Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland

Steeped in legends of miracles, this mysteriously romantic site is heightened by its desolate location off the coast of Northumberland. Recognised as an important Christian centre in Anglo-Saxon England, Lindisfarne Priory is one of those places where the anticipation of a visit is far outweighed by the actual experience.

In 635 a simple monastery was founded by St Aiden at Lindisfarne. Towards the end of the 7th century Cuthbert was persuaded to give up his life as a hermit and become Bishop of the monastery. Shortly after his death, the famous Lindisfarne Gospels were produced, possibly in celebration of St Cuthbert's enshrinement in the monastic church. Firmly established as a place of pilgrimage, it continued to grow in wealth and power, but its treasures eventually attracted the unwanted attention of Danish raiders. After eight long decades of suffering, the monks finally abandoned their Lindisfarne Priory and fled to the mainland. On reaching Durham with their precious relics, including the body of St Cuthbert, they settled into community life until the end of the 11th century.

A new Norman cathedral was built at Durham, populated by a community of Benedictine monks, and it was at this time that a renewed interest was shown in Lindisfarne. Keen to follow in the footsteps of their patron saint, a small group of monks settled on Holy Island, as it then became known, and they began to build a new priory church. Lindisfarne Priory was a cell of Durham Cathedral, always quite small, and totally dependent on the mother house.

Once the church was completed, the domestic accommodation was added during the 13th century, but no more than 10 monks were thought to reside at Lindisfarne Priory at any time. Less than 100 years later major alterations were needed to fortify the monastery as it was in an extremely vulnerable position when the Scottish Border wars began. Even though there were probably only five or six monks at Lindisfarne Priory throughout these troubled times, it somehow managed to survive until 1537 when it was closed by order of Henry VIII.

By the early 17th century the site had been largely deserted. As Lindisfarne Priory progressively decayed, large sections collapsed and many of the buildings were demolished. In the 1820s a sympathetic owner took the first steps to clearing the rubbled site and putting repairs in hand to preserve the surviving ruins, and a major excavation of the site was commenced in 1888.

Despite there being few walls existing to a good height today, the bold round pillars and distinctive Norman arches of the nave arcade still present a daunting spectacle in their weather-tinted stone. The image of this powerful, dark red priory fortress surrounded by religion and mystique, must surely have been a formidable one during the Middle Ages. All the more so for the fact that it was virtually cut off from the mainland during high tide and, quite probably, clouded in thick mists for many weeks (as it was when we visited in early April!).

Lindisfarne Priory is not just another ruined site on the list of 'must visits'. It is a magical place. A place where imagination is more important than seeing the physical evidence. Almost unwillingly you will be drawn back to the harsh, religious life led by Cuthbert, you will visualise the Vikings causing havoc in this gentle community, and you will feel the pain of those early monks who fled with the sacred treasures back to the safety of Durham. Once visited, Holy Island will live in your memory forever.