Pattone
Episcopo
Ver-
densi in Saxonia inferiore, p.
densi in Saxonia inferiore, p.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
Cailan,citedbyUsher.
^^ Itisthought,thatSt.
Fergus-
Struell Wells, County of Down.
sius must have been first bishop of Downpatrick,'? by a learned Irish Church historian, who supposes, there are no sufficient proofs to show that Cailan, or Coelan, was his predecessor, as some writers maintain. ^" But, according to Mr. John W. Hanna, those who maintain such an opinion have overlooked the true conclusion to be derived from the dates, which show, that whereas Mochoe, Abbot of Nendrum, died 496, it was quite consistent, that another Coelan should be elevated to Down, in 499. Besides, Ussher, who possessed
Kinelarty. See ibid. , Sheets 22, 23, 29, 30,
37.
'3 See Harris' Ware, vol.
Down," p. 195.
'< In the " Annals of
•'"The first Bishop, and, indeed, the first minister of Down of whom we have any certain account, is whose death is
'S See Rev, Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect.
i. , n. 10, p. 185.
any Bishop
before St.
Lanigan's
'*
name for him. His feast is held on the 23rd
Fergus, and whether there was an uninter-
rupted succession after him, are questions
which, in the absence of — must be record,
vol. " i,,
and note 186, where he 12, pp. 185,
" Ulster,"
Bishops
of
Fergus,
recorded in the various collections of Annals,
Mochoe is said to have been another
of when he died a. d. June,
" Ecclesiastical of Down Antiquities
496, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, pp 143. H4-
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to 161, and n. (h. ) Ibid.
'-' Or about A. D. 499. See Harris' Ware,
quitates," cap. xvii. See, also, the " Index "
Chronologicus of Ussher, p. 527, at a. d. DXX. Ibid.
" Ecclesiastical HiS'
of
** See " Briiannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
Bishops
Down," p. 194.
p. 183,
says: "Had there been any Bishop of
1,,
&c.
" Ecclesiastical
andis atthe * *
placed Whether there was
year 583.
judged by general reasoning. " Dr. Reeves
^° See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect,
Lanigan's
Down, prior to Fergus, it should seem odd, that he is the first mentioned in both the Annals above referred to ; and that, not-
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1013
his
"
Life and Acts," could not have been deceived. *' Near Downpatrick are
the celebrated Struell Wells, which seem to have been resorted to by pilgrims,
from times very remote, and where numberless miraculous cures have been
efiFected. The place itself is only a poor village, containing a few straggling
houses, inhabited by Catholics, who take charge of the springs. ^^' These are
for the most roofs. *3 The house of the "
well" is
part protected by
the largest of three ; and, to the height of gable, it is 29 feet, being 30 feet by 22 in area. The higher part, with three small windows, is roofed with stone ; but, the lower part has no roof,^* and here the bathing takes place. Another
spring
is called the " *5 and a third is called the " drink- eye-well,"
well. " *^
It runs east and west, its length is 64^ feet, its breadth 25 feet. In the eastern gable, there is a Gothic window, 9}^ feet high, in the northern side- wall. There are no windows in the opposite one. There are three windows andadoor,andalsoone,onthewesterngable. —Ashortdistancefromthis
ing
Immediately
behind this latter are the remains of an old church. '^
old — and about
building, mid-way up
a
the wells is St. Patrick's chair,*^ which appears to be a mass of rude stones, now greatly displaced. It is supposed, that St. Patrick often resorted to Struell,*9 for penitential purposes, and to sing Psalms while in retirement at Downpatrick, from which it is only a mile or two distant. 3° That see St. Fergus governed, with great prudence and sanctity, until the day of his death, which took place on the 30th of March, a. d, 583,3' in the sixteenth year of the reign of Aidus, King of Ireland, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,3* and, likewise, to those of Ulster. The latter have it noted again, under a. d. 589. The Annals of Tighernach have his decease recorded, under A. D. 584. 33 TheAnnalsofBoyleplacehisdeath,soearlyasa. d. 557. The
withstanding Colgan's frequently alluding to Down and naming several persons called Cailan, see ex. c. Ind. tert. ad Tr. Th. , he has no Bishop of that name in said See. "
*' See an Article, in the Belfast Weekly
Examiner, of June 8th, 1872.
" The accompanying illustration was
drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake-
man, from a photograph, prepared by Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C, Saul. The en- graving is by Mrs. Millard.
'3 The information here given is from a
letter of Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C. of
Saul, and dated therefrom February 14th, 1 880.
** On the eve of June 24th, it is tem- porarily covered with leafy branches.
=^5 It is 120 feet from the former well, and
its roof is about 7 feet high ; the building is
nearly square, being 6 feet by 5>^ feet. On the western side, there is a little door 4 feet 8 inches in height.
