Saint Cuthbert’s Cross Patron of Durham and Kirkcudbrightshire

(As seen on the flags of County Durham and Kirkcudbrightshire)

‍The Patron of both County Durham in England and Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland, in life Saint Cuthbert was a monastic and evangelist to the Anglo-Saxons in the 7th century. Later on, he took up the life of a hermit, inhabiting a cave on the coast of Northumberland (now called“Saint Cuthbert’s Cave”) and eventually became Bishop of Lindisfarne for one year before his repose on March 20, 687 A.D.

As recorded by the Venerable Bede, his relics were later uncovered and found to be incorrupt. The cross charge on the flags of County Durham and Kirkcudbrightshire is based on the shape of the pectoral cross found on the relics of St. Cuthbert.

During the reign of King Henry VIII, his Royal commissioners stripped St Cuthbert’s shrine of everything valuable and broke open his tomb—but missed the golden cross tucked inside his clothes.

‍Saint Cuthbert is commemorated on March 20/April 6.