Holy Island

Holy Island or Lindisfarne, island just off the coast of Northumberland, north-eastern England, connected via a causeway at low tide, and made of dolerite formed by volcanic rock cooling in vertical pillars. It now accommodates a large variety of seabirds. Holy Island's area is around 10 sq km (4 sq mi), being of two roughly circular parts connected by an isthmus. Its population is about 200.

Holy Island was a very early site of Anglo-Saxon settlement; in 635 St Aidan, a missionary disciple of St Columba, came from Iona and founded a monastery on Lindisfarne which became a centre of Christianity for the north-east. From 664 to 676 St Cuthbert was prior of the monastery, and he was consecrated Bishop of Lindisfarne in 685. At the end of the 7th century the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the most important and beautiful of Hiberno-Saxon illustrated manuscripts, were produced in the monastery. The monastery was destroyed by Danish Vikings in 793, and the island evacuated by its monks. In 1081 the Normans established a priory, and around this time the island became important as a trading place. A castle was built for its defence in 1549. More recently it has been used for mining.