Explore Heritage

Love Heritage? Fascinated by the beauty, art, and architecture of historic churches? Intrigued by the meaning behind them?

Rievaulx AbbeyAbbey 1. Community of monks or nuns under the rule of an abbot or abbess. This is the higher grade of monastery, as opposed to the lower priory. 2. Building which they occupy., English Heritage

Curious about the stories of those whose beliefs and actions helped create the landscape and society we live in today? This website offers a window into past centuries, especially the not-so-dark ‘Dark Ages’ when faithFaith 1. Belief and trust in someone or something. 2. Acceptance of particular religious teachings. and courage changed the world.

Explore the Heritage Resources

The story of NorthumbriaNorthumbria Northumbria was an early medieval Anglian kingdom in what is now Northern England and South Scotland.

In 627, nearly 1400 years ago, the King of Northumbria made a decision which has influenced the rich history and heritage of the North to the present day. He chose to be baptised and adopt the ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. faith which had come from RomeRome This Italian city was the capital of the Roman Empire and, with the primacy accorded to the bishops of Rome (the popes), the centre of the Western Church from the late-Antique period onwards. Rome was not only the administrative centre, but an important source of innovation, relics and liturgy. Missionaries from Rome played an important role in the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England from late 6th century onward..

And, although he was killed in battle only five years later, Christianity still took root and flourished. Less than a century later, the kingdom of Northumbria, lying at the uttermost edge of the known world, had become a dynamic centre of scholarship, artistic skill, and scientific investigation. It was a place where cultures met and produced treasures we can still admire and enjoy.

With the Church came literacy and access to the vast intellectual resources of ancient Greece and Rome. The skills needed to build in stone and create stained glass were imported and taught.

Precious metals, gems, and elaborate textiles were used to adorn places of worshipWorship 1. Doing homage and giving honour and respect to God. The Bible includes a wide range of physical expression in worship, including bowing down, lifting hands, dancing, processions and singing. The main day on which Christians gather for communal worship is Sunday (the day when Christ is believed to have risen from the dead). 2. Christian liturgy including sung material and prayers of thanksgiving and praise. and fill them with light and wonder. Celtic, Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, and Mediterranean influences combined to produce manuscripts of extraordinary beauty such as the Lindisfarne GospelsLindisfarne Gospels A richly illuminated and decorated book of Gospels produced 696-698 by the monk Eadfrith on the Holy Island, Lindisfarne in Northumbria, in honour of St Cuthbert. The manuscript is in the British Library, (Cotton MS Nero D iv)., blazing with jewel-bright colours.

St CuthbertCuthbert, St (d. 687) Celtic monk and hermit. Bishop of Lindisfarne 685.’s ShrineShrine In origin a Germanic word meaning a chest or reliquary, this term describes something which contains a sacred object. It can thus be applied to an elaborate tomb around the body of a saint, a cabinet containing a relic or to the whole architectural complex where such a body or relic rest, DurhamDurham Durham Cathedral has its origins in the small church built in 995 to protect the relics of St Cuthbert. A century later, construction began on the church of the Benedictine Abbey, and Cuthbert's remains were transferred there and placed in a shrine in 1104. In 1242 the bones of Cuthbert were once again moved, this time to a shrine near the entrance of the Chapel of the Nine Altars. CathedralCathedral (Latin cathedra' throne') Church which contains the throne of the bishop and hence the mother church of the diocese. Photo Credit: David Wood

Over the centuries which followed, the Christian faith played a major role in creating the heritage and culture we share.

It transformed art, architecture, craftsmanship, learning, law, literature, politics, spiritualitySpirituality Term used to describe the experiential dimensions of religion, encompassing aspects such as prayer, meditation, contemplation, and mysticism., and social care. Understanding more of that story, can greatly enhance our experience of the rich inheritance which is ours to explore.