By Lyn Wilson
Venerated for his personal holiness and artistic devotion to the church, St. Bilfrid of Lindisfarne was a man of great dedication and talent. He was a man that those of us who engage in artistic endeavors can emulate.
Saint Bilfrid of Lindisfarne was an 8th century Benedictine Hermit living a quiet life on the Island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumbria in England. However, before becoming a Hermit, St. Bilfrid was a gifted goldsmith, therefore Bishop Ethilwald (Holy Hermits) tasked Bilfrid with creating an ornate cover for the Lindisfarne Gospels. The binding itself is lost to time however the knowledge that Bilfrid did the binding and that it was “treasure without deceit” is not forgotten.
The details of the death of St. Bilfrid are sparse, however, he died where he served his Lord, on the Island of Lindisfarne. His remains were moved to the Shrine of Saint Bede in 1104. Celtic Saints
The fact that St. Bilfrid’s art is associated with a “treasure without deceit” is a deeply moving tribute to a man who spent his life in solitary and devout worship thus, giving artists who are Christ followers a pattern of life. How will we be known when our work is lost to the mists of time?
(for more information on the Lindisfarne Gospels https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/gospels/)
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