meditation on the Gospels and lived himself in poverty. With Oswald’s death in 642 AD, Aidan became friends with Oswin, the king of the southern Northumbrian kingdom of Deira. Some report that Aidan extended his mission even further afield — through the midlands and even as far as London. Aidan died on 31 August 651 AD at Bamburgh. His body was taken to Lindisfarne and buried in the cemetery. Sometime later, his bones were removed to the monastery church. Lindisfarne was ransacked by the Vikings in 793 AD, after which Aidan’s reputation diminished somewhat. However, St Bede thought very highly of Aidan, perhaps more than of any other saint, and wrote of him: “He neither sought nor loved anything of this world, but delighted in distributing immediately to the poor whatever was given to him by kings or rich men of the world. He traversed both town and country on foot, never on horseback, unless compelled by some urgent necessity. Wherever on his way he saw any, either rich or poor, he invited them, if pagans, to embrace the mystery of the faith; or if they were believers, he sought to strengthen them in their faith and stir them up by words and actions to alms and good works.” Our House banner which hangs in the House Study, and shown below, was designed and made by the girls during our House retreat in 2012. The three scenes in the banner depict from left to right; 1 - St Aidan's prayers from his cell at nearby Lindisfarne Abbey, reversed the winds thus reversing the fires set at a besieged Bamburgh Castle by an attacking pagan army. The attackers saw this change in the wind and fires as a sign that Bamburgh was defended by a higher spiritual power and so abandoned their siege. 2 - St Aidan as Bishop of Northumbria. 3 - St Aidan establishing Lindisfarne Abbey on what is now known as Holy Island.
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