Welcome to Medieval Moments, a new series of short and (hopefully) sweet snapshots of life in the Middle Ages. These posts are designed to be read and enjoyed in just a moment or two, and will enable us to take a quick peek through the historical keyhole into all corners of the medieval world.

Subjects in the spotlight might be anything, from an object or person to a place, or perhaps the story behind something familiar that has its origins in the period. We won’t be covering full histories here, just focusing on a single relic or event from the past. With a little context thrown in, we can gain some fascinating insights into the medieval world, or simply discover what’s out there to go and see. But whatever is being covered, I hope you enjoy a moment’s break from the madness of the modern world. In this first episode we’ll go for a short but scenic walk to explore the natural sandstone marvel known as St Cuthbert’s Cave near Belford in Northumberland.

More of an overhanging outcrop than a cave, we set out to find this historical gem nestling high up in the Kyloe Hills after visiting Lindisfarne this summer. What we found was an oasis of peace and natural beauty, and the spiritual legacy of the man they called the ‘Wonder-worker of England’.

Beautiful views towards the Cheviot Hills on the walk to St Cuthbert’s Cave

Born around 634 AD, Cuthbert was, and still is, the star of the saintly show in the North, his reputation eclipsing all other leading churchmen of the age. His origins are veiled in mystery, but in 651, when he was only sixteen years old, he received a calling he couldn’t ignore. One star-spangled night as he was tending sheep on a hillside near Melrose, Cuthbert saw a vision of angels raising the soul of Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, to heaven. This divine spectacle, it turned out, had coincided precisely with the time of Aidan’s death.

St Cuthbert, the ‘Wonder-worker of England’, as shown in a 12th Century wall painting in Durham Cathedral

Some beautiful woodland leads to our destination

Intensely moved by his vision, the young shepherd resolved to devote his life to the service of God. He joined the monasteries first at Melrose, and then Ripon before, at the age of 30, travelling to Lindisfarne Priory, where he lived as a monk, hermit and, for a time, the bishop. Described by Bede as ‘a very pleasant and affable man’, Cuthbert was an exemplary Christian. Widely revered for his values of humility, simplicity and tolerance, he was also famed for his love of wildlife and the natural world. He died in 687, but although his earthly days were at an end, his body was to take on a notable afterlife of its own.

The first imposing sight of St Cuthbert’s Cave in it’s tranquil wooded surroundings

Cuthbert was buried in the Church of St Peter at Lindisfarne, but some eleven years later in 698 his body was transferred to a newly built tomb. When exhumed, his body was found to be as fully intact and preserved as it was on the day he died, a sure sign of Cuthbert’s sanctity. With numerous miracles reported at the new shrine, Holy Island became the foremost pilgrimage destination in Northumbria.

This commemorative stone, featuring St Cuthbert’s Cross and entitled ‘Feather Star Mantle’, was placed in the presbytery of the twelfth century Lindisfarne Priory in 2022. It marks the spot where Cuthbert’s original monument may have been located.

But in 793 the Vikings arrived to attack Lindisfarne, hailing a new age of peril for the priory. By 875 it was considered too risky for the monks to stay, so they fled, taking the relics of their beloved saint with them. The homeless monastic community took the show on the road, lugging Cuthbert’s coffin from place to place, with no fixed abode for eight years until 883 when they finally settled at their new home in Chester-le-Street. And that long and winding journey is where St Cuthbert’s Cave comes in, as this is believed to be one of the sites at which the monks and their precious cargo took shelter.  

Supported by a natural stone pillar, the rocky overhanging outcrop is some 24m in width and 3m high, providing plenty of space for a roving band of monks and their saintly companion…

The interior of the cave is some 7m deep

The cave also boasts a second, more earthly connection with Cuthbert. It’s thought that he may have spent time here living as a hermit before moving to the Farne Islands, where even greater isolation allowed him to focus on prayer, and to commune with the wild creatures around him.

In 995, Cuthbert’s remains were finally enshrined at Durham, where he still lies in the grand Cathedral dedicated to his memory. I’m sure he would have been glad to end his posthumous travels and be allowed, at last, to rest in a sacred place for all eternity. But knowing his love for seclusion and the natural world, I think he’d have been just as happy to stay in the peaceful tranquility of the ancient cave that still bears his name.