The old Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria once stretched from the Humber to the Forth. Cuthbert – shepherd, seer and saint to be – was born in the region circa 635, whilst his biographer, the scholarly Bede, lived much of his life at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow.
St Cuthbert was consecrated bishop of Lindisfarne in 685 and was buried in the island monastery in 687. Two hundred years later, under threat of Viking raids, St Cuthbert’s body was removed from Lindisfarne to begin its travels around Northumbria, finally coming to rest – still incorrupt and still venerated – in 1104 in Durham Cathedral.
The bones of the Venerable St Bede, whose Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum earned him the title of the “father of English history”, also lie in Durham Cathedral. St Peter’s in Monkwearmouth, where St Bede began his monastic life, is one of the oldest churches in Britain, whilst St John’s in Escomb, partly constructed from the stones of the nearby Roman fort at Binchester, is one of northern Europe’s finest examples of early Christian architecture.
We stay at the Durham Marriot Hotel Royal County in the centre of Durham; set on the River Wear, the hotel enjoys splendid views of the cathedral and historic quarter.
Date: June 22–25, 2011 |
Cost: £490 |
Lecturer: Mary Dicken |
Course Code: BED211 |
Itinerary
Day 1 Course assembles 1600 at Durham Marriot Hotel Royal County, Durham, for three nights. Sherry reception, followed by evening talk: Britannia Before the Anglo-Saxons.
Day 2 Escomb Saxon church (constructed circa 670), St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth (founded in 674 by Benedict Biscop) then Jarrow: St Paul’s Church (dedicated in 685, home of Bede) and Bede’s World (museum of early mediaeval Northumbria). Evening talk: Anglo-Saxon Kings and Cult of Sainthood.
Day 3 Whole-day excursion to Lindisfarne: St Mary’s Church (reputed site of original monastery), Lindisfarne Priory (home and original burial ground of St Cuthbert), Lindisfarne Heritage Centre (newly-installed facsimile of Lindisfarne Gospels).
Day 4 Morning talk: St Cuthbert and Durham followed by Durham Cathedral: Chapter House, Great Church, Galilee Chapel (St Bede’s tomb), Chapel of Nine Altars, St Cuthbert’s tomb, Treasures of St Cuthbert (10th century Anglo-Saxon embroidery, St Cuthbert’s coffin, Anglo-Saxon manuscripts). Course disperses at hotel by 1300.
Cost
Cost of £490 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, drinks reception, breakfast & dinner, excursions & admissions (except English Heritage properties for non-members).
Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £90.