Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland.
  The priory was founded in 634 by St Aiden, who had been sent there from Iona at the request of King Oswald of Northumbria. In its early years, it was entirely Celtic in tradition, and headed by Saint Aidan. Very soon it became the seat of a bishop, though the Venerable Bede wasn’t happy as the church was not yet built of stone. Lindisfarne became the centre of Christian evangelism for a wide area, especially England’s east coast.
  The most distinguished monk was Cuthbert (634 – 687) who became bishop in 684.
 In 793 the Viking attacked. The abbey survived for a while but in 875 the monks fled, taking Cuthbert with them – he’s now in Durham cathedral. The monastery was re-established in 1093, and most of the ruins shown here date from then.  The parish church of St Mary the Virgin is on the site of the original monastic church, and still retains some Saxon elements. The church contains a splendid carving by Fenwick Lawson called 'Journey'. It shows the monks of Lindsifarne carrying the remains of St Cuthbert off to safety. It was installed in 1999.