“In the Footsteps of the Forgotten English Saints” is a religious and historical pilgrimage to the holy places associated with the early saints of the ancient Anglo-Saxon Church. The tour offers a rare glimpse into the often misunderstood and marginalized history of the unique development of Christianity on the British Isles. We will explore this spiritual tradition, which predates the powerful forces of religious politics and invading armies that distanced the ancient British Church from her Orthodox beginnings. Though very little remains from the period before the Norman Conquest of Britain in the eleventh century, we will bring back the lives of forgotten saints through services, tales and visits to surviving monuments of England’s Orthodox past. Guest lecturer for our pilgrimage is Dr. Paul Cavill, professor of Old English Literature at the University at Nottingham and author of several books on Anglo-Saxon Christianity.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Monday, September 6, 2010: After our arrival in London, we will travel 20 miles north to visit the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban. According to tradition, this monumental structure was erected over earlier humble structures that were built on the site where St. Alban was beheaded. St. Alban suffered during the Roman persecution in the third century A.D. and was England’s first saint. The Church of St. Andrew is one of the world’s oldest wooden structures still standing, and the oldest wooden church in existence. For nearly 1200 years it has been a place of Christian worship. From St. Andrew’s Church we will continue to Waltham Abbey whose history can be traced back to the reign of King Canute. King Harold II, who fell in the battle of Hastings defending his kingdom and, as time has shown, the Orthodox continuity of the Anglo-Saxon Church, built a church here in 1050. It is believed he was buried behind the high Altar of that church after his heroic death at Hastings.
Day 2, Tuesday, September 7, 2010: We will start our day with a visit to a small historical church dedicated to St. Michael and All the Saints in Copford Green, Essex. It was founded in 1130 and some elements remain unchanged from that time, but the paintings inside are of the most interest to us. From Copford Green, we will transfer to Sutton Hoo to see one of the most important archeological sites in all of England. The sixth century Anglo-Saxon burial mounds found here have been under excavation since the 1930’s. After our visit to Sutton Hoo, we will travel to the Chapel of St. Peter-on-the-Wall, which is one of the oldest Christian churches in England still in use. The chapel dates to 654 A.D. and is believed to have been built by St. Cedd out of the remains of an abandoned Roman fort.
Day 3, Wednesday, September 8, 2010: Today we will travel to London to see some of the city’s important Anglo-Saxon ruins and some of its splendid museums. In the British Museum we will concentrate on the Anglo-Saxon collection, which is perhaps the best thematic collection in the world. Next, we will visit Westminster Abbey, founded on the present site in 616 A.D.
Day 4, Thursday, September 9, 2010: Today we will explore Canterbury, Episcopal see of the English Church. We will begin our exploration with the historical Church of St. Martin. Not too far from St. Martin’s Church, but already outside the city walls, St. Augustine established a monastery soon after his arrival in 597. From the onset it was intended to be the burial place for the Bishops of Canterbury and converted kings of Kent. The site was expanded and rebuilt several times. The foundation of the Cathedral in Canterbury is also associated with the name of St. Augustine. It was an important bishophoric from the very beginning and was expanded and enlarged on several occasions prior to the Norman invasion.
Canterbury Cathedral was the see of several saintly bishops. Among the most famous are St. Theodore (+~690), St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury (+ 988), and St. Alphege, the Martyr (+ 1012). From Canterbury we will continue to Folkestone to venerate relics of a saintly Saxon princess, St. Eanswythe, who established a convent after choosing virginity over an opportunity to marry the Northumbrian King. Her relics were translated to the current church in the twelfth century.
Day 5, Friday, September 10, 2010: We begin our day with a visit to the Hastings Battlefield, place that dramatically altered the flow of English history and put an abrupt end to the development of a unique Anglo-Saxon Church. From Hastings we will continue through Sussex and West Sussex to explore a number of important Anglo-Saxon churches. Our first stop will be at St. Botolph’s Church in Hardham. It was built around 1050 and has some of the earliest and most complete frescoes, which date from the beginning of the twelfth century. We will also see some interesting wall paintings in St. Mary’s Church in West Chiltington. While they are not as finely preserved as those in the church in Bosham, it is likely that the same artisans created them.
The Church of St. Mary in Sompting has some unique examples of Anglo-Saxon architecture that survive nowhere else. A little church of St. John the Baptist is another Anglo-Saxon structure that contains some nicely preserved frescoes from mid-twelfth century. We will end our day with a visit to Holy Trinity Church in Bosham, which has also survived from pre-Conquest times. In fact, it is depicted on the Bayeaux Tapestry as the place where King Harold stopped to pray before leaving for Normandy. Legend has it that King Harold is also buried here, inside the church that became a part of the William the Conqueror’s personal estate.
