CHAPTER 22: The building of the house of God at Hexham [672–8]
CHAPTER 22
The building of the house of God at Hexham [672–8]
HE cleaved to God unceasingly, as the psalmist says, placing his hope in the Lord, sweetly rendering his vows to Him to whom he owed everything. At Hexham he built a church to the glory of God and the honour of St Andrew on land given by the saintly Queen Aethilthryth. My poor mind is quite at a loss for words to describe it – the great depth of the foundations, the crypts of beautifully dressed stone, the vast structure supported by columns of various styles and with numerous side-aisles, the walls of remarkable height and length, the many winding passages and spiral staircases leading up and down. Without a doubt it was the Spirit of God who taught our bishop to plan the construction of such a place, for we have never heard of its like this side of the Alps. Bishop Acca, who by God’s grace is still with us, decked out this superb edifice with splendid gold and silver ornaments, precious stones and silks and purples for the altars. What description could do justice to the fabric he installed? Let us return to our narrative.