Hierarch7th century

Saint Finan of Lindisfarne

died 661

Also known as Finan of Lindisfarne · Finan the Bishop

An Irish monk of Iona who succeeded Saint Aidan as bishop of Lindisfarne, advancing the conversion of the English and reposing in 661.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Finan, Bishop of Lindisfarne

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Missionary Work

Life

Finan of Lindisfarne was an Irish monk who, after his formation at the monastery of Iona, became the second bishop of Lindisfarne, holding the see from 651 until his death in 661. He succeeded Saint Aidan, the founder of the Lindisfarne community, and continued the Ionan mission among the English of Northumbria and beyond.

During his episcopate he advanced the conversion of several Anglo-Saxon peoples, built a cathedral at Lindisfarne in the Irish manner, and defended the customs of the Ionan tradition against the growing influence of the Roman party in matters such as the dating of Easter.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 4

In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
your humility exalted you;
your poverty enriched you.
Hierarch Father Finan,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

651Becomes bishop of LindisfarneOn the death of Saint Aidan, Finan, an Irish monk trained at Iona, succeeded him as the second bishop of Lindisfarne.
651-661Conversion of Anglo-Saxon kingsDuring his episcopate Finan received and baptized Peada of the Middle Angles and Sigeberht of the East Saxons, extending Christianity among the northern Saxons.
651-661Consecration of CeddFinan ordained Saint Cedd as bishop of the East Saxons, summoning two other bishops to assist at the consecration.
661Repose at LindisfarneFinan died having held the see of Lindisfarne for ten years, and was buried there.

Contributions & Legacy

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Formation and episcopate

Finan was an Irishman who received his monastic training at Iona Abbey in Scotland, the island community founded by Saint Columba that served as the mother house of the Northumbrian mission. From that tradition he came to Lindisfarne, the island monastery and episcopal seat off the Northumbrian coast established by Saint Aidan.

When Aidan died, Finan was chosen to succeed him as the second bishop of Lindisfarne, governing the see from 651 until his own death ten years later. He built a cathedral at Lindisfarne in the Irish fashion, constructed of hewn oak with a thatched roof; the church was later dedicated to Saint Peter by Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus.

Missionary work

Bede records Finan's importance in the conversion of the northern Saxons. He baptized Peada, king of the Middle Angles, and Sigeberht, king of the East Saxons, opening their peoples to the Christian faith. To continue the mission among the East Saxons he consecrated Saint Cedd as their bishop, calling two further bishops to take part in the rite.

Beyond the cathedral at Lindisfarne, Finan is connected with the founding of St. Mary's Priory at the mouth of the River Tyne and with the establishment of Gilling Abbey, founded by Queen Eanflaed. He is also associated with a monastic site on Church Island in Lough Currane, County Kerry, a place still known as St. Finan's Church.

The Easter controversy

Finan held firmly to the customs of Iona, including the older method of calculating the date of Easter that had been kept since the time of Columba. During his episcopate he was challenged by Ronan, an Irish monk who had been trained at Rome and who pressed for the adoption of the Roman Easter. The practical difficulty was acute in Northumbria, where Queen Eanfled and her court might keep Easter on a different day from King Oswiu, so that one part of the court celebrated the feast while the other was still fasting in Lent.

The dispute was not resolved in Finan's lifetime. It fell to his successor Colman, the third Ionan bishop of Lindisfarne, to defend the Ionan position at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which decided in favor of the Roman reckoning.

Member ofReadHide

Synaxis of the Saints of Britain and Ireland

Synaxis

Companions1 figureShowHide

Consecrated by him — Finan ordained Cedd bishop of the East Saxons, calling two other bishops to assist at the rite.

Ceddof Lastingham

Related Saints4 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

His predecessor — the Irish founder of the Lindisfarne community, whom Finan succeeded as second bishop in 651.

Saint Aidanof Lindisfarne

His successor — the third Ionan bishop of Lindisfarne, who defended the Ionan customs at the Synod of Whitby after Finan's death.

Saint Colmanof Lindisfarne