** It is nearly in a straight line with the wells already described. From the second, it is situated at a distance of 83^^ feet : the height of roof is about 8 feet.
="? On enquiry, Father M'Cann had been told, it was the fust church, which was erected, after the storm of the penal times had passed over. It appears, that the land- lord on whose property it stood was a member of Parliament, and on being chided by a brother-member, that he was permitting a Popish chapel to be built on his estate, at
once he gave orders to discontinue the
work j so it remains, as appearing in the
illustration, to the present day.
hill
steep immediately overlooking
"^^
It is a matter of regret, that this chair
was partly destroyed, by the Orangemen, and this wanton outrage has caused intense chagrin and regret to the Catholics of the place, as the writer was told at the locaUty, which he visited, in the month of May, 1874.
^' It seems to be the fountain, called Slan, in St. Fiach's Hymn on St. Patrick, His commentator places it, at Saul, which is near ; and, we are told, that the Ulidians filled it up, on account of annoyance caused by crowds frequenting it.
3o £>,, O'Doran, writing on the 23rd of
September, in the year 1753, to his agent in Rome, says: "I have it to add that I would be glad if I could get those indul- gences of Crumdugh extended to Struel, for on that Fryday the Christians visited Struel as well as Mount Donert. "—Rev. James O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , pp. 24^; to 250.
^i See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xxx. Martii, n. 3, p. 794.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 210, 211.
"
Eccle- siastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, n. (e), p. 144,
and Calendar LL, p. 377-
33 See Rev. William Reeves'
bathing
I0I4
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
Martyrologies of Tallagh,34 of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Maguire, have the festival of this saint, at the 30th of March. But, although they call him Bishop,theydonotnamethatsee,overwhichhepresided. Inlikemanner, Ferghus, Bishop of Druim-Lethglaisi, is recorded, in the I^Iartyrology of Donegal,35ashavingafestivalatthisdate. Again,undertheheadofDruim Lethglaisi, Duald Mac Firbis enters, Fergus, bishop, quievit 583, at J^Iarch 30th. 36 Atthisday,likewise,theBollandists37haveabriefnoticeofFergus, although doubting if a cultus were due to him.
Article III. —St. Patto, Abbot of Amarbaric, and Bishop of
in desiring to spread God's kingdom among the heathens. It is remarked, however, by Albert Krantz,7 that more ancient writers had left very scanty memorials of this noble missionary, who had abandoned his native country, and who travelled to Saxony, then subdued by the Emperor Charlemagne,^ a monastery being here established,' for the Scots, or Irish, at a place called Amarbaric,nearthecityofVerden. Itissaid,Potto,orPatto,wasthefirst
Abbot, who ruled over it, for about forty-three years, being distinguished for his zeal in preaching the Gospel, and in resisting the encroachments of
Verden,
[Eighth
and Ninth We find that Centuries. '] Colgan
^
in Saxony.
and the Bollandists = treat of St. Patto, at the 30th of March. He is said to have been a Scot,3 by birth ;* and, owing to the application of the term, in that early period, we are most probably to understand, that he was an Irish- man. s Likewise,heisstatedtohavebeendescended,fromanoblefamily. ^ He soon became renowned for his many and great virtues, and for his zeal,
'° As
The English Martyrology states, that Verden was in the territory of Cleves ; but, Colgan asserts," on the authority of Albert Krantz, that it was situated rather, between the cities of Minda and Bremen, on the River Lemus, in Old Saxony. Over Amarbaric, our saint was Abbot," but it is a subject of dis- cussion,'3 if the persons holding this appointment, in the early years of foundation, were to be regarded as ruling over the see of Verden, at die same
mistakes
3* The edition, published by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, enters "Gobani ocus Fergus Eps. ," at p. XX. The Franciscan copy has 5obb<ii
for in Ireland. Armagh,
heresy.
usual, Colgan
Amarbaric,
Bede is always careful to introduce, in his "HistoriaEcclesiasticaGentls Anglorum,"as in lib. i. , cap. 34, and lib. v. , cap. 23, when alluding to the Scots of North Britain.
Aguf pe4|\5Uf.
35 Edited 90, 91.
Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp.
* to the According
by
English Martyrology,
3* See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series,' vol. i. , part
at the 30th of March.
7 See " Rerum Germanicanim Historic!
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me- tropolis," lib. ii. , cap. 21.
i. , pp. 108, 109.
3' ^
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted
feasts," p. 796. — to 180.
"'
'
Article hi. See Acta Sanctorum to
Hibemise," Martii xxx. De S. Pattone Episcopo Verdensi, Ex variis, pp. 794, 795.
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. De S.
Pattone Episcopo Ver-
densi in Saxonia inferiore, p. 844.
