St. Lioba Shrine

Just outside the village of Beetham in Cumbria, tucked into a dry stone wall on a quiet country lane, you'll find a little shrine dedicated to an almost forgotten saint called St. Lioba. Never heard of her? Yup, neither had we until we stumbled across her little shrine.

It was another of those fabulous finds that you happen upon accidentally and we found the Shrine to St. Lioba as we were on our own pilgrimage to visit the Fairy Steps.

So who on earth was St Lioba?

Back in 710 St. Lioba was an Anglo Saxon lass born in Wessex who ended up being a big deal in the early Christian church. She was best mates with St. Boniface (I'm sure his distant relative rocked up in the Father Brown mysteries), who was off converting the Germans and she joined him across the Channel as part of his missionary dream team.

She went on to help run abbeys, teach nuns and basically preach all over central Europe. She died in 782 and ended up buried at Fulda Abbey in Germany.

But why is there a shrine to her in Cumbria?

Back in Saxon times, church dedications were often made to saints with strong missionary ties or connections to the ruling elite. St. Lioba ticked both boxes. She was a big name in the Anglo-Saxon church scene, especially among the Benedictines. So the original Saxon church was dedicated to her.

After the Normans rocked up, the church was rebuilt and rededicated to St. Michael and her name sort of faded into the background.

Visiting the shrine

If you fancy a visit to the shrine or St Lioba yourself, then look out for it on Leighton Beck Lane. The shrine's been lovingly kept up and you'll sometimes find flowers or candles left by folk who still feel a connection to the place. Make sure to time it right too as St. Lioba's feast day is on 28 September.