33 The
collaborateur
Dodsworth Roger
died 1654, before the first edition of this
great work appeared.
died 1654, before the first edition of this
great work appeared.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
He was advanced to the See of Clogher, over which he presided with distinguished wisdom.
He is said to have ruled over that See, from a.
d.
1126 to a.
d.
1139,4 making a period of thirteen years.
Towards the close of the eleventh century, at Cistercium or Citeaux in France, St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme,5 with a company of fervent monks,
Article i. —Chapter 1. —' See "Acta
Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. Among the
several diocese, and Delegate Apostolic of the Holy See for the Kingdom of Ireland," by Rev. John O'Hanlon. Dublin, 1861, 8vo.
pretermitted saints, p. 506. 2""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbas, cap. iii. , pp. 481, 482.
•5 His festival day was held on the 3rd of Novemb-r. See " The Life of St. Maiachy O'Morgair, Bishop of Down and Connor, Archbishop of Armagh, Patron of these
4 See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Bishops of Clogher," pp. 179, 180.
s See Very Rev. Canon James Craigie
Robertson's
"
History of the Christian
Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. ,
sect, iv. , p. 771. 6"
See the Rev. Jeremy Collier's Eccle- IR
626 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
the foundation of that austere order and severe
the true spirit of monasticism throughout the Christian world. 7 Iongelimus gives a full account of the foundation, rise, and progress of the Cistercian Order,8 which dates from St. Bennet's day, A. D. 1098,' and a sketch of the establishment of those various abbeys connected with it everywhere, down to the period when he wrote. The title page of this elaborate work consists of a
great character," was chosen as second Abbot of Citeaux, when after the rule of one year and some months, St. Robert had been recalled to Molesme. He
began
discipline,
finely-executed copperplate engraving.
10 The Blessed a monk of Alberic,
departed this life, on the 26th of January, a. d. 1109, or n 10, according to J
others," when St. Stephen Harding, an Englishman succeeded him. 3 Labour- ing under almost incredible hardships, he brought the order to a high degree of perfection and renown. 1 * He lived to found thirteen Abbeys of the insti- tute himself, and above one hundred houses were established by monks under his direction. The celebrated St. Bernard, 15 with about thirty noblemen and
gentlemen including
brothers,
Christianity to the End of the Reign
of King Charles the Second ; with a
brief Account of the Affairs of Religion in Ireland," vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , p. 94,
New edition in nine volumes, by Francis Barham,Esq. London,1841,8vo. man's
7 See an article in the " Christian Remem- brancer," July, 1867. Also Dr. Michael
vol. iii. , book viii. , chap, iv. , pp. 227 to 229.
17 See Very Rev. James Craigie Robert-
Geddes' "Miscellaneous Tract v. , pp. 15 to 18.
vol.
son's " of the Christian History
*
His work in folio appeared at Antwerp,
Tracts,"
iii. ,
Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. , sect, iv. ,
16 and obtained entrance as novices sought
his
at Citeaux, in the year n 1 3, '7 and he afterwards began the establishment of
Clara-vallis or Clairvaux, a. d. 1 115, in a desert place, belonging to the Dio- ceseofLangres,Champagne. 18 Hisgreatinfluence,zeal,preachingandaustere
soonbecamemanifest. 10 Weneed thathiswasthe hardly state, parent
piety,
house, destined to spread the Cistercian institute in Ireland ; and, while main-
taining for ages after his time the rigid austerity and discipline of that Rule, the order began to extend itself in a wonderful manner, by multiplying its
monasteries
ao 31 in the various European countries.
siastical History of Great Britain, chiefly '* A very interesting and learned work, of England, from the first Planting of " The Life and Times of St. Bernard, Abbot
P-773- 18 A
account of the Cister- bookonthehistoryoftheCistercianOrder. c—iansinthetwelfthcenturyandsubsequently
in MDCXXXX. It is the text- acknowledged
very interesting
9 It was the first com- established, by
panions taking a vow to observe St. Bennet's Rule in its utmost degree of rigour.
with an the — engraved Map showing posi-
tions of their early foundations in France may be seen in the Rev. S. R. Maitland's "Dark Ages ; a Series of Essays, intended to illustrate the state of Religion and Litera- ture in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries," reprinted from the British Magazine, with corrections and some addi- tions,No. xxi. ,pp. 352,^j<y. Secondedi- tion, London, 1845, 8vo.
15 See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Mil- man's "History of Latin Christianity," vol. iii. . book viii. , chap, iv. , p. 230.
20 There was published before the close of the fifteenth century a thick 4to intituled, " Privilegiumde Confirmatione, Statutorum etConventus Cisterciensis. ufsunt carta cari- tas, usus Ordinis, et ea que antiqua dicuntur Cisterce, Instituta," A. D. 1498. This is now a very rare book, but of great interest as a record of the Cistercian Order.