3 Albert Krantz calls him " Scotus natione," in his "Historia Ecclesiastica
Saxoniae. "
* At the 30th of March, ^Egidius Gelenius
Martii. De S. Pattone, p. 794.
commemorates him as St.
a Scot.
" See Albert Krantz's " lib. Metropolis,"
Patto,
s This may be presumed, especially when
no distinction is made, that the person was a British Scot. This notice, also, Venerable
i. , cap. 21, 22.
'3 Especially between Cointius and the
Bollandists.
"
About the year 786. See Capefigue's Charlemagne," tome i. , chap, x. , pp. 158
this fact — related under a. d. 796, and St. Swibert
whos—e Acts are already related, at February 16th was the founder. See "Annales
Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxvi. , sect, liv. , p. 324.
»° See Arnold Wion's " Lignum Vitae,"
lib. ii. , cap. 54.
" See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernix," xxx.
According
Mabillon,
is
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
1015
period. Thus, St. Patto"* is said to have succeeded St. Suibert, its first bishop, in that See, about a. d. 718. ^5 The Bollandists,'^ however, seem to doubt,whetheroursainthadbeenBishopofVerden; theymaintaining,that Tanco'7wastheimmediatesuccessorofSt. '^ or
Suibert, havebeenanEnglishman. =° HeruledoverVerdenfortwenty-oneyears,
and he died a. d. 807, when he was succeeded by the second bishop, St. Patto Scotus, Abbot of Amarbaric. =' Without citing any authority, or having any foundation for his assertion, Dempster says, that our saint wrote a book on the Pentateuch, and that he lived, in the year 810. Bale ^^ has a similar statement, and Bishop Tanner ^3 follows these accounts. On the authority of the English Martyrology, at the present date, Henry Fitzsimon enters Paton, Bishop, in his Catalogue, as published by O'Sullivan Beare. '* We alsofind,atthe30thofMarch,thesimplerecordofhisname. Onthevery same day, the English Martyrologyj^'S Arnold Wion,^^ Philip Ferrarius,^^ Hugh Menard,^^ Demoraches,29 Molanus,3° Dempster,3i and many others, record his festival. It is supposed to have been the date for his departure. Various accounts are also given, regarding the year of our saint's death ; most writers assign 76032 qj. ^52, 763 ;33 some 810, or even later, as dates for his departure ; while Dr. Lanigan maintains, that all the Amarbaric Abbots and Bishops of Verden, flourished after a. d. 786,3* when this see is thought to have been first founded. 35 Arnold Wion states, that our saint
'* Among the early Bishops of Verden, classed among his ecclesiastical writers
Caspar Bruschius calls Patto solely by the
title of a saint. See " De Germanice Epis-
copis. "
'S According to Arnold Wion. However,
this appears to have been a mistake for St. Swibert, Apostle of the Prisons, whose feast is at the ist of March, and who died
A. D. 713.
'^ At the of when
30th April, treating
about St. Suibert.
'' See his Acts, at the 1 6th of February.
'^
His festival has been assigned, to the 30th of April.
"
in Bibliotheca-Britannica-Hibernica," p.
581.
** See " Historise Catholicse Ibemiae
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
p. 50, and cap. xii. , p. 56.
^5 It has "Verdas in Territorio Clivensi
deposilio S. Pattonis, ejusdem sedis Epis- copi et Confessoris," &c.
="* He writes " S. Patto Scotus, Mona- chus, et Abbas, Amarbaricanus in Scotia, et Episcopus Verdensis secundus, creatus anno Domini circiter 718, vir in Evangelica veri- tate enuncianda ac haeresis pravitate convel- lenda, studio ac zelo praecipuus, prasfuit annis plus minus 43, et in bona senechute ad patres suos depositus, est circa annu—m Domini 760, die tertio Calendas Aprilis. " Arnold Wion's "Lignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54.
'9
<«
Erat autem primo Suitberto Verdensi
Episcopo proximus successor, Patto natione Scotus, Abbas pridem Amarbaricensis in
sua provincia, pro Christo peregrinatus, eum audisset Saxoniam tam diu contumacem
Ciiristo, et ejus Evangelio, nunc armis coactam a Carolo, ut ascultaret verse Reli-
gioni, Catholicseque veritati, cumque ver- saretur in provincia, et verbum Dei strenue Gentibus prsedicaret, delectatus ejus zelo Carolus Ecclesiae Verdensi praefici jussit
" Pattonis Episcopi. "
=8
Pontificem. "—Cranzius' "
In the Benedictine Martyrology.
^9 Demoraches, " De Sacrificio Midas in
Catalogo Episcoporum Vuerdensium. "
sive Plistoria Ecclesiastica Saxonias," lib. ii. ,
3° Molanus, in his
Appendix.
cap. 21.
^° He " must not be confounded with St.
