Gospels and the site of grisly Viking attacks, a visit to Lindisfarne Priory is a great day out in Northumberland. Sitting offshore on Holy Island and reached by a causeway at low tide, the peaceful atmosphere and beautiful views from the priory make a visit here well worth the effort.

Lindisfarne Priory was an important centre of early Christianity, and the home of St Cuthbert. Today you can marvel at the ornate carvings on the extensive ruins of the monastic buildings and enjoy the serenity that first drew the monks here.

Cuthbert became prior of Lindisfarne in 664, but decided to move to a quieter life of solitude on the island of Inner Farne:

Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island is one of the most important early centres of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England. Founded in 635 and home to a small number of monks, it was to become a shrine when the body of Cuthbert was exhumed 11 years after his burial and found undecayed. Cuthbert was an exceedingly Holy man who became the prior of Lindisfarne in 664 but left for a life of solitude on the island of Inner Farne. He became bishop of Lindisfarne in 685. Fleeing from the Viking raids, the community of monks left Lindisfarne with the body of Cuthbert in 875, re-establishing St Cuthbert’s shrine at Chester-le-street and then in Durham in 995.

Fenwick Lawson’s original sculpture, ‘Cuthbert of Farne’ was carved from an elm tree in 1983 and stood in the cloisters of Durham Cathedral where it was seen by many millions of visitors. In 1999, the Northern Rock Foundation commissioned the artist to cast Cuthbert of Farne in bronze. This sculpture depicts a contemplative Cuthbert, reflecting his religious life and desire for solitude. His interlaced hands echo the stillness and peace he sought, whilst an eider duck broods in sanctuary at his feet.  Lindisfarne itself is also portrayed, with echoes of the many rugged elements of the island on which he lived.*

More C inspiration can be found in the gallery.

*From English Heritage guidebook 2002 and promotional leaflets 2013.