In the second wrapper, formed of black and worn linen on the outside, and having some linen within, were found three portions of a cranium and a little
longer than a finger's length, a large bone apparently belonging to the shoul- der, two parts of thicker bones and somewhat larger, seven notable fragments but of lesser size, and four portions of bones, yet still smaller.
longer than a finger's length, a large bone apparently belonging to the shoul- der, two parts of thicker bones and somewhat larger, seven notable fragments but of lesser size, and four portions of bones, yet still smaller.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
have been greatly contested by historians.
38 Some have
thought it referable to the Emperor Maximin, who lived in the third century ;
others again state, it was in the time of the tyrant Maximus, who flourished
about a. d. 385 ; while most writers treating about this occurrence assign it to
themiddleofthecenturysucceeding,andinthetimeofAttila. 30 Intheyear
1 156, many tombs, with inscriptions, were discovered at Cologne, which were
thoughttohavebeenthoseofSt. Ursulaandhercompanions. Amongthese
are said to have been found the names of many bishops and of other holy
persons,supposedtohavebeenhercompanions. 40 Atthetimeofthatmassa-
1
cre/ Radbod, King of Frisia, and a great foe to Pepin of Heristal, is assumed
to have been at Cologne. This account, however, is altogether inconsistent with historic indications. Radbod was so struck by the beauty of Cunera, that he saved her from the massacre, and hid her under his mantle, as the Legendstates. ThencehecarriedherofftoRhenen,hiscapitalontheRhine, andwhichwasinthedioceseofUtrecht/7 Thiscitywasformerlyontheleft bank of the old Rhine, the bed of which is now nearly dried up ; but it is on the right bank of the later course of the Rhine, which in those parts is called Lecka. The city was so called, probably be- cause it was situated between the two Rhines. 43 A probable conjec- ture has been offered,44 however, that St. Cunera had been a daughter to one of those chiefs who had been baptized in Frisia, by St. Willibrord ; that she had deserved the reverence of a king with whom she lived ; and that she had been put to death, owing to the jealousy of his wife. Afterwards, when miraculous indications had revealed her sanctity, a church was built over her placeofsepulture. Inreferencetoherthepopulartraditionsbecomingobscure, she is thought to have been regarded as one of St. Ursula's contemporaries
obscure history of St. Ursula and the Eleven
Thousand Martyrs who are said to have suf-
fered with her at Cologne, the student may
be referred to Father Hermann Combach's
"
Ursula Vindicata, sive Vita et Martyrium SS. Ursula et Sociorum Martyrum. "
Rev. Dr. F. J. Pabisch and the Rev. Thomas S. Byrne, vol. i. , Period i. , Epoch i. , part 2, chap, i. , sect. 67, p. 187. "
40 See L'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Ecclesi-
36 The historic traditions
celebrated massacre have been most exhaus- tively dealt with by Father Victor De Buck, in the Bollandists'" Acta Sanctorum ,"tomus ix. , Octobris xxi. De S. Ursula et Undecim Millibus Sociarum Virginum et Martyrum Colonise Agrippince, pp. 73 to 303.
37 It has been recently asserted by many writers, that the Legend of the Eleven Thousand Virgins arose out of a mistaken
"
astique,"tome xv. , liv. Ixx. , sect. xviii. ,p. 28. 4I " It is not necessary to expose the ab- surd anachronisms of this Radbod
reading of the following :
(artyres) v. (irgines), as if the Legend thus
ran ; Ursula et Undecimilla Virg. Martyr.
Cf. Floss, in Aschbach's Eccl. Cyclopedia, clus' vol. iv. , pp. 1 102 to 1 108.
38 The most ancient
testimony bearing
on
tome iv. , chap, iv. , pp. 289 to 293.
** Below that was com- city Batavodurum,
monly called Wykter-Durstede, above the ford now known as Wagheninghe, and where St. Cunera as a Virgin and Martyr is held in special veneration. Such is the statement
the subject is the Clematianic inscription, as-
signed to the fifth or sixth century, published
in the German work of Rev. Dr. J. H. Kessel on St. Ursula and her Eleven Thou-
sand Virgins, p. 10. in 1863.
Published at Cologne,
of Father Papebroke, in the rum," tomus ii. , Junii xii.
Acta Sancto-
39 See Rev. Dr.
Universal Church History," translated by
Mart. Commentarius num. I, p. 557.
sect.
John Alzog's
Virg.
Prrevius,
1,
relating
to this
story.
died in 719, the first crusade was in 1096,
Ursula et xi. M.
" Manual of
St. Ursula is generally supposed to have been martyred in the Hunish invasion of
451. Probably the foundation of the legend is the murder of a girl by her mistress o—ut jealousy, some time in the Middle Ages. " Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the
Saints," vol. vi. , June 12, p. 155.
** This city is still the See of the Catholic
Archbishop, and the fourth city of the
Netherlands for size and population. See
an interesting description of it, in Elisee Re-
"
Nouvelle Geographie Universelle,"
"
De S. Cunera,
June 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
647
andcompanions. However,wehaveonlytopursuethenarrativeregarding her, as we find it in the Legend. Radbod, the King of Rhenen, is said to have brought her into his palace, when she had been rescued from that death which overtook the eleven thousand virgins. While there, she kept herself constantly in the presence of God, serving him day and night, by vigils, absti- nence,andothergoodworks. Whilestrictlyobservinghiscommandments,she despised the pomps of this life, advancing steadily from virtue to virtue. The poor were constant objects of her care. The king greatly admired her life and works, placing her over his family and giving her influence throughout his kingdom ; while these privileges, so far from causing her to feel proud, rather increased her deferential humility to the king, queen, and their whole family. But his wife was displeased that a young and beautiful girl had been thus preserved, and lodged with her under the same roof. Soon did the queen resorttocalumniestotarnishthefairfameofCunera. However,theking would not believe these stories, as he found Cunera to be so virtuous ; and
accordingly, he felt angry, enjoining silence on the queen, who also urged that their guest was over prodigal in wasting their substance on the poor.