Willebrord's companion, t—he Bishop Suit-
bert, who died in 713. " Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
iii. , chap, xx. , sect, iv. , p. 219, and n. 26, p. 220. Ibid.
-^ Or, ai the Chronicle of Verden has it, "Abbas Am. abanarum Ecclesise. "
" See " Scriptorum lUustrium Majoris Brytannias," &c. , tomus ii. , cent, xiv. , sect. xxxiv. , p. 204.
*3 See a notice of the present holy man, as
35
Metropoli,
3' " Gentis See Historia Ecclesi&slica
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xv. , num. locxs. 3- See Father Stephen White's " Apologia
pro Hibernia," cap. iv. , p. 44.
The English Martyrology.
34 The BoUandists quote a Chronicle of
Verden, which u^signs the foundation of that see to 786, in the nineteenth year of the
Emperor Charlemagne's reign, Adrien I. being Pope. This account was communi- cated, by the Jesuit Father Hermann Crom-
"
="'7 He has,
Vuerdiae
in Saxoriia Sancti
:
Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. , sect. L,
bach, from the local archives. See p. 844.
Suitbert,"? said to
ioi6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
attained a good old age, at the time of his death. 36 After his first deposition, the relics were exhumed, in common with those of other saints interred ; and,
it is probable, at Konende, the place where the episcopal see was originally constituted. 37 His remains were formally buried, in the church of Verden. When Francis William, Bishop of that see, made some considerable repairs in his cathedral church, in the year 1630, the body of our saint, and the re- mains of six other holy prelates of the city, were removed 3^ from the places, wherethoselipsanahadbeendeposited. 39 Theserelicswereplaced,incon- spicuous positions, within the church, where they were held in great venera- tion. They became the occasion, afterwards, for many miracles being wrought, in favour of divers persons.
Article IV. —St. Mochua or Cronan, Abbot of Balla, County of Mayo. {Sixth and Seventh Centuries^^ Among the saints of Connaught
———
most venerated by its people especially in Mayo may be ranked the
and
sections the Acts of St. Mochua, or Cronan,^ of Balla, at the ist of January. These were translated into Latin, from an Irish collection, and they were transmitted by Philip O'Sullevan Beare, from Madrid, in 1634. Not knowing the natal day of the present saint, these Acts were published,3 on the first day of the year. There are only a few verbal differences, between this and the version of it, as introduced by Colgan,* in his work, at the present date. s To this legendary Irish Life,^ he has added some additional comments of his own, together with separate notes, illustrating the subject of his text. The father of our saint is called Becan, or Beggan, son of Barr, son to Nathi, son of Lugad,7 son to Dalann, in Ultonia, according to the Sanctilogy of the IrishSaints. ^ —HismotheriscalledComma—oraccordingtoanotherManu- script Cumnea the daughter of Conamal, son of Machtan, or Machadan, and she belonged to the Dalbuanican tribe. Besides two elder brothers, she
to the celebrated of St. belonged community
Comgall, at Bangor.
3 Some particulars, regarding the Mill of
St. Fecliin, were omitted by the Bollandists, as those details were to be inserted, in his Acts, at the 20th of January,
< See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," nis Luneburgensis usque in Marchiam Martii xxx. Vita S. Mochuoe sive Cronani
present
—holy
man. TheBollandists^ have insix
chapters
twenty-one
3S See Abbe
tique," tome i\. , liv. xliv. , sect, xx. , p. 454.
Fleury's
" Histoire Ecclesias-
^ See " Lignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. 3' Colgan concludes his account of our
"
Brandeburgensem. Nee plura occurrunt de eo observanda, nisi velimus ea minus exacte
s To Colgan's version was prefixed a text, taken from St. Matthew's Gospel : "Homo Crantzio supra. Tradunt—alii communiter quidam, peregre proficiscens, vocavit servos
Longe enim ea Disc- cesis procurrit in Orientem per terrani ditio-
saint, by observing :
ab aliis tradita, repetere, quam quod ejus natalem hac 30 Martii. Tradunt cum
luartyrologi celebrari. " "Acta Sancto-
rum HiberniK," xxx. Martii. Vita S. Pat- •
tonis, p. 795.
3^ This Translation took place, on the
Sixth o—f the Ides of March—or loth of this month duringtheyearnamedinthetext.
suos, et tradidit illisbonasua," cap. xxv. , v. 14. Thus it appears to have introduced the particulars of the saint's life, as if these were intended to be a sermon, or eulogy, pro- nounced on his festival, before some as- sembly.
* Its differences from the
translation of O'Sullevan Beare are pointed
39 See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
Manuscript densiinSaxoni—aInferiore,sect. 4,p. 844. out,inthenotesofColgan. Hethinksthe
iii. , Martii xxx. De S. Pattone Episcopo Ver-
"
tomus i. , Januarii i. De S.
