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Ripon
C. 650, King Aldfrith of Northumbria gave a tract of land 20 miles
northwest of York to monks from Melrose to found a monastery. St. Eata
established a Celtic-rite house with St. Cuthbert as the prior. Refusing a
royal decree to adopt Roman customs, the two went back to Melrose in 661,
and the king made St. Wilfrid abbot of the now Benedictine monastery.
Ripon was Wilfrid's refuge throughout his stormy career, and he was buried
there when he died in 709. Ripon remained a spiritual center until its
destruction c. 948 during King Edred's war with the Danes. Rebuilt by the
Augustinian canons in the following century, Ripon did not regain its
reputation. The house was dissolved under Henry VIII.
Karen Rae Keck
Under construction --- far from complete! Read with caution.
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