Day 6, Saturday, September 11, 2010: This morning we will explore the city of Winchester, the old capital of England. It became the Saxon capital in the seventh century. Winchester was the capital of Wessex, and then England until the Norman Conquest – after the conquest the capital was moved to London. We will explore the sites of Winchester that are associated with King Alfred and other saintly figures of the Anglo-Saxon Epoch. After lunch we will travel to Romsey Abbey that was founded by King Edward the Elder in 907. There was a resurgence of the female monasticism during this time and King Edward built this priory for nuns who were members the royalty. His daughter, Princess Aelflaed, becomes the first Abbess of Romsey.
The present Abbey is almost entirely Norman, although of a very fine style. It has some unique Saxon sculptures that date back to early eleventh century and the iconography shows heavy Byzantine influence. St. Mary’s Church in Breamore is the most important Anglo-Saxon monument in Hampshire. Our last stop for the day will be St Laurence's Church in Bradford-on-Avon. The church is dedicated to St. Laurence and likely was founded by St. Aldhelm in early 700’s. This is one of the very few Saxon Churches that has survived practically intact. As in the case with Chapel of St. Peter-on-the-Wall, it fell out of religious use and, for long time, was maintained for secular purposes, which saved it from later reconstruction and involuntarily preserved its original appearance to a great degree.
Day 7, Sunday, September 12, 2010: We plan to attend Divine Liturgy in Bath this Sunday morning. After the service we will explore some wonderful city sites, the Roman ruins and ancient Abbey that make Bath a prime tourist destination. In the afternoon we will transfer to Gloucester. Gloucester historically was one of the most important cities, being capital of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia and one of the largest cities in Medieval England. Here we will visit what is left of St. Oswald chapel that was build in 900 to house the remains of St. Oswald, Saxon King and Martyr, who was killed as a result of treachery. After the visit to the ruins of St. Oswald’s priory, we will visit the city’s main Cathedral and the museum where some of the carved stone from the priory are on the exhibit.
Day 8, Monday, September 13, 2010: Today we will explore several historical monuments in Gloucestershire. Our first stop will be at St. James Church in Stoke Orchard. This church is very interesting for its twelfth century frescoes. They are unique in that they extensively tell the life of St. James. They are unlike any composition in Europe and for this reason the church is linked to the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella (St. James of Compostella) in Spain. The church of St. Mary in Kempley was also built in the twelfth century after Norman times, but some of the interior frescoes that date back to 1130 are among the oldest and best preserved in all of England.
From Kempley we will proceed to a little town of Deerhurst where there are two surviving monuments that date to Saxon times. The first is St. Mary’s priory church, built in the ninth and tenth centuries and contemporary with the Carolingian Renaissance. The church bears architectural similarities to churches built during that period on the Continent. Another Saxon church, built by Earl Odda in 1056, was used as a farmhouse before it historical significance was discovered in mid-nineteenth century. We will finish our day in the university town of Oxford. After some general sightseeing we will venerate the relics of Oxford’s patroness, St. Frideswide (+735), in Christ Church Cathedral.
Day 9, Tuesday, September 14, 2010: Today we will have a lengthy transfer north to the important historical city of York. On the way we will stop to explore two Saxon monuments. One of them is the All Saints' Church in Brixworth. It is a very fine example of early Anglo-Saxon architecture and was called one of the most important monuments from the seventh century north of Alps. The town was originally founded as a monastery by the Bishop of Mercia, Sexwulf, some time before 675 AD. It was also identified with Clofesho, the site of Anglo-Saxon synods in the eighth and ninth centuries. Another monument is All Saints Church in Earl Barton, just five miles away from Brixworth. It is believed that this church was built in the tenth century.
As we continuing our way north, we will make a stop making a stop at Barton on Humber, the town known for its Saxon church tower of St. Peter. The structure was given up by the Church of England in 1970’s and was remodeled to be used as a center for medical research. After this brief stop, we will continue to Beverley to venerate the saintly Bishop John. St. John, an Angle Bishop who occupied, at different times, the sees of Hexhman and York. He was granted the gift of wonderworking and many miracles have been attributed to him during his lifetime and after his death.