This charge failed, likewise, to effect her object. She was filled with envy and
jealousy;
St.
so that at
she
prevailed
on one*5 of her attendants to
Cunera,
with a
6 while the
king
was out
hunting.
The
body
was
last, towel,*
strangle
afterwards buried in a stable. The queen, who assisted in the murder and
also in this attempt at concealment, engaged her waiting-maid to keep it a
profound secret. They had prepared a false statement for the king on his return, and the queen told him, that during his absence the parents of Cunera had come to the palace and had hastily removed their daughter. The horse of the kingwas startled, it seems, and refused to enter thatstable, where the corpse had been interred. Having been brought to another stable, however, he readily entered. When the king had retired for rest that evening, his ostler saw a bright light appearing above Cunera's grave, and which assumed the form of a cross, as if composed of lighted candles. This information was brought to the king, who resolved on finding out the mystery, if possible ; but, when his servants were at a distance from that stable those lights appeared, yet, when they arrived at it, suddenly the phenomenon vanished. However, on entering the stable, they noticed where the earth had been recently dis- turbed, and again removing it, they discovered the body of St. Cunera, having the towel with which she had been strangled around her neck. She was then removed from that pit. Suspecting the queen to have been the per- petrator of this foul murder, the king flew into a violent rage, and he punished her so severely, that between consciousness of guilt and fear, she became a lunatic. Then she ran away raving mad, tearing her hair and clothes for three days, while she wandered over the country. At last, she threw herself head- long from a precipice, and thus ended her miserable life. According to the Latin Legend, this occurred a. d. 339 ; while it is added, that Radbod, who so greatly admired and lamented Cunera, bestowed his palace as a place, where the holy woman was to receive posthumous honours. It is said, he also richly endowed it.
Thus was the place of her deposition, and her great sanctity, manifested to all. It is added, that when Pope Sergius sent Willebrord as Archbishop to preside over the See of Utrecht,*? in 698, with his deacon the
"* By Father Daniel Papebroke.
"5 The Latin legend calls her pedissequa,
preached the Gospel among the Frisons, whom he converted to the Faith, having de-
or "
46 This towel is said to have been pre-
served as a relic, in the church of Rhenen.
*7 According to St. Boniface, Archbishop of Mayence, St. Willibrord, for fifty years,
their temples and places of pagan
waiting
maid. "
stroyed
worship, and having built Christian churches
in their stead, establishing his episcopal seat in the city of Utrecht. See "Opera S. Bone- facii," Epistola i. His mission lasted from
648 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Blessed Adalbert, and his sub-deacon the Blessed Werenfrid, it so hap- pened, that they passed through the town of Rhenen. There, the chief inhabi- tants waited on them, and reported the virtues and acts of St. Cunera. They also suppliantly stated, as the Almighty had wrought great miracles through his holy virgin and martyr, that her remains should be translated with becom-
ing honours. Having joyfully received this testimony, St. Willibrord promised to accomplish that object which they so piously sought, but as his business was then of a pressing nature, he was obliged to postpone his intentions.
However, this mission was too long placed in abeyance; and one day, while descending the Rhine with some companions, a great storm arose as they approached the eminence of Heymon,48 while all feared that their vessel must be submerged. 49 St. Willibrord prayed to the Lord that the tempest might cease, and accordingly it was stilled. This threatened danger, he attributed
to his neglecting that promise made to the people of Rhenen ; and accordingly he directed the bark to its shore, where he landed, and he then ordered all his people to approach reverently the place, where St. Cunera's remains were preserved. This command was very cheerfully obeyed, while with religious rites and solemnities, preparations were made for a public Translation, about the commencement of the eighth century. s° In his Menologium Scotorum, at the 12th of June,51 Thomas Dempster commemorates the transference and placing of St. Kunera's relics by Willibrord, Archbishop of the Scots. St. Cunera is venerated chiefly in the diocese of Utrecht, where her beautiful church had been erected at Rhenen, over the spot where she suffered martyr- dom, and it was distinguished by a magnificent tower. There, pilgrimages were made to her shrine by the people, who believed in the cures sa wrought through her intercession, and who also brought diseased cattle thither, hoping for their cure. It is stated, likewise, that formerly the people of Cleves and of Gelderland were accustomed to swear on the relics of St. Cunera. Females in that part of Holland frequently assumed the name Cunera, contracted to Knera or Knertje. 53 Her festival is set down in the Cologne and Lubeck Martyrologies ; as also, in some ancient Dutch Breviaries at the 12th of June. Molanus in his additions to Usuard has notices of this saint and her festival,5* at this date. There are other festivals of this holy virgin and martyr assigned to the 28th of October,55 said by one authority to have been the date for her Passion, 56 while it may have been only the date for the Translation of her Relics ; while again, in the Florarium Sanctorum, the Finding of the Relics
A. D. 694 to 744.
48 In the Westphalia (Bodensis) Manu-
script and in the Louvain version of this
5° See " Les Petits Bollandistes Vies des Saints, tome vi. , xiie Jour de Juin, p. 584.
s' He thus writes: "Urbe Reinensi Kunerae virginis Ur>ulanae per S. Vvilli- brordum Scotum Archiepiscopum translatio et reliquiarum collocatio, ML. "—Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 202.
& The cure of a toothache was supposed to be effected by a visit to her shrine,
53 Adiminutiveformoftheprecedingnamc. 54 Thus : "In oppido Rhenensi Elevatio S.
Cunerre, Virginis et Martyris. "
55 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Junii xii. De S. Cunera, Virg. Mart. , &c. Commentarius Pnevius, sect. 1. ,
num. 7, p. 55S.
