Small island near LindisfarneLindisfarne Also known as Holy Island, a peninsula off the coast of north-east England (Northumbria), this area is cut off from the mainland by the tide twice a day. A monastic community was founded here by St Aidan, in emulation of Iona. From Lindisfarne, missionary activity was conducted in the kingdom of Northumbria. The Anglo-Saxon community produced saints, the most prominent being St Cuthbert in whose honour the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels were written. to which St CuthbertCuthbert, St (d. 687) Celtic monk and hermit. Bishop of Lindisfarne 685. retreated to live as a hermitHermit (Greek eremos 'desert') Person who has retired from society to follow the spiritual life in solitude. Unlike anchorites not confined to one spot