Bartholomew of Farne (died 1193) was a Benedictine hermit. Having spent some time as a monk at Durham, he later re-located to the Farne Islands to live as a hermit.
His vita was written by one Geoffrey, a monk of Durham.[1]
Life
Born Tostig, to parents of Scandinavian origin, in Whitby, England. Being teased by his friends, he changed his name to William while still a child.[2] He then traveled through Europe, possibly to escape marriage.[3] While in Norway, he was ordained a priest.[4]
He returned to England to enter the Benedictine monastery at Durham. It was here that he received a vision of Saint Cuthbert, and then decided to inhabit Cuthbert's old cell on one of the Farne Islands. There he remained for the remaining 42 years of his life.[5]
References
- 1.Piper, A.J., "Bartholomew of Farne (d. 1193)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 4, (H.C.G. Matthew and B. Harrison, eds), Oxford, 2004, pp. 166–67.
- 2."Bartholomew of Farne", The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 5 ed. (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011, ISBN 9780199596607
- 3.Saint Bartholomew of Farne Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Patron Saint Index
- 4.Tristram, Kate. "Little Known Saints of the North", The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
- 5.St. Bartholomew of Fame Catholic Online