56 Father Papebroke deems it a doubtful
matter, if the exact day for this holy martyr's deathhadbeenwithcertaintyknown,asher
the name of this is omitted, place
Legend,
probably because the transcriber was igno-
rant of the locality. Between Utrecht and Ametsfoort runs from south to north a long range of mountain, which takes its name from the latter town and its rise from near Rhenen. A town called Amerongan be- side the latter and situated on a hill was pro- bably identical with Heymon or Agmon. Hence the denominations of Amersfoort and Amerongan, according to an opinion con- jectually hazarded by Father Daniel Pape- broke.
49 This account supposes the channel of the old Rhine to have been navigable, although now it is not, except by means of an artificial canal, which leads from Viana to Utrecht.
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
649
of St. Cunera, Virgin and Martyr, is set down at the 19th December. 57 From what has been already stated, and from what has been related regarding her relics, it is possible, there may have been two distinct Cuneras, both of them set down as a single individual. The head of a St. Cunera is preserved at Cologne, in the monastery of St. Vincent, according to the Catalogue of Ursuline Relics, which have been venerated in other churches of Cologne,
8
dael, of St. Peter's church, Utrecht, by the Very Rev. Victor Schorelius, vicar and senior priest of the same church, and by Jacob Boelius, prebend of the church of the Blessed Virgin. In a wooden case they found those relics, enclosed in four different swathings. In the first of these, surrounded with red linen and wrapped in white linen were two large bones, and these were one palm and a half in length ; three other bones one palm in length ; five other bones pretty large, but not of the same length.
In the second wrapper, formed of black and worn linen on the outside, and having some linen within, were found three portions of a cranium and a little
longer than a finger's length, a large bone apparently belonging to the shoul- der, two parts of thicker bones and somewhat larger, seven notable fragments but of lesser size, and four portions of bones, yet still smaller. The third wrapper of red linen, with a gold lace at the opening, contained two fillets 6* or head ornaments of linen, having insignia of the holy virgin, and gold thread intermixed. In the fourth wrapper was the towel which caused her strangula- tion, and more than two ells in length, by three quarters of an ell in breadth, covered with two other flowered towels, together with an old and a worn cor- poral over all. 65 The Carmelite Father Damasus a S. Ludovico 66 received a particle of St. Cunera's relics, from Right Rev. Gaspar Munster, coadjutor
Bishop of Osnabruck, for the Carmelites of the Holy Sepulchre of Rennes. 6
besides the church of St. Ursula. s
Among other relics brought to Portugal in 1565, and presented to King Emanuel, by Margaret of Austria, who then ruled over Belgium, were those of St. Cunera ; and while he distributed a portion of these to his niece," the rest he kept for his own kingdom. 60 These61 were afterwards conveyed to France, by Antonio Notho, and bestowed on the 62 On
son of Emanuel, a religious of the Cistercian order, in the year 6
1594.
the i6thofMay, 1615, old style, 3 there was an inspection made of St. Cunera's relics, kept at Rhenen, by the Very Rev. Dean D. Wilger a Moeren-
There it was enclosed in a precious reliquary. ? In the year 1602, the Jesuit
murder was accomplished in a secret man- ner, according to the local legend.
57 Father Papebroke observes, that the people of Rhenen probably found these venerated relics, after the church in which they reposed had been ruined owing to some conflagration, or to the wars which had been waged there, after the first interment.
58 See the Rev. Dr. J. H. Kessel's work in German, on St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgins, translated into French, by L'Abbe G. Beeteme, Annexes, No. 11, p. 415.
59 She was rtamed Maria, espoused to
Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, son of
62
In the year 1633, they were consigned
the aforesaid Margaret.
by him to the Church of Our Saviour at Ant-
werp, and in 1671, these were solemnly set
up for veneration, as shown in the Bollan- dists' "Acta Sanctorum," in their tomus i. , Commentarius Prsevius, to the Acts of St. Mary of Egypt, at the 2nd of April. See sect, iv. , pp. 72 to 74.
63 A short time before, May 7th, John Ludolph, vicar of the church of Rhenen, had died at Bois-le-Duc.
6iCalledHuyven,intheFlemishlanguage,
6S To the account, the names of foregoing
the three inspectors mentioned in the text are appended, with the statement, that the relics had been replaced in their case for the
of Rhenan.
& He wrote in French a Life of St. Ursule
and her companions.
6? See L'Abbe G. Beeteme's "Sainte
Ursule et ses onze mil le Vierges oul'Europ Occidentale au Millieu du v« Siecle Mono-
60
Altogether they
number
thirty-four
dis-
city
tinct
61 That numbered xvi. marks " binse par-
tesossium S. Cunerse, Virginis et Martyris
21 Junii," the figures being transposed for 12 recte.
objects.
650 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
College of Emmerich obtained several relics 68 of this holy virgin, with a letter describing and authenticating them. 6? Various other relics were kept in Utrecht; andsomeoftheseappeartohavefallenintothehandsoftheCal- vinists, from whom a wealthy Catholic named Botter purchased them at a high price. A part of these were brought to Berlikum, and again to Bedaf, where they were honoured by the Catholics, who are said to have visited as pilgrims those places where they were kept, and to have received very many spiritual and corporal benefits in consequence. 7° The fame of St. Cunera's sanctity spread wonderously over the Low Countries, and especially through those provinces adjoining the River Rhine. Many extraordinary miracles are recordedtohavebeenwroughtthroughherintercession. Thus,thedeadwere raised to life, the sick were restored to health, the blind recovered their sight, the dumb their use of speech, paralytics were released from their debility, and captives from their prison, owing to faith in the efficacy of prayer to her. Epileptics and possessed persons were cured. Various incidents with details
1
ofnames and places may be found in her Acts,? which prove not only the
extension of popular devotion towards this holy Virgin and Martyr, but like-
wise the continuous tradition, which, notwithstanding the mystery attaching to her, has brought her veneration down through long past ages even to our own times.
