St. Cuthbert Pectoral Cross

Description

c. 640 670 AD. The gold original is decorated with cloisonné enamel, garnets and a white shell centre.

St. Cuthbert entered a monastery at the age of 15. As a Prior he travelled to remote places to spread the Gospel and later became the Prior of Lindisfarne. For many years he was a recluse on Farne Island but the King of Northumberland finally persuaded him to take on the duties of Bishop of Lindisfarne. His solitary life left him in poor health and two years later he died. He was buried in the monastery church but when the Vikings invaded the area 200 years later, the monks were forced to flee and took Cuthbert’s body with them. They finally found a resting place for it at Chester-le-Street, County Durham. Its final resting place is in Durham Cathedral where a mighty canopy hangs over it. Cathedral Treasury, Durham Height 64mm