Lindisfarne Priory |
| Hob Uid: 7835 | |
Location :
Northumberland
Holy Island
|
| Grid Ref : NU1261041720 |
| Summary : The remains of the monastery founded circa AD 634 by Aidan, a missionary bishop of Iona, and ruins of its medieval successor. It was founded in the Celtic Christian tradition, but, after the Synod of Whitby in AD 664, conformed to Western Christianity. In AD 793 the monastery was sacked in the first Viking raid on England (1578669). In AD 875 the community fled before a second Viking onslaught. In 1081, the site became the property of the Benedictine priory and convent of Durham and was refounded as a cell of the cathedral monastery. The priory was dissolved in 1537.No remains of the pre-Conquest church and monastery have yet been found at Lindisfarne. Knowledge of the site comes chiefly from contemporary records. The upstanding remains and current layout of Lindisfarne Priory are entirely post-Conquest in origin. The earliest building is the priory church which was begun at the end of the 11th century and extended circa 1140. The later cloister ranges date mainly to the late 12th and 13th centuries. The earliest remains are of the ground floor of the west range, dating to between 1190 and 1210, used for storage until the 14th century when it was split into three and used as a buttery or pantry. The 13th century east cloister range include the remains of the chapterhouse. In the 14th century a new prior's lodging was created at the junction between the east and south ranges with a warming house below. West of the prior's lodgings are the remains of the 13th century monks' frater and kitchen. In the 14th century, a brewhouse and bakehouse were added to the west and include the remains of a tub and large oven. South of the cloister is the outer court of the priory, built circa 1300 and included the gatehouse into the priory and guest house. The Priory is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, Listed Grade I, and is managed by English Heritage. |
More information : NU 126417] Remains of [NAT] Lindisfarne Priory [NR]
(Benedictine founded A.D. 1081. [NAT]. (1)
See Guidebook. (2)
As described, and open to the public. (3)
I Lindisfarne Priory Ancient Monument. Founded originally by St. Aidan from Iona in 635. Re-founded as a cell of Durham in Norman times. Now extensive ruins in dark red sand-stone. The church is almost entirely 12th century, originally with an apse but altered later in the century. Rib vaults in chancel and transepts. Nave piers similar to those at Durham. The ruins of the monastic buildings adjoin the S. side, built in grey stone (like the parish church) in the 13th century and later. The West wall is well preserved, but the rest is fragmentary. (4)
Lindisfarne Priory. Grade I. (5)
NU 1261 4172. Lindisfarne Priory pre-Conquest monastery and post-Conquest Benedictine cell. Scheduled RSM No 23235. Monastic remains of both periods will survive outside the precinct of the later monastery but these have not been included in the Scheduling as their extent and state of preservation is not yet sufficiently understood. Except for a number of 8th and 9th century carved stones, no remains of the pre-Conquest church and monastery have yet been found at Lindisfarne. The upstanding remains and current layout are entirely post-Conquest in origin. Full architectural and historical account. (6)
Additional references. (7-11)
At least 50 fragments of Anglo-Saxon stonework have been found on Holy Island, most from the priory, although some have been found at other locations. The fragments comprise:
Twenty-one cross fragments of the period 750-999;
Fifteen grave slab fragments of the mid 7th-8th centuries, and the end of the 9th century;
A 9th century slab;
several unspecified fragments of the 9th-11th centuries.
Many of the pieces are in the Priory Museum on Holy Island. (12)
Lindisfarne Priory was mapped as a part of the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey for the North East. The Priory and associated features are visible on air photographs as ruined buildings, centred at NU 1261 4172. The features are still extant on the latest 2003 NMR oblique photography.
(13)
Source gives visitor details current to 2009/10. (14)
The English Heritage guidebook to the site, updated 2005, includes a "tour" of the remains of the site and an overview of its history. It features a number of historic images and also reconstruction drawings, annotated photographs and clear phase plans. (15) |