Struell Wells, County of Down.
sius must have been first bishop of Downpatrick,'? by a learned Irish Church historian, who supposes, there are no sufficient proofs to show that Cailan, or Coelan, was his predecessor, as some writers maintain. ^" But, according to Mr. John W. Hanna, those who maintain such an opinion have overlooked the true conclusion to be derived from the dates, which show, that whereas Mochoe, Abbot of Nendrum, died 496, it was quite consistent, that another Coelan should be elevated to Down, in 499. Besides, Ussher, who possessed
Kinelarty. See ibid. , Sheets 22, 23, 29, 30,
37.
'3 See Harris' Ware, vol.
Down," p. 195.
'< In the " Annals of
•'"The first Bishop, and, indeed, the first minister of Down of whom we have any certain account, is whose death is
'S See Rev, Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect.
i. , n. 10, p. 185.
any Bishop
before St.
Lanigan's
'*
name for him. His feast is held on the 23rd
Fergus, and whether there was an uninter-
rupted succession after him, are questions
which, in the absence of — must be record,
vol. " i,,
and note 186, where he 12, pp. 185,
" Ulster,"
Bishops
of
Fergus,
recorded in the various collections of Annals,
Mochoe is said to have been another
of when he died a. d. June,
" Ecclesiastical of Down Antiquities
496, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, pp 143. H4-
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to 161, and n. (h. ) Ibid.
'-' Or about A. D. 499. See Harris' Ware,
quitates," cap. xvii. See, also, the " Index "
Chronologicus of Ussher, p. 527, at a. d. DXX. Ibid.
" Ecclesiastical HiS'
of
** See " Briiannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
Bishops
Down," p. 194.
p. 183,
says: "Had there been any Bishop of
1,,
&c.
" Ecclesiastical
andis atthe * *
placed Whether there was
year 583.
judged by general reasoning. " Dr. Reeves
^° See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect,
Lanigan's
Down, prior to Fergus, it should seem odd, that he is the first mentioned in both the Annals above referred to ; and that, not-
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1013
his
"
Life and Acts," could not have been deceived. *' Near Downpatrick are
the celebrated Struell Wells, which seem to have been resorted to by pilgrims,
from times very remote, and where numberless miraculous cures have been
efiFected. The place itself is only a poor village, containing a few straggling
houses, inhabited by Catholics, who take charge of the springs. ^^' These are
for the most roofs. *3 The house of the "
well" is
part protected by
the largest of three ; and, to the height of gable, it is 29 feet, being 30 feet by 22 in area. The higher part, with three small windows, is roofed with stone ; but, the lower part has no roof,^* and here the bathing takes place. Another
spring
is called the " *5 and a third is called the " drink- eye-well,"
well. " *^
It runs east and west, its length is 64^ feet, its breadth 25 feet. In the eastern gable, there is a Gothic window, 9}^ feet high, in the northern side- wall. There are no windows in the opposite one. There are three windows andadoor,andalsoone,onthewesterngable. —Ashortdistancefromthis
ing
Immediately
behind this latter are the remains of an old church. '^
old — and about
building, mid-way up
a
the wells is St. Patrick's chair,*^ which appears to be a mass of rude stones, now greatly displaced. It is supposed, that St. Patrick often resorted to Struell,*9 for penitential purposes, and to sing Psalms while in retirement at Downpatrick, from which it is only a mile or two distant. 3° That see St. Fergus governed, with great prudence and sanctity, until the day of his death, which took place on the 30th of March, a. d, 583,3' in the sixteenth year of the reign of Aidus, King of Ireland, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,3* and, likewise, to those of Ulster. The latter have it noted again, under a. d. 589. The Annals of Tighernach have his decease recorded, under A. D. 584. 33 TheAnnalsofBoyleplacehisdeath,soearlyasa. d. 557. The
withstanding Colgan's frequently alluding to Down and naming several persons called Cailan, see ex. c. Ind. tert. ad Tr. Th. , he has no Bishop of that name in said See. "
*' See an Article, in the Belfast Weekly
Examiner, of June 8th, 1872.
" The accompanying illustration was
drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake-
man, from a photograph, prepared by Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C, Saul. The en- graving is by Mrs. Millard.
'3 The information here given is from a
letter of Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C. of
Saul, and dated therefrom February 14th, 1 880.
** On the eve of June 24th, it is tem- porarily covered with leafy branches.
=^5 It is 120 feet from the former well, and
its roof is about 7 feet high ; the building is
nearly square, being 6 feet by 5>^ feet. On the western side, there is a little door 4 feet 8 inches in height.
** It is nearly in a straight line with the wells already described. From the second, it is situated at a distance of 83^^ feet : the height of roof is about 8 feet.