Article VI. —St. Coeman or Caomhan, of Ardcavan, County of Wexford. It is to be regretted, that so many conflicting and doubtful accounts regarding this saint remain. According to one statement, he was a
1
brother to St. Attracta, and therefore he must have been contemporaneous
with St. 2 of whom it is said he was a 3 The Bollandists Patrick, disciple.
enter his feast at this day, but they remark, that nothing more concerning him can be said, than what had been given in the Acts of his reputed sister, St. Attracta. * In the Martyrology of Tallagh,s at the 12th of June, we find entered the name of Coeman. To this is added, Airdni i Santletan, as his designation. He must have flourished at an early period ; for, at the same
his festival is entered in the of 6 The commentator Festilogy ^Engus.
date,
explains the meaning of Sanct-lethan, in a fashion of his own. She is said to have been the queen of a King of Leix, i. e. , Eochaid, son of Barr. We are further told, that Coeman was named from her, apparently on the ground,
graphie Historique et Critique. " Annexes, No. 11, p. 415. This is a translation from the German work, written by Rev. Dr. J. II. Kessel.
These were presented by Very Rev. D. JohnLudolph. Theyarc enumerated as being thebuneofa leg or an arm; aroundbone belonging to the neck, with three pai tides an embroidered fillet or piece of stuff, having heraldic ornaments on it; and a number of threads belonging to the towel, with which St. Cunera had been strangled.
69 These descriptions are dated April 24th, 1602.
70 See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. De S. Cunerae Virg. Mart. Rhenis apud Belgas in Dioce. Ultrajectina. Commentarius Prrevius, sect. i. , ii. , iii. , pp. 557 to 561.
71 See ibid. , pp. 56S to 572.
Article vi. — Her feast occurs at the 9th of February.
William M. Hennessy, for Miss M. F. 68 "
;
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. liv. , p. 137, and nn. 88, 114, pp. 177, 178. Also Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 267.
3
See the Irish Tripartite, translated by
Cusack's Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of
Ireland," part ii. , pp. 408, 411, and n. (8), ibid,
* See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. Among the pretermitted saints, at p. 504.
5 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii. 6"
See Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. . part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciii.
7 See ibid. , p. cii.
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
651
that as a little gillie, he was in bondage to her. But, another explanation is vouchsafed. As an alternative conjecture, we are informed, that for this reason he was named Sanctlethan ; namely, because, through a great con- test did Bishop Ibair bear Coeman from the queen, i. e. , from Sanctlethan, and Sanctlethan said that her name should be on the gillie, and Sanctlethan gave her word for this, that Coeman would carry away Bishop Ibair's monks fromhim,thoughhe(thebishop)wasmuchentreatingforthem; andthis, we are told, was fulfilled thereafter. ? St. Coeman of Airdne Coemhain has a place in Marianus O'Gorman's Martyrology. He is recorded, in the Martyr-
of 8 at this same ology Donegal,
under the title of of Ard- Caomhan,
date,
caomhain. 9 This place is said to have been by the side of Loch Garman,
The latter name is identical with the bay of Wexford, in the south-—eastern
of Leinster. This situation of th—
e saint'sruinedchurch which
probably derived its name from him is convenient to the present Wexford
haven, in the barony of Shelmalier East, and county of Wexford. 10 The
O'Clery's Calendar adds, that this is Caomham, or Sanct Lethan, and that
he had the same mother as Caoimhghin and Natcaeimhe, of Tir-de-ghlas, i. e. ,
11
part present
son to
descended from the race of Corb-Uloim, son to Fergus, son of Ross, son to
Caoimell,
Cenufhionnan,
Rudhraighe.
styles
of
While Archdall I2
daughter
Cis,
him an Abbot, and his
places religious
house near the town of Wexford 13 he makes St. Coeman brother to St. ;
The Airdne IQ in this name is the
genitive singular
height. "
It is curious, that Rev.
168, 169.
9 According to Duald Mac Firbis' Book,
p. 733.
10 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. n. 868. ii. , (f), p.
" According to this genealogy, he was brother to the celebrated St. Kevin, founder
This parish is bounded on the north by Kilmollock and by St. Nicholas parishes; on the east, by those of Screen Ardcolumb ; on the south and west by the parish of Tic- killen, and by the River Slaney.
I7 This was visible in 1840.
,8 The name of this parish is written -drvo Coerhain, in the Irish character ; the geni-
639.
Hence, appropriate prefix
of Ard, " a
height. "
was annually celebrated there, on the 12th of June.
8 lS Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
21
I5 The of 10 tohavebeen parish Ardcavan, appears
14whodieda. d.
dedicated to this saint. A church was built there ; and from a small fragment of the middle gable,*i it would seem to have been of considerable antiquity. The mortar used in its construction was nearly as hard as the stones it em- bedded, even in its ruined condition. There was a square granite pillar, projecting two feet, eight and a-half inches from the south corner of this frag- mentalludedto,andthestonesofwhichwerewelldressed. Theoldchurch was situated on a hill, which commands a good view of the bay and town of Wexford. its Ard, which means "a 18
Dagan,
20 Thus denominated, in all the ancient Calendars and other ecclesiastical authorities, it seems to have received its name from a saint of Leinster, whose festival
"
of Glendalough. See, also, Colgan's Acta tive of which is, -Airvone CoerhAm.
I9 It is as often written Arda; thus, in the Irish Calendar of the O'Clerys, at the 12th of June: CdorhAn &<po& cViAorhAin la CAob toca 5Ar\niAn.
