Lindisfarne and Christianity

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Lindisfarne and Christianity
On June 8, 793, Vikings raided and destroyed the entire monastery complex on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. The Viking invasion marked the beginning of a series of attacks that threatened to destroy all that Christianity had gained in Britain over the prior centuries. Monasteries and churches were plundered, and priests fled for their lives. For the next 100 years, it looked as if violent paganism was once again on the march through Britain.
Then, in 878, Alfred the Great, the Christian King of Wessex, started to turn things around with his victory over the Viking warrior Guthrum at the Battle of Eddington. Once the Viking threat subsided, Alfred championed a new system of Christian learning to reach the common people in the rural villages. Alfred believed that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was for all people, not just the richer elites. By the 10th century, English lords were providing small chapels on their land where villagers could use the services of a priest. This sowed the seeds of the parish system.
During the 11th century, it was the Conquest of England led by William the Conqueror of Normandy that cemented the role of the church in England. William implemented widespread building projects at both the monastic and parish levels. In Winchester, for example, the old Saxon church made of wood was replaced by the new Norman cathedral made of stone.
Started in 1079, Winchester Cathedral is now an epic landmark in the city of Winchester - about 70 miles southwest of London. Cathedrals like these are great examples of how Christianity came to dominate the lives of ordinary people during the medieval period in Britain. These huge stone buildings played a central role in community life -- acting as churches, schools, markets, and entertainment venues.
It was also during the Norman period of the 11th century that the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was rebuilt and reestablished as a center for Christian learning. The new monastery then operated until the 16th century, when it was finally shut down.
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