="? On enquiry, Father M'Cann had been told, it was the fust church, which was erected, after the storm of the penal times had passed over. It appears, that the land- lord on whose property it stood was a member of Parliament, and on being chided by a brother-member, that he was permitting a Popish chapel to be built on his estate, at
once he gave orders to discontinue the
work j so it remains, as appearing in the
illustration, to the present day.
hill
steep immediately overlooking
"^^
It is a matter of regret, that this chair
was partly destroyed, by the Orangemen, and this wanton outrage has caused intense chagrin and regret to the Catholics of the place, as the writer was told at the locaUty, which he visited, in the month of May, 1874.
^' It seems to be the fountain, called Slan, in St. Fiach's Hymn on St. Patrick, His commentator places it, at Saul, which is near ; and, we are told, that the Ulidians filled it up, on account of annoyance caused by crowds frequenting it.
3o £>,, O'Doran, writing on the 23rd of
September, in the year 1753, to his agent in Rome, says: "I have it to add that I would be glad if I could get those indul- gences of Crumdugh extended to Struel, for on that Fryday the Christians visited Struel as well as Mount Donert. "—Rev. James O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , pp. 24^; to 250.
^i See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xxx. Martii, n. 3, p. 794.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 210, 211.
"
Eccle- siastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, n. (e), p. 144,
and Calendar LL, p. 377-
33 See Rev. William Reeves'
bathing
I0I4
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
Martyrologies of Tallagh,34 of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Maguire, have the festival of this saint, at the 30th of March. But, although they call him Bishop,theydonotnamethatsee,overwhichhepresided. Inlikemanner, Ferghus, Bishop of Druim-Lethglaisi, is recorded, in the I^Iartyrology of Donegal,35ashavingafestivalatthisdate. Again,undertheheadofDruim Lethglaisi, Duald Mac Firbis enters, Fergus, bishop, quievit 583, at J^Iarch 30th. 36 Atthisday,likewise,theBollandists37haveabriefnoticeofFergus, although doubting if a cultus were due to him.
Article III. —St. Patto, Abbot of Amarbaric, and Bishop of
in desiring to spread God's kingdom among the heathens. It is remarked, however, by Albert Krantz,7 that more ancient writers had left very scanty memorials of this noble missionary, who had abandoned his native country, and who travelled to Saxony, then subdued by the Emperor Charlemagne,^ a monastery being here established,' for the Scots, or Irish, at a place called Amarbaric,nearthecityofVerden. Itissaid,Potto,orPatto,wasthefirst
Abbot, who ruled over it, for about forty-three years, being distinguished for his zeal in preaching the Gospel, and in resisting the encroachments of
Verden,
[Eighth
and Ninth We find that Centuries. '] Colgan
^
in Saxony.
and the Bollandists = treat of St. Patto, at the 30th of March. He is said to have been a Scot,3 by birth ;* and, owing to the application of the term, in that early period, we are most probably to understand, that he was an Irish- man. s Likewise,heisstatedtohavebeendescended,fromanoblefamily. ^ He soon became renowned for his many and great virtues, and for his zeal,
'° As
The English Martyrology states, that Verden was in the territory of Cleves ; but, Colgan asserts," on the authority of Albert Krantz, that it was situated rather, between the cities of Minda and Bremen, on the River Lemus, in Old Saxony. Over Amarbaric, our saint was Abbot," but it is a subject of dis- cussion,'3 if the persons holding this appointment, in the early years of foundation, were to be regarded as ruling over the see of Verden, at die same
mistakes
3* The edition, published by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, enters "Gobani ocus Fergus Eps. ," at p. XX. The Franciscan copy has 5obb<ii
for in Ireland. Armagh,
heresy.
usual, Colgan
Amarbaric,
Bede is always careful to introduce, in his "HistoriaEcclesiasticaGentls Anglorum,"as in lib. i. , cap. 34, and lib. v. , cap. 23, when alluding to the Scots of North Britain.
Aguf pe4|\5Uf.
35 Edited 90, 91.
Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp.
* to the According
by
English Martyrology,
3* See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series,' vol. i. , part
at the 30th of March.
7 See " Rerum Germanicanim Historic!
Clarissimi, Ecclesiastica Historia, sive Me- tropolis," lib. ii. , cap. 21.
i. , pp. 108, 109.
3' ^
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted
feasts," p. 796. — to 180.
"'
'
Article hi. See Acta Sanctorum to
Hibemise," Martii xxx. De S. Pattone Episcopo Verdensi, Ex variis, pp. 794, 795.
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. De S.
Pattone Episcopo Ver-
densi in Saxonia inferiore, p. 844.
3 Albert Krantz calls him " Scotus natione," in his "Historia Ecclesiastica
Saxoniae. "
* At the 30th of March, ^Egidius Gelenius
Martii. De S. Pattone, p. 794.
commemorates him as St.
a Scot.