2°
There is an account of this parish, fur- nishedby John O'Donovan, in "Letters con- taining Information relative to the Antiqui- ties of the County of Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. i. , pp. 307 to 346, written in June, 1840.
2I See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. liv. , n.
thought it referable to the Emperor Maximin, who lived in the third century ;
others again state, it was in the time of the tyrant Maximus, who flourished
about a. d. 385 ; while most writers treating about this occurrence assign it to
themiddleofthecenturysucceeding,andinthetimeofAttila. 30 Intheyear
1 156, many tombs, with inscriptions, were discovered at Cologne, which were
thoughttohavebeenthoseofSt. Ursulaandhercompanions. Amongthese
are said to have been found the names of many bishops and of other holy
persons,supposedtohavebeenhercompanions. 40 Atthetimeofthatmassa-
1
cre/ Radbod, King of Frisia, and a great foe to Pepin of Heristal, is assumed
to have been at Cologne. This account, however, is altogether inconsistent with historic indications. Radbod was so struck by the beauty of Cunera, that he saved her from the massacre, and hid her under his mantle, as the Legendstates. ThencehecarriedherofftoRhenen,hiscapitalontheRhine, andwhichwasinthedioceseofUtrecht/7 Thiscitywasformerlyontheleft bank of the old Rhine, the bed of which is now nearly dried up ; but it is on the right bank of the later course of the Rhine, which in those parts is called Lecka. The city was so called, probably be- cause it was situated between the two Rhines. 43 A probable conjec- ture has been offered,44 however, that St. Cunera had been a daughter to one of those chiefs who had been baptized in Frisia, by St. Willibrord ; that she had deserved the reverence of a king with whom she lived ; and that she had been put to death, owing to the jealousy of his wife. Afterwards, when miraculous indications had revealed her sanctity, a church was built over her placeofsepulture. Inreferencetoherthepopulartraditionsbecomingobscure, she is thought to have been regarded as one of St. Ursula's contemporaries
obscure history of St. Ursula and the Eleven
Thousand Martyrs who are said to have suf-
fered with her at Cologne, the student may
be referred to Father Hermann Combach's
"
Ursula Vindicata, sive Vita et Martyrium SS. Ursula et Sociorum Martyrum. "
Rev. Dr. F. J. Pabisch and the Rev. Thomas S. Byrne, vol. i. , Period i. , Epoch i. , part 2, chap, i. , sect. 67, p. 187. "
40 See L'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Ecclesi-
36 The historic traditions
celebrated massacre have been most exhaus- tively dealt with by Father Victor De Buck, in the Bollandists'" Acta Sanctorum ,"tomus ix. , Octobris xxi. De S. Ursula et Undecim Millibus Sociarum Virginum et Martyrum Colonise Agrippince, pp. 73 to 303.
37 It has been recently asserted by many writers, that the Legend of the Eleven Thousand Virgins arose out of a mistaken
"
astique,"tome xv. , liv. Ixx. , sect. xviii. ,p. 28. 4I " It is not necessary to expose the ab- surd anachronisms of this Radbod
reading of the following :
(artyres) v. (irgines), as if the Legend thus
ran ; Ursula et Undecimilla Virg. Martyr.
Cf. Floss, in Aschbach's Eccl. Cyclopedia, clus' vol. iv. , pp. 1 102 to 1 108.
38 The most ancient
testimony bearing
on
tome iv. , chap, iv. , pp. 289 to 293.
** Below that was com- city Batavodurum,
monly called Wykter-Durstede, above the ford now known as Wagheninghe, and where St. Cunera as a Virgin and Martyr is held in special veneration. Such is the statement
the subject is the Clematianic inscription, as-
signed to the fifth or sixth century, published
in the German work of Rev. Dr. J. H. Kessel on St. Ursula and her Eleven Thou-
sand Virgins, p. 10. in 1863.
Published at Cologne,
of Father Papebroke, in the rum," tomus ii. , Junii xii.
Acta Sancto-
39 See Rev. Dr.
Universal Church History," translated by
Mart. Commentarius num. I, p. 557.
sect.
John Alzog's
Virg.
Prrevius,
1,
relating
to this
story.
died in 719, the first crusade was in 1096,
Ursula et xi. M.
" Manual of
St. Ursula is generally supposed to have been martyred in the Hunish invasion of
451. Probably the foundation of the legend is the murder of a girl by her mistress o—ut jealousy, some time in the Middle Ages. " Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the
Saints," vol. vi. , June 12, p. 155.
** This city is still the See of the Catholic
Archbishop, and the fourth city of the
Netherlands for size and population. See
an interesting description of it, in Elisee Re-
"
Nouvelle Geographie Universelle,"
"
De S. Cunera,
June 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
647
andcompanions. However,wehaveonlytopursuethenarrativeregarding her, as we find it in the Legend. Radbod, the King of Rhenen, is said to have brought her into his palace, when she had been rescued from that death which overtook the eleven thousand virgins. While there, she kept herself constantly in the presence of God, serving him day and night, by vigils, absti- nence,andothergoodworks. Whilestrictlyobservinghiscommandments,she despised the pomps of this life, advancing steadily from virtue to virtue. The poor were constant objects of her care. The king greatly admired her life and works, placing her over his family and giving her influence throughout his kingdom ; while these privileges, so far from causing her to feel proud, rather increased her deferential humility to the king, queen, and their whole family. But his wife was displeased that a young and beautiful girl had been thus preserved, and lodged with her under the same roof. Soon did the queen resorttocalumniestotarnishthefairfameofCunera. However,theking would not believe these stories, as he found Cunera to be so virtuous ; and
accordingly, he felt angry, enjoining silence on the queen, who also urged that their guest was over prodigal in wasting their substance on the poor.
