Durham

On Tuesday we went to Durham to meet with a friend of Seattle friends Eldon and Marcia Olson, The Rev. Canon Penny Martin. We met at a café in a nursery south of Durham. We had a great visit over coffee and scones, then Penny took us up to the cathedral. (It helps to have friends who have parking passes for difficult places in English towns!) We had a wonderful tour of the cathedral through her eyes. She loves this place, and loves to show people around.

I’ve always been interested in seeing Durham Cathedral, and had never had opportunity until now. It certainly did not disappoint! (One great hazard is that it has a terrific shop!) There has been Christians worship on this site for well over 1000 years. It is the final resting place of St. Cuthbert. When Cuthbert (who was resident on Lindisfarne) died, his colleagues put him in a feretory (this trip’s new vocabulary word) and carried him around for seven years until they found this place as his resting place. They came to this hill based in the directions of a young woman with a brown cow. So they built a church over Cuthbert. On the outside of the building there is a carving of a young girl with a cow to commemorate the place.

This is also the resting place of the Venerable Bede, whose 9th century ecclesiastical history of England became the benchmark for all English history after. It was humbling to be in the presence of these two great saints, and to mark this vast span of Christian faith and life. I was impressed by the faith and commitment of the current people of Durham as they honor all the rich history of this impressive place.

Durham Cathedral

Very Cool Lego Model of Durham Cathedral

The Girl with the Cow Is on This Wall (Somewhere)

Penny took us out to the country to St. Laurence, the last parish she served before her retirement. It was the model for part of Durham Cathedral, and there has been worship on this site since 400. One side of the church has a sun dial carved into it that it over 1000 years old. The church site used to have an infectious disease hospital next to it in the Middle Ages.  That side of the church has two slots - now filled in - where the hospital residents used to come and put their hand in to receive the sacrament.

Medieval Sundial in  the Wall of St. Laurence

With Penny at St. Laurence

Baptismal Font that Was Found in a Field. There are indentations where the cows rested their heads to drink from it!

We said farewell to Penny back at our car at the nursery, and headed back to Beck Hole. It was a beautiful late afternoon, and we were able to see hills and valleys previously obscured by rain and clouds. We watched the first episode of the new Lewis series. (Sorry to keep referencing all this TV that won’t show up on our TVs in Seattle for a couple years. Well, maybe I’m sorry...)

North York Moors Late Afternoon