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Aidan (died 651) was the founder and first bishop of the Lindisfarne island monastery in England. He is credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. Aidan is the Anglicised form of the original Old Irish Aedán, Modern Irish Aodhán (meaning ' little fiery one ').
- Monk holding a flaming torch, stag
- 31 August 651, Parish Churchyard, Bamburgh, Northumberland
- c. 590, Ireland
Saint Aidan ; feast day August 31) was an apostle of Northumbria, monastic founder, and the first bishop of Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland. Aidan was a monk at Iona, an island of the Inner Hebrides in Scotland, when King Oswald of Northumbria requested that he be made.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Called By a Saintly King. St. Aidan began his life of service on the Isle of Iona, just off the coast of Scotland. The monastery at Iona was established by Irish monks under St. Columba, another great Celtic missionary during the so-called “dark ages.”
- He Wasn’t the First Missionary to Northumbria. Sometimes, missions don’t work out. In the case of Northumbria, the Abbott of Iona responded to Oswald’s request by sending a monk who was known to be harsh and severe.
- The Asceticism of St. Aidan of Lindisfarne. According to Bede, St. Aidan’s “course of life was so different from the slothfulness of our times.” When you consider that Bede was an 8th century monk, we can begin to imagine the great monastic discipline of Aidan.
- Patron Saint of Firefighters. Along with St. Florian, Aidan of Lindisfarne is the patron saint of firefighters. You’re not alone if that surprises you, but there is a story behind this.
Saint Aidan, also known as Aidan of Lindisfarne and the Apostle of Northumbria, lived from about 590 until 31 August 651. He was an Irish monk and missionary who is said to have restored Christianity to Northumbria. In 635 he founded a monastic settlement on the tidal of Lindisfarne and served as its first bishop.
Aidan of Lindisfarne. (died 651). Not much is known with certainty about the early life of Aidan of Lindisfarne except that he was born in Ireland, was probably a disciple of Senan on Scattery Island, and became a monk on the island of Iona.
Facts. Feastday: August 31. Death: 651. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. Printable Catholic Saints PDFs. Shop St. Aidan. Monastic founder, bishop, and miracle worker known for his kindness to animals. Known as Edan, Modoc, and Maedoc in some records, Aidan was born in Connaught, Ireland.
At the request of King Oswald of Northumbria, Aidan went to Lindisfarne as bishop and was known throughout the kingdom for his knowledge of the Bible, his learning, his eloquent preaching, his holiness, his distaste for pomp, his kindness to the poor, and the miracles attributed to him.