This charge failed, likewise, to effect her object. She was filled with envy and
jealousy;
St.
so that at
she
prevailed
on one*5 of her attendants to
Cunera,
with a
6 while the
king
was out
hunting.
The
body
was
last, towel,*
strangle
afterwards buried in a stable. The queen, who assisted in the murder and
also in this attempt at concealment, engaged her waiting-maid to keep it a
profound secret. They had prepared a false statement for the king on his return, and the queen told him, that during his absence the parents of Cunera had come to the palace and had hastily removed their daughter. The horse of the kingwas startled, it seems, and refused to enter thatstable, where the corpse had been interred. Having been brought to another stable, however, he readily entered. When the king had retired for rest that evening, his ostler saw a bright light appearing above Cunera's grave, and which assumed the form of a cross, as if composed of lighted candles. This information was brought to the king, who resolved on finding out the mystery, if possible ; but, when his servants were at a distance from that stable those lights appeared, yet, when they arrived at it, suddenly the phenomenon vanished. However, on entering the stable, they noticed where the earth had been recently dis- turbed, and again removing it, they discovered the body of St. Cunera, having the towel with which she had been strangled around her neck. She was then removed from that pit. Suspecting the queen to have been the per- petrator of this foul murder, the king flew into a violent rage, and he punished her so severely, that between consciousness of guilt and fear, she became a lunatic. Then she ran away raving mad, tearing her hair and clothes for three days, while she wandered over the country. At last, she threw herself head- long from a precipice, and thus ended her miserable life. According to the Latin Legend, this occurred a. d. 339 ; while it is added, that Radbod, who so greatly admired and lamented Cunera, bestowed his palace as a place, where the holy woman was to receive posthumous honours. It is said, he also richly endowed it.
Thus was the place of her deposition, and her great sanctity, manifested to all. It is added, that when Pope Sergius sent Willebrord as Archbishop to preside over the See of Utrecht,*? in 698, with his deacon the
"* By Father Daniel Papebroke.
"5 The Latin legend calls her pedissequa,
preached the Gospel among the Frisons, whom he converted to the Faith, having de-
or "
46 This towel is said to have been pre-
served as a relic, in the church of Rhenen.
*7 According to St. Boniface, Archbishop of Mayence, St. Willibrord, for fifty years,
their temples and places of pagan
waiting
maid. "
stroyed
worship, and having built Christian churches
in their stead, establishing his episcopal seat in the city of Utrecht. See "Opera S. Bone- facii," Epistola i. His mission lasted from
648 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Blessed Adalbert, and his sub-deacon the Blessed Werenfrid, it so hap- pened, that they passed through the town of Rhenen. There, the chief inhabi- tants waited on them, and reported the virtues and acts of St. Cunera. They also suppliantly stated, as the Almighty had wrought great miracles through his holy virgin and martyr, that her remains should be translated with becom-
ing honours. Having joyfully received this testimony, St. Willibrord promised to accomplish that object which they so piously sought, but as his business was then of a pressing nature, he was obliged to postpone his intentions.
However, this mission was too long placed in abeyance; and one day, while descending the Rhine with some companions, a great storm arose as they approached the eminence of Heymon,48 while all feared that their vessel must be submerged. 49 St. Willibrord prayed to the Lord that the tempest might cease, and accordingly it was stilled. This threatened danger, he attributed
to his neglecting that promise made to the people of Rhenen ; and accordingly he directed the bark to its shore, where he landed, and he then ordered all his people to approach reverently the place, where St. Cunera's remains were preserved. This command was very cheerfully obeyed, while with religious rites and solemnities, preparations were made for a public Translation, about the commencement of the eighth century. s° In his Menologium Scotorum, at the 12th of June,51 Thomas Dempster commemorates the transference and placing of St. Kunera's relics by Willibrord, Archbishop of the Scots. St. Cunera is venerated chiefly in the diocese of Utrecht, where her beautiful church had been erected at Rhenen, over the spot where she suffered martyr- dom, and it was distinguished by a magnificent tower. There, pilgrimages were made to her shrine by the people, who believed in the cures sa wrought through her intercession, and who also brought diseased cattle thither, hoping for their cure. It is stated, likewise, that formerly the people of Cleves and of Gelderland were accustomed to swear on the relics of St. Cunera. Females in that part of Holland frequently assumed the name Cunera, contracted to Knera or Knertje. 53 Her festival is set down in the Cologne and Lubeck Martyrologies ; as also, in some ancient Dutch Breviaries at the 12th of June. Molanus in his additions to Usuard has notices of this saint and her festival,5* at this date. There are other festivals of this holy virgin and martyr assigned to the 28th of October,55 said by one authority to have been the date for her Passion, 56 while it may have been only the date for the Translation of her Relics ; while again, in the Florarium Sanctorum, the Finding of the Relics
A. D. 694 to 744.
48 In the Westphalia (Bodensis) Manu-
script and in the Louvain version of this
5° See " Les Petits Bollandistes Vies des Saints, tome vi. , xiie Jour de Juin, p. 584.
s' He thus writes: "Urbe Reinensi Kunerae virginis Ur>ulanae per S. Vvilli- brordum Scotum Archiepiscopum translatio et reliquiarum collocatio, ML. "—Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 202.
& The cure of a toothache was supposed to be effected by a visit to her shrine,
53 Adiminutiveformoftheprecedingnamc. 54 Thus : "In oppido Rhenensi Elevatio S.
Cunerre, Virginis et Martyris. "
55 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Junii xii. De S. Cunera, Virg. Mart. , &c. Commentarius Pnevius, sect. 1. ,
num. 7, p. 55S.