" See Albert Krantz's " lib. Metropolis,"
Patto,
s This may be presumed, especially when
no distinction is made, that the person was a British Scot. This notice, also, Venerable
i. , cap. 21, 22.
'3 Especially between Cointius and the
Bollandists.
"
About the year 786. See Capefigue's Charlemagne," tome i. , chap, x. , pp. 158
this fact — related under a. d. 796, and St. Swibert
whos—e Acts are already related, at February 16th was the founder. See "Annales
Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxvi. , sect, liv. , p. 324.
»° See Arnold Wion's " Lignum Vitae,"
lib. ii. , cap. 54.
" See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernix," xxx.
According
Mabillon,
is
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
1015
period. Thus, St. Patto"* is said to have succeeded St. Suibert, its first bishop, in that See, about a. d. 718. ^5 The Bollandists,'^ however, seem to doubt,whetheroursainthadbeenBishopofVerden; theymaintaining,that Tanco'7wastheimmediatesuccessorofSt. '^ or
Suibert, havebeenanEnglishman. =° HeruledoverVerdenfortwenty-oneyears,
and he died a. d. 807, when he was succeeded by the second bishop, St. Patto Scotus, Abbot of Amarbaric. =' Without citing any authority, or having any foundation for his assertion, Dempster says, that our saint wrote a book on the Pentateuch, and that he lived, in the year 810. Bale ^^ has a similar statement, and Bishop Tanner ^3 follows these accounts. On the authority of the English Martyrology, at the present date, Henry Fitzsimon enters Paton, Bishop, in his Catalogue, as published by O'Sullivan Beare. '* We alsofind,atthe30thofMarch,thesimplerecordofhisname. Onthevery same day, the English Martyrologyj^'S Arnold Wion,^^ Philip Ferrarius,^^ Hugh Menard,^^ Demoraches,29 Molanus,3° Dempster,3i and many others, record his festival. It is supposed to have been the date for his departure. Various accounts are also given, regarding the year of our saint's death ; most writers assign 76032 qj. ^52, 763 ;33 some 810, or even later, as dates for his departure ; while Dr. Lanigan maintains, that all the Amarbaric Abbots and Bishops of Verden, flourished after a. d. 786,3* when this see is thought to have been first founded. 35 Arnold Wion states, that our saint
'* Among the early Bishops of Verden, classed among his ecclesiastical writers
Caspar Bruschius calls Patto solely by the
title of a saint. See " De Germanice Epis-
copis. "
'S According to Arnold Wion. However,
this appears to have been a mistake for St. Swibert, Apostle of the Prisons, whose feast is at the ist of March, and who died
A. D. 713.
'^ At the of when
30th April, treating
about St. Suibert.
'' See his Acts, at the 1 6th of February.
'^
His festival has been assigned, to the 30th of April.
"
in Bibliotheca-Britannica-Hibernica," p.
581.
** See " Historise Catholicse Ibemiae
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
p. 50, and cap. xii. , p. 56.
^5 It has "Verdas in Territorio Clivensi
deposilio S. Pattonis, ejusdem sedis Epis- copi et Confessoris," &c.
="* He writes " S. Patto Scotus, Mona- chus, et Abbas, Amarbaricanus in Scotia, et Episcopus Verdensis secundus, creatus anno Domini circiter 718, vir in Evangelica veri- tate enuncianda ac haeresis pravitate convel- lenda, studio ac zelo praecipuus, prasfuit annis plus minus 43, et in bona senechute ad patres suos depositus, est circa annu—m Domini 760, die tertio Calendas Aprilis. " Arnold Wion's "Lignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54.
'9
<«
Erat autem primo Suitberto Verdensi
Episcopo proximus successor, Patto natione Scotus, Abbas pridem Amarbaricensis in
sua provincia, pro Christo peregrinatus, eum audisset Saxoniam tam diu contumacem
Ciiristo, et ejus Evangelio, nunc armis coactam a Carolo, ut ascultaret verse Reli-
gioni, Catholicseque veritati, cumque ver- saretur in provincia, et verbum Dei strenue Gentibus prsedicaret, delectatus ejus zelo Carolus Ecclesiae Verdensi praefici jussit
" Pattonis Episcopi. "
=8
Pontificem. "—Cranzius' "
In the Benedictine Martyrology.
^9 Demoraches, " De Sacrificio Midas in
Catalogo Episcoporum Vuerdensium. "
sive Plistoria Ecclesiastica Saxonias," lib. ii. ,
3° Molanus, in his
Appendix.
cap. 21.
^° He " must not be confounded with St.
Willebrord's companion, t—he Bishop Suit-
bert, who died in 713. " Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
iii. , chap, xx. , sect, iv. , p. 219, and n. 26, p. 220. Ibid.
