Gerald Bonner, D.W. Rollason, Clare Stancliffe
St Cuthbert, His Cult and His Community to AD 1200
Cuthbert, saintly bishop of Holy Island in the 7th century, who lived and died a hermit on the rocky island of Farne, was also a figure of great political and territorial power, in his life and even more so after his death. Several early Lives of him were written, two by Bede himself, and his tomb attracted sumptuous treasures - among them a portable altar, the figured wooden coffin, the Lindisfarne gospels and rare elaborately worked silks. The community founded by Cuthbert revered him as perpetual guardian and landowner, and he was credited with making one king and inspiring the loyalty of others, not least of Alfred. Tradition also has it that in 995 he miraculously chose Durham as the site for his church: the wealth and prestige of his community laid the foundation for the later power of the prince-bishops of Durham. The studies in this book, ranging over the saint's life, Lindisfarne and its manuscripts, the treasures of the coffin, and the Community and the cult, vividly convey Cuthbert's great influence, and his significance in the early history of England.
RRP £30.00 Paperback
