St. Aidan

Feast day 31 August

Most of our knowledge of Aidan comes from the writings of Bede. He was a monk of Iona, first bishop and abbot of Lindisfarne Little is known of his early life but we know Aidan came to England in 635 from Ireland when Oswald, who had become a Christian during exile at lona, had regained the throne of Northumbria from' Mercian invaders. He looked to Iona for help in the work of conversion; first a severe monk was sent, who soon returned complaining that the Saxons were uncivilised and unteachable; he was replaced by Aidan, who enjoyed a reputation for discretion and prudence.

Oswald gave him the island of Lindisfarne, close to the royal palace Bamburgh, better suited for evangelising Bernicia (Oswald's power-base of northern Northumbria) than York and the southern kingdom of Deira, evangelised by Paulinus. Oswald himself sometimes was Aidan's interpreter in the early days; later Aidan founded churches and monasteries, liberated Anglo-Saxon slave-boys and educated them for the Church. He encouraged monastic practices among the laity, such as fasting and meditation on the Scriptures.

He himself lived in poverty and detachment, which enabled him to reprove the wealthy and powerful when needed. After Oswald's death in 642 Aidan supported King Oswin of Deira and enjoyed his personal friendship. Once Oswin gave him a fine horse, but Aidan gave it away to a poor man. During Lent he retired to the Inner Farne Island for prayer and penance from there in 651 he saw Bamburgh being burnt by Penda, King of Mercia and prayed successfully for the wind to change.

Aidan died at Bamburgh later in 651 and was buried at Lindisfarne in the cemetery. Later his bones were transferred into the church. Some of these were removed to Ireland by Colman, bishop of Lindisfarne, when he retired there after the Synod of Whitby.

The only ancient English church dedicated to him is the parish church of Bamburgh.

John Hayward.