Cuthbert
7th-century Anglo-Saxon bishop, monk, hermit and saint (635–687)
Feast: 20 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Cuthbert, probably of humble birth near Melrose, was a shepherd boy who in 651 saw in a vision the soul of St Aidan carried to heaven, and became a monk of Melrose. He accepted the Roman usage after Whitby and helped others to do so.
At Lindisfarne he evangelised the people, could not say Mass without tears, and drew many sinners to God. He withdrew to a hermitage in 676, later became Bishop of Lindisfarne, and died on 20 March 687, at the same hour as his friend St Herbert.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A shepherd who became the beloved saint of the North.
Connected on this site
- Eata of Hexham Saint“He was made guest-master at the new monastery at Ripon, soon after 655, but had to return with Eata of Hexham to Melrose when Wilfrid was given the monastery instead.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Cuthbert
- Wikidata Q504518 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Cuthbert (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.