Day 10, Wednesday, September 15, 2010: This morning we will explore another historically important English city. York was founded by the Romans in 71 AD with the name Eboracum, the capital for Britania Inferior. It is here that that the Roman legions proclaimed Constantine the Great as Emperor. After the arrival of the Angles, the settlement was renamed Eoferwic and renamed again as Jorvik after the Viking occupation in 866. The current name of the city appears around year 1000 A.D. York played an important role throughout Anglo-Saxon history, headed by several saintly bishops and kings. York was destroyed on numerous occasions. Despite that, some important historical fragments remain from each era. Of great interest is the recreation of the Viking world, which provides visitors with an experience of that period.
From York we will proceed to From there we will continue through the North Yorkshire Moors to the Whitby Abbey. Some magnificent ruins mark the spot of the abbey that once played a significant role in the history of the Anglo-Saxon Church. Whitby Abbey was founded by the Anglo-Saxon King Oswiu in 657. The monastery was home to two monastic communities – male and female and was headed by Abbess Hilda. While she was still Abbess, a famous council took place at Whitby where churchmen discussed the dates of Pascha, as well as differences in rituals observed in Celtic and Roman tradition. As a result of this council, the Anglo-Saxon Church universally adopted Roman Paschal and Roman liturgical practice.
Day 11, Thursday, September 16, 2010: Today we will start with exploration of the city of Durham. It was founded by a group of monks from Lindisfarne in 995 AD, who chose this place to settle with the body of St. Cuthebert, their beloved Abbot and Bishop. St. Cuthebert is one of the most important saints of the Anglo-Saxon Church. He became a monk as a young man and was known through his life for his charity, kindness and monastic austerity. His gift of miracles gained him fame as “Wonderworker of Britain” His relics were saved by the monks and carried with the community after Lindisfarne was sacked by Vikings in 875. Durham is famous for its Norman cathedral and castle, but for us it is interesting for the possibility of venerating the relics of St. Cuthebert. Another important saint, St. Bede (+735), famous Church author and first English historian, is buried at the Cathedral in Durham.
From Durham we will travel to Wearmouth-Jarrow Abbey, a twin-foundation, where Venerable Bede was a monk for most of his life. At the site of the Jarrow Monastery there is an interesting archeological and interactive center which recreates an Anglo-Saxon farm and gives an impression of what monastic properties may have looked liked. We plan to visit the Center’s exhibit of various artifacts founded in the territory of the monastery, including the fragments of the oldest known stained glass window which dates to the early seventh century. We will end our day by visiting another precious Saxon remain in a little village of Escomb. Its Saxon church was constructed around 670 and thus was a place of worship for over 13 centuries. It is not known exactly who built the church, but the link from the Escomb Church to the monastic community at Lindisfarne is apparent.
Day 12, Friday, September 17, 2010: The community was founded on the island by an Irish born monk, St. Aidan, about 635 on the request of the Northumrbian King Oswald, who wanted to have a Christian mission nearby for the sake of enlightening his subjects. Irish Monks settled at Lindisfarne and headed a successful mission to North of England and Mercia. Lindisfarne rose in importance to become the center of spiritual life and learning. In the early seventh century, the famous illumined manuscripts were produced here. They are of incredible quality and artistry.
The Miracle-worker St. Cuthbert was a monk here, and later the Abbot and Bishop of Lindisfarne. In 793, peaceful monastic life was interrupted by Viking incursion. In fact, that shocking attack on the monastery is considered to be the beginning of the Viking Age. Though the monastery remained at Lindisfarne for another half a century, life was never the same. Due to the constant threat of Viking raids, the monks had to leave the Holy Island in 860. The monastery was renewed under the Normans and later extended. Monastic life here came to a halt during the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII. We will visit the Holy Island and explore the ruins of the monastic foundation. The tide most likely will trap us on the island for some hours, giving us a chance for quiet time, prayer and reflection.
Day 13, Saturday, September 18, 2010: This morning we will transfer to the airport at Edinburgh (or Newcastle) for departure home. Our pilgrimage is over till next time.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 12 nights at Premier Inns or B/B, all rooms with private bath or shower
- Full English breakfast daily
- 11 Extra Meals
-Entry tickets as per itinerary
- Private motorcoach
- Service charges and taxes
- Academic lecturer for the entire trip
- Local guides
- Tips to drivers and guides.
Notes:
- To sign up: $500.00 non-refundable deposit (unless group cancels)
- Deadline for signing up/final payment May 1, 2010.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
England
Scotland
Spiritual Odyssey
Pilgrimage/Spirituality
Archeology/History
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