-^ Or, ai the Chronicle of Verden has it, "Abbas Am. abanarum Ecclesise. "
" See " Scriptorum lUustrium Majoris Brytannias," &c. , tomus ii. , cent, xiv. , sect. xxxiv. , p. 204.
*3 See a notice of the present holy man, as
35
Metropoli,
3' " Gentis See Historia Ecclesi&slica
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xv. , num. locxs. 3- See Father Stephen White's " Apologia
pro Hibernia," cap. iv. , p. 44.
The English Martyrology.
34 The BoUandists quote a Chronicle of
Verden, which u^signs the foundation of that see to 786, in the nineteenth year of the
Emperor Charlemagne's reign, Adrien I. being Pope. This account was communi- cated, by the Jesuit Father Hermann Crom-
"
="'7 He has,
Vuerdiae
in Saxoriia Sancti
:
Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. , sect. L,
bach, from the local archives. See p. 844.
Suitbert,"? said to
ioi6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
attained a good old age, at the time of his death. 36 After his first deposition, the relics were exhumed, in common with those of other saints interred ; and,
it is probable, at Konende, the place where the episcopal see was originally constituted. 37 His remains were formally buried, in the church of Verden. When Francis William, Bishop of that see, made some considerable repairs in his cathedral church, in the year 1630, the body of our saint, and the re- mains of six other holy prelates of the city, were removed 3^ from the places, wherethoselipsanahadbeendeposited. 39 Theserelicswereplaced,incon- spicuous positions, within the church, where they were held in great venera- tion. They became the occasion, afterwards, for many miracles being wrought, in favour of divers persons.
Article IV. —St. Mochua or Cronan, Abbot of Balla, County of Mayo. {Sixth and Seventh Centuries^^ Among the saints of Connaught
———
most venerated by its people especially in Mayo may be ranked the
and
sections the Acts of St. Mochua, or Cronan,^ of Balla, at the ist of January. These were translated into Latin, from an Irish collection, and they were transmitted by Philip O'Sullevan Beare, from Madrid, in 1634. Not knowing the natal day of the present saint, these Acts were published,3 on the first day of the year. There are only a few verbal differences, between this and the version of it, as introduced by Colgan,* in his work, at the present date. s To this legendary Irish Life,^ he has added some additional comments of his own, together with separate notes, illustrating the subject of his text. The father of our saint is called Becan, or Beggan, son of Barr, son to Nathi, son of Lugad,7 son to Dalann, in Ultonia, according to the Sanctilogy of the IrishSaints. ^ —HismotheriscalledComma—oraccordingtoanotherManu- script Cumnea the daughter of Conamal, son of Machtan, or Machadan, and she belonged to the Dalbuanican tribe. Besides two elder brothers, she
to the celebrated of St. belonged community
Comgall, at Bangor.
3 Some particulars, regarding the Mill of
St. Fecliin, were omitted by the Bollandists, as those details were to be inserted, in his Acts, at the 20th of January,
< See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," nis Luneburgensis usque in Marchiam Martii xxx. Vita S. Mochuoe sive Cronani
present
—holy
man. TheBollandists^ have insix
chapters
twenty-one
3S See Abbe
tique," tome i\. , liv. xliv. , sect, xx. , p. 454.
Fleury's
" Histoire Ecclesias-
^ See " Lignum Vitse," lib. ii. , cap. 54. 3' Colgan concludes his account of our
"
Brandeburgensem. Nee plura occurrunt de eo observanda, nisi velimus ea minus exacte
s To Colgan's version was prefixed a text, taken from St. Matthew's Gospel : "Homo Crantzio supra. Tradunt—alii communiter quidam, peregre proficiscens, vocavit servos
Longe enim ea Disc- cesis procurrit in Orientem per terrani ditio-
saint, by observing :
ab aliis tradita, repetere, quam quod ejus natalem hac 30 Martii. Tradunt cum
luartyrologi celebrari. " "Acta Sancto-
rum HiberniK," xxx. Martii. Vita S. Pat- •
tonis, p. 795.
3^ This Translation took place, on the
Sixth o—f the Ides of March—or loth of this month duringtheyearnamedinthetext.
suos, et tradidit illisbonasua," cap. xxv. , v. 14. Thus it appears to have introduced the particulars of the saint's life, as if these were intended to be a sermon, or eulogy, pro- nounced on his festival, before some as- sembly.
* Its differences from the
translation of O'Sullevan Beare are pointed
39 See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
Manuscript densiinSaxoni—aInferiore,sect. 4,p. 844. out,inthenotesofColgan. Hethinksthe
iii. , Martii xxx. De S. Pattone Episcopo Ver-
"
tomus i. , Januarii i. De S.