56 Father Papebroke deems it a doubtful
matter, if the exact day for this holy martyr's deathhadbeenwithcertaintyknown,asher
the name of this is omitted, place
Legend,
probably because the transcriber was igno-
rant of the locality. Between Utrecht and Ametsfoort runs from south to north a long range of mountain, which takes its name from the latter town and its rise from near Rhenen. A town called Amerongan be- side the latter and situated on a hill was pro- bably identical with Heymon or Agmon. Hence the denominations of Amersfoort and Amerongan, according to an opinion con- jectually hazarded by Father Daniel Pape- broke.
49 This account supposes the channel of the old Rhine to have been navigable, although now it is not, except by means of an artificial canal, which leads from Viana to Utrecht.
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
649
of St. Cunera, Virgin and Martyr, is set down at the 19th December. 57 From what has been already stated, and from what has been related regarding her relics, it is possible, there may have been two distinct Cuneras, both of them set down as a single individual. The head of a St. Cunera is preserved at Cologne, in the monastery of St. Vincent, according to the Catalogue of Ursuline Relics, which have been venerated in other churches of Cologne,
8
dael, of St. Peter's church, Utrecht, by the Very Rev. Victor Schorelius, vicar and senior priest of the same church, and by Jacob Boelius, prebend of the church of the Blessed Virgin. In a wooden case they found those relics, enclosed in four different swathings. In the first of these, surrounded with red linen and wrapped in white linen were two large bones, and these were one palm and a half in length ; three other bones one palm in length ; five other bones pretty large, but not of the same length.
In the second wrapper, formed of black and worn linen on the outside, and having some linen within, were found three portions of a cranium and a little
longer than a finger's length, a large bone apparently belonging to the shoul- der, two parts of thicker bones and somewhat larger, seven notable fragments but of lesser size, and four portions of bones, yet still smaller. The third wrapper of red linen, with a gold lace at the opening, contained two fillets 6* or head ornaments of linen, having insignia of the holy virgin, and gold thread intermixed. In the fourth wrapper was the towel which caused her strangula- tion, and more than two ells in length, by three quarters of an ell in breadth, covered with two other flowered towels, together with an old and a worn cor- poral over all. 65 The Carmelite Father Damasus a S. Ludovico 66 received a particle of St. Cunera's relics, from Right Rev. Gaspar Munster, coadjutor
Bishop of Osnabruck, for the Carmelites of the Holy Sepulchre of Rennes. 6
besides the church of St. Ursula. s
Among other relics brought to Portugal in 1565, and presented to King Emanuel, by Margaret of Austria, who then ruled over Belgium, were those of St. Cunera ; and while he distributed a portion of these to his niece," the rest he kept for his own kingdom. 60 These61 were afterwards conveyed to France, by Antonio Notho, and bestowed on the 62 On
son of Emanuel, a religious of the Cistercian order, in the year 6
1594.
the i6thofMay, 1615, old style, 3 there was an inspection made of St. Cunera's relics, kept at Rhenen, by the Very Rev. Dean D. Wilger a Moeren-
There it was enclosed in a precious reliquary. ? In the year 1602, the Jesuit
murder was accomplished in a secret man- ner, according to the local legend.
57 Father Papebroke observes, that the people of Rhenen probably found these venerated relics, after the church in which they reposed had been ruined owing to some conflagration, or to the wars which had been waged there, after the first interment.
58 See the Rev. Dr. J. H. Kessel's work in German, on St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgins, translated into French, by L'Abbe G. Beeteme, Annexes, No. 11, p. 415.
59 She was rtamed Maria, espoused to
Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, son of
62
In the year 1633, they were consigned
the aforesaid Margaret.
by him to the Church of Our Saviour at Ant-
werp, and in 1671, these were solemnly set
up for veneration, as shown in the Bollan- dists' "Acta Sanctorum," in their tomus i. , Commentarius Prsevius, to the Acts of St. Mary of Egypt, at the 2nd of April. See sect, iv. , pp. 72 to 74.
63 A short time before, May 7th, John Ludolph, vicar of the church of Rhenen, had died at Bois-le-Duc.
6iCalledHuyven,intheFlemishlanguage,
6S To the account, the names of foregoing
the three inspectors mentioned in the text are appended, with the statement, that the relics had been replaced in their case for the
of Rhenan.
& He wrote in French a Life of St. Ursule
and her companions.
6? See L'Abbe G. Beeteme's "Sainte
Ursule et ses onze mil le Vierges oul'Europ Occidentale au Millieu du v« Siecle Mono-
60
Altogether they
number
thirty-four
dis-
city
tinct
61 That numbered xvi. marks " binse par-
tesossium S. Cunerse, Virginis et Martyris
21 Junii," the figures being transposed for 12 recte.
objects.
650 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
College of Emmerich obtained several relics 68 of this holy virgin, with a letter describing and authenticating them. 6? Various other relics were kept in Utrecht; andsomeoftheseappeartohavefallenintothehandsoftheCal- vinists, from whom a wealthy Catholic named Botter purchased them at a high price. A part of these were brought to Berlikum, and again to Bedaf, where they were honoured by the Catholics, who are said to have visited as pilgrims those places where they were kept, and to have received very many spiritual and corporal benefits in consequence. 7° The fame of St. Cunera's sanctity spread wonderously over the Low Countries, and especially through those provinces adjoining the River Rhine. Many extraordinary miracles are recordedtohavebeenwroughtthroughherintercession. Thus,thedeadwere raised to life, the sick were restored to health, the blind recovered their sight, the dumb their use of speech, paralytics were released from their debility, and captives from their prison, owing to faith in the efficacy of prayer to her. Epileptics and possessed persons were cured. Various incidents with details
1
ofnames and places may be found in her Acts,? which prove not only the
extension of popular devotion towards this holy Virgin and Martyr, but like-
wise the continuous tradition, which, notwithstanding the mystery attaching to her, has brought her veneration down through long past ages even to our own times.