10
Said to have been designed by Peter
Paul Rubeus.
11 "
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's Ecclesias-
tical History of Great Britain, chiefly of England," &c, vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , P-93-
" See Very Rev. James Craigie Robert-
"
History of the Christian Church," vol.
son's
ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. , sect, iv. , p. 77 2 *
13 He may be regarded as the true founder of this order. See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Milman's "History of Latin Chris- tianity," vol. iii. , book viii. , chap, iv. , p 226.
14 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's "Ecclesiasti- cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of England," &c, vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , PP- 93. 94-
of Clairvaux, A. D. 1091-1153," written by James Cotter Morison, M. A. , Lincoln Col- lege, Oxford, issued from the London press,
1863, in octavo.
16 See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Mil-
"
History of Latin Christianity,"
6 which revived
June 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 627
During succeeding ages, the extreme primitive austerity of the order had relaxed; butvariousreformationswereestablishedtorestoreitsformerrigour. The French Cistercians had merged into the Reformed Congregation of La Trappe,underthedirectionofJohnleBouthillierdeRanee,32 anecclesiastic of a distinguished family, in 1664. This monastery was situated in a forest, known as Le Perche, near Normandy, and he had become its Abbot. 23 For
a most austere Life in this 2* where he in- solitude,
he
troduced mortifications and penitential exercises of great severity among his
thirty-seven years,
spent
9* and even now
Rome, in reference to the History of the Trappist Order ; and, it gives an
account of this religious institute, as it existed in that year. This shows, also, that La Trappe is the Order of Citeaux, and that the Trappists are the true Cistercian Monks.
The Order of Cistercians went over into England, a. d. U28,2? and
20
Waverley,
before the Cistercian Order had been extended throughout England, and
afterwards it was introduced to the principality of Wales. For a very com- plete account of those several Abbeys belonging to this order, the reader may consult Roger Dodsworth's and Sir William Dugdale's learned work,31 which appeared in three great folio volumes, in the years 1655,32 i66i,33 and 1673. 3+
religious.
In
1864,
a valuable
tract,
scarce,
26 was at published
founded28 the of Abbey
Surrey.
30 Some however, years elapsed,
21
Their number had increased to 500 in
cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of Eng- land," &c, vol. ii. , bookiv. , cent, xi. , p. 94. 31 The first volume is intituled " Monasti- con Anglicanum, sive Pandectae Coenobio- rum Benedictinorum Cluniascensium Cister- ciensium Carthusianorum a Primordiis ad eorum usque dissolutionem ex MSS. Codd. ad Monasiena olim pertinentibus ; Archivis Turrium Londinensis, Eboracensis ; Curia- rum Scaccaiii, Augmentationum ; Bibliothe- cis Bodleiana ; Coll. Reg. Coll. Bened.
Arundelliana, Cottoniana, Seldeniana, Hat- Militaires, et des Congregations Seculieres toniana aliisque digesti. " Per Rogerum
1 151 ; while, in the following century they had reached to 1,800. See Very Rev. Canon
Robertson's " of the History
James Craigie
Christian Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap vii. , sect, iv. , p. 774.
22 See a very complete account of this dis-
tinguished Abbot in the Lives published by Marsollier and Le Nain.
23 The history and progress of La Trappe may be found in "Histoire Complete et Cos-
tumes des Ordres Monastiques, Religieux et
des deux Sexes;" par le R. P. Heylot. Avec Notice, Annotations et Compement, par V. Philipon de la Madelaine, tome iv. , Religieux de laTrape, aveclaViedeD. Armand-Jeanle Bouthillier, leur reformateur, pp. 513 to 527.
Dodsworth Eborac. Gulielmum Dugdale, Warwic, vol. i. See Coenobia Anglicana de
Ordine Cisterciensi, pp. 695 to 954. Editio Secunda auctior et emendatior. Cum altero, et elucidiori Indice. Londini, 1682. fol.
33 The collaborateur Dodsworth Roger
died 1654, before the first edition of this
great work appeared.
33 Additions regarding the Cistercians ire
to be found, likewise, in the " Monas'ici Anglicani Volumen alterum, de Canonicis Regularibus Augustinianis, scilicet Ho. spita-
larns, Templariis, Gilbertinis, Prsemonstra- tensibus et Maturinis sive Trinitarianis. Cum Appendice ad Volumen Primum de Coeno-
2* He died on the 20th of
October, 1700,
at the age of seventy-five.
2s It is intituled, "La Trappe Congrega-
tion de Moines de 1'Ordre Benedictins-Cis- terciens. "
aS It contains 39 pp. 8vo. " La Trappe est 1'Ordre de Citeau—x, les Trappistes sont devraisCisteiciens. " "Notes and Queries," Fourth series, vol. xii. , pp. 474. Communi- cation by Edmond Tew, M. A.
