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Religion in Northumberland |
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In the Early Middle Ages, the North of England was under the rule of the Germanic people known as the Angles while the South was occupied by the Saxons. Ethelfrith, King of Bernicia in the North also became ruler of Deira, the Saxon area in the South. These two areas made up what would become known as Northumbria and so Ethelfrith was the first King to rule the united area.
While the boundaries of old 'Northumbria' aren’t exactly the same of modern Northumberland, they are close enough to be considered the same general area, and the name comes from this earlier Kingdom. The Romans had already adopted Christianity by the 4th century, but it was only when Ethelfrith’s son, Oswald, became King, that England fully invested itself in religious teachings.
In 635AD, King Oswald sent a monk named Aidan to Lindisfarne to found a monastery. Joined by monks from Iona, Saint Aidan managed to successfully establish this most famous of religious places. To this day, this tidal island joined to the Northumbrian coast by a causeway, is still called Holy Island and is a popular destination for anyone interested in the religious history of the United Kingdom.
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Just south of Northumberland, Durham Cathedral, another prominent icon of England’s Christian past, owes its establishment to the monks of Lindisfarne. Due to a Viking raid in 793AD, they were forced to leave their precious monastery and find a new place of sanctuary. Taking with them the famous Lindisfarne Gospels and the body of venerated Saint Cuthbert, the itinerant diocese went from place to place until finally settling close to the River Wear.
Saint Cuthbert, the county’s patron Saint and one of the most significant religious figures at the time of his life on Lindisfarne, drew many pilgrims to the area. The White Church, a rudimentary structure used to house his relics and coffin, became the site for the Cathedral. The building which stands today was begun in 1093, around 200 years after the monks left the Island. The Cathedral has played a major role in the England’s history and continues to do so.
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Hexam Abbey and Brinkburn Priory are also worth noting, as is the famous Bamburgh Castle, all of which have played a part in Northumberland’s religious past.
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