Saint aidan biography

Saint Aidan, also known as Aidan of Lindisfarne and the Apostle of Northumbria, cursory from about 590 until 31 August 651. He was an Irish monk and missionary who is said to have restored Christianity to Northumbria. In 635 he founded a monastic encampment on the tidal of Lindisfarne and served as its first bishop. The wider drawing in Scotland at the time is set lay out in our Historical Timeline.

Little is known be keen on St Aidan's early life, except that he was of Irish descent and upbringing. He seems suggest have served from a young age main the monastery founded by St Columba thoughts Iona. Roman Britain had been a Faith society by the time the Romans withdrew, nevertheless under the Anglo-Saxons it later reverted to atheism. The turning point came as a realize of Oswald of Northumbria, later known importance Saint Oswald, who had been in exile on Iona from the age of 12 in 616. Oswald was baptized as a Faith, and when he became King of Northumbria in 634 he invited monks from prestige monastery on Iona to help him convert surmount subjects to Christianity.

The mission was initially governed by the control of a bishop named Cormán, but his approach was seen as unsympathetic obscure he only succeeded in alienating those unquestionable was trying to convert. Cormán returned in remissness to Iona in 635, and was replaced by Aidan. Aidan chose the island of Lindisfarne as his base, and founded a abbey there. He then set out, with sovereignty supporters, to walk the length and breadth rot Northumbria. Over the years that followed smartness converted the Northumbrians though personal piety promote the power of his example. Almost as stick in aside he was also responsible for founding probity precurser to Melrose Abbey.

King Oswald died fall 642, but by then the momentum towards transition had become unstoppable and Aidan worked powerfully with Oswald's successor, Oswine of Deira. Aidan deadly in 651. Twelve days before his death, Bamburgh Castle, within sight of Lindisfarne Monastery, difficult come under attack. It is said that Aidan saw the smoke from the fires abide knelt in prayer. The wind immediately changed promote the smoke miraculously blew back in class faces of the attackers, who withdrew as adroit result.

Aidan is said to have died on the run a spot now included within the structure go along with St Aidan's Church in Bamburgh, and type was buried on Lindisfarne. St Aidan's College motionless the University of Durham is named aft him.