27 See vol. i. of Roger Dodworth's and biis aliquot Gallicanis, Hibernicis et Scoti-
William
num," &c, p. 703.
" Monasticon
cis necnon antea Anglica- : quibusdam Anglicanis
28
According to the Annals of the Monas-
omissis, &c. Aditamenta, pp. 912 to 929. Londini, 1661, fol.
34 Further historic notices of the English C is- tercian monasteries may be found in" Monas- tici Anglicani Volumen Tertium et Ultimum : AdditamentaquoedaminVolumenPrimum,ac Volumen Secundum jampridem edita : nec- non Fundationes, sive Dotationes Di versarum Ecclesiarum Cathedralium ac Collegiatarum continens," &c. Per Will. Dugdale Warwi- censem Norroy Regem Armorum. Addita-
Dugdale's
tery of Waverly, " viii. Kal. Decembris," at a. d. 1 128. See p. 221, Luard's edition.
*9 A very interesting and valuable Chroni-
cle, intituled "Annales MonasteriideWaver-
leia," extending from A. D. 1 to a. d 1291, has been published in the " Annales Monas- tici," vol. ii. ,and edited by Henry Richards
Luard, M. A. , pp. 12710411. London, 1865. °° See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesiasti-
628 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Subsequent editions appeared, in other forms, and the work was enlarged by differenteditors. Inthetime—ofsuppressionbyHenryVIII. ,therewasnofewer
the
than 75 Cistercian Abbeys 3s of which 36 were reckoned among greater
monasteries. Besides these, there were 26 Cistercian Nunneries,36 one of which was regarded as among the greater monasteries.
In the year 1136, St. David I. , King of Scotland, founded a magnificent abbey at Melrose, the ruins of which yet remain, in a tolerable state of pre- servations It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, in 1146, and it was the first house of the Cistercian Order established in Scotland. 38 The u Chronicle of Melrose,"30 compiled by the monks, and which gives an accurate chronolo- gical relation of Scottish events, from 735 to 1270, has been preserved. '10 In Scotland, other houses of the same order were afterwards erected.
Few years elapsed until the order was established in Ireland. By some, it was thought Christian O'Morgair ruled as first Abbot over Mellifont Abbey. This, however, is a mistake. That office pertained to a contemporary, who
bore a similar name, and who was promoted to the office, by the Archbishop
MalachyO'Morgair. Nay,more: theCistercianOrderhadprobablynofounda-
tioninIreland,duringthelifetimeofhisbrotherChristianorGillachrist. Inthat
Table to the of 1 there is allusion made to postfixed Martyrology Donegal/
anotherChristianus,whowasabbotofMellifont. 42 HewascalledChristian O'Conarchy,butnotO'Morgair. Hehasbeentreatedofalready,atthe18thof
March, the date assigned for his festival. We believe, St. Malachy O'Morgair was the great patron 43 and founder of the Cistercian Order in Ireland, because
menta in Tomum Primum, pp. 30 to 40. Savoy, 1673, fol.
35 Their collective annual revenues were
Bishop Tanner's Notitia Monastica ; or an Account of all the Abbeys, Priories, and Houses of Friars, formerly in England and Wales. " And also of all the Colleges and Hospitals founded before A. D. MDXL. , p. liii.
36 Their collective annual revenues were valued at an amount not exceeding ;£ 1,249 18s. 5%d. See ibid. , pp. liii. , liv.
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die ;
When distant Tweed is heard to rave And the owlet to hoot e'er the dead
man's grave,
Then go—but go alone the while— Then view St. David's ruin'd pile ; And, home returning, soothly swear
—" Was never scene so sad and fair. " Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto II.
then estimated at ,£17,441 14s. o^d. See "
38 The monks of this order were sup- plied from the Abbey of Rivaulx in Yorkshire. 39 It has been published by Mr. Gale, in the first volume of his "Rerum Anglicanum Walter Scott of the present appearance of Scriptorum Veterum," tomus i. , pp. 133 to
37 The beautiful description, given by Sir
the ruins, must be familiar to the admirers of 244. 40
'*
View of North- Melrose —has been the frequent resort of umberland," an admirable account of the
English poetry
;
and, since its publication,
In Mr. Hutchinson's
tourists
" If thou would'st view fair Melrose
aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight ;
and of its historic incidents is 41 See ibid. , pp. 394, 395.
:
abbey
given.
For the
beams of
" Ireland :
its Character," &c. Scenery,
gay butto
lightsome day
theruins
When the broken arches are black in
night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers
John Bale,
the Protestant of Bishop
Gild,
flout,
gray.
white
When the cold
Archbishop of Armagh :
terciensibus monachis advocatum. "
;
" Illustrium Maioris Scriptorum
shower Streamsontheruin'dