SAINT AIDAN - Spirtuality and Sense of Place
We
have chosen Aidan as the appropriate icon for the aspects of the Golden
Age of Northumbria Festival that relate to the Christian religion, spirituality
and the sense of place.
Local community organisations and churches of several denominations have put together a programme of activities, events and talks to celebrate and promote understanding of the role of Northumbria' saints and the early Christian church in the Anglo-Saxon period.
These events are accessible to all.
Edwin was the first Northumbrian king to convert to Christianity. In 627AD, he was baptised by St. Paulinus, a monk from Rome who was chaplain to Edwin’s Kentish Christian queen Ethelberga. Paganism returned to Northumbria after Edwin’s death until his successor Oswald brought the Irish monk Aidan from Iona to found the first monastery on Lindisfarne.
Aidan followed the Celtic form of Christianity brought from Ireland by St. Columba when he founded the monastery on Iona. The Celtic Church differed from the Roman tradition in several matters of doctrine and digma. It was less bureaucratic and hierarchical than the Church of Rome and Celtic monks were attracted to remote places like Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands where they could commune more closely with God through the natural world around them.
In the monastery school on Lindisfarne, Aidan taught the sons of high status Northumbrian families to become monks. Many of them, such as Cedd and his brother Chad, Eata and Wilfrid, travelled as missionaries spreading Christianity throughout Britain and abroad, converting pagan kings and establishing monasteries and bishoprics.
During the next two centuries Lindisfarne monastery gained an international reputation as a centre for Christian teaching and learning. As a result, Lindisfarne is often referred to as “the Cradle of English Christianity”.
Programme of Events
Spirituality and Sense of Place
St.
Aidan's Festival
Friday 22nd-Sunday 31st August - Holy Island and Bamburgh
Each year local churches and community groups organise a programme of activities and events to celebrate the Feast of St. Aidan (31st August).
A programme of the main events will be available in eqrly summer 2008.
Heritage
Open Days Historic Churches Trail
Sunday 14th September, 11.00am-4.00pm
Explore some of the area' historic churches and enjoy guided tours and other special activities on this special one-day heritage trail.
FREE ADMISSION TO ALL SITES ON THE TRAIL
A special guided coach tour will depart from Berwick at 10.00am and follow the Hiistoric Churches Trail. The coach will return to Berwick at 5.00pm. Ticket £7.
To book seats on the coach tour, contact timetoexplore@btinternet.com or Tel: 01289 330218 by 5pm on Thursday 11th September.
The Historic Churches Trail is arranged in association with Berwick Civic Society and the national Heritage Open Days programme.
Contesting
Beliefs
Friday 10th-Sunday 12th October - Berwick and Holy Island
Through a mix of drama, debate and illustrated talks by expert speakers, Contesting Beliefs explores the issues that divided Christians in 7th century Northumbria.
The conflict culminated in 664AD at the Synod of Whitby, where St. Wilfrid’s championing of the cause of the Roman Church resulted in Northumbria abandoning the Celtic tradition that Aidan had brought from Iona.
Contesting Beliefs appropriately marks the Feast Days of Saints Paulinus (10th October), Edwin and Wilfrid (12th October).