Article VI. —St. Coeman or Caomhan, of Ardcavan, County of Wexford. It is to be regretted, that so many conflicting and doubtful accounts regarding this saint remain. According to one statement, he was a
1
brother to St. Attracta, and therefore he must have been contemporaneous
with St. 2 of whom it is said he was a 3 The Bollandists Patrick, disciple.
enter his feast at this day, but they remark, that nothing more concerning him can be said, than what had been given in the Acts of his reputed sister, St. Attracta. * In the Martyrology of Tallagh,s at the 12th of June, we find entered the name of Coeman. To this is added, Airdni i Santletan, as his designation. He must have flourished at an early period ; for, at the same
his festival is entered in the of 6 The commentator Festilogy ^Engus.
date,
explains the meaning of Sanct-lethan, in a fashion of his own. She is said to have been the queen of a King of Leix, i. e. , Eochaid, son of Barr. We are further told, that Coeman was named from her, apparently on the ground,
graphie Historique et Critique. " Annexes, No. 11, p. 415. This is a translation from the German work, written by Rev. Dr. J. II. Kessel.
These were presented by Very Rev. D. JohnLudolph. Theyarc enumerated as being thebuneofa leg or an arm; aroundbone belonging to the neck, with three pai tides an embroidered fillet or piece of stuff, having heraldic ornaments on it; and a number of threads belonging to the towel, with which St. Cunera had been strangled.
69 These descriptions are dated April 24th, 1602.
70 See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. De S. Cunerae Virg. Mart. Rhenis apud Belgas in Dioce. Ultrajectina. Commentarius Prrevius, sect. i. , ii. , iii. , pp. 557 to 561.
71 See ibid. , pp. 56S to 572.
Article vi. — Her feast occurs at the 9th of February.
William M. Hennessy, for Miss M. F. 68 "
;
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. liv. , p. 137, and nn. 88, 114, pp. 177, 178. Also Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 267.
3
See the Irish Tripartite, translated by
Cusack's Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of
Ireland," part ii. , pp. 408, 411, and n. (8), ibid,
* See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. Among the pretermitted saints, at p. 504.
5 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii. 6"
See Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. . part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciii.
7 See ibid. , p. cii.
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
651
that as a little gillie, he was in bondage to her. But, another explanation is vouchsafed. As an alternative conjecture, we are informed, that for this reason he was named Sanctlethan ; namely, because, through a great con- test did Bishop Ibair bear Coeman from the queen, i. e. , from Sanctlethan, and Sanctlethan said that her name should be on the gillie, and Sanctlethan gave her word for this, that Coeman would carry away Bishop Ibair's monks fromhim,thoughhe(thebishop)wasmuchentreatingforthem; andthis, we are told, was fulfilled thereafter. ? St. Coeman of Airdne Coemhain has a place in Marianus O'Gorman's Martyrology. He is recorded, in the Martyr-
of 8 at this same ology Donegal,
under the title of of Ard- Caomhan,
date,
caomhain. 9 This place is said to have been by the side of Loch Garman,
The latter name is identical with the bay of Wexford, in the south-—eastern
of Leinster. This situation of th—
e saint'sruinedchurch which
probably derived its name from him is convenient to the present Wexford
haven, in the barony of Shelmalier East, and county of Wexford. 10 The
O'Clery's Calendar adds, that this is Caomham, or Sanct Lethan, and that
he had the same mother as Caoimhghin and Natcaeimhe, of Tir-de-ghlas, i. e. ,
11
part present
son to
descended from the race of Corb-Uloim, son to Fergus, son of Ross, son to
Caoimell,
Cenufhionnan,
Rudhraighe.
styles
of
While Archdall I2
daughter
Cis,
him an Abbot, and his
places religious
house near the town of Wexford 13 he makes St. Coeman brother to St. ;
The Airdne IQ in this name is the
genitive singular
height. "
It is curious, that Rev.
168, 169.
9 According to Duald Mac Firbis' Book,
p. 733.
10 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. n. 868. ii. , (f), p.
" According to this genealogy, he was brother to the celebrated St. Kevin, founder
This parish is bounded on the north by Kilmollock and by St. Nicholas parishes; on the east, by those of Screen Ardcolumb ; on the south and west by the parish of Tic- killen, and by the River Slaney.
I7 This was visible in 1840.
,8 The name of this parish is written -drvo Coerhain, in the Irish character ; the geni-
639.
Hence, appropriate prefix
of Ard, " a
height. "
was annually celebrated there, on the 12th of June.
8 lS Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
21
I5 The of 10 tohavebeen parish Ardcavan, appears
14whodieda. d.
dedicated to this saint. A church was built there ; and from a small fragment of the middle gable,*i it would seem to have been of considerable antiquity. The mortar used in its construction was nearly as hard as the stones it em- bedded, even in its ruined condition. There was a square granite pillar, projecting two feet, eight and a-half inches from the south corner of this frag- mentalludedto,andthestonesofwhichwerewelldressed. Theoldchurch was situated on a hill, which commands a good view of the bay and town of Wexford. its Ard, which means "a 18
Dagan,
20 Thus denominated, in all the ancient Calendars and other ecclesiastical authorities, it seems to have received its name from a saint of Leinster, whose festival
"
of Glendalough. See, also, Colgan's Acta tive of which is, -Airvone CoerhAm.
I9 It is as often written Arda; thus, in the Irish Calendar of the O'Clerys, at the 12th of June: CdorhAn &<po& cViAorhAin la CAob toca 5Ar\niAn.
2°
There is an account of this parish, fur- nishedby John O'Donovan, in "Letters con- taining Information relative to the Antiqui- ties of the County of Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. i. , pp. 307 to 346, written in June, 1840.
2I See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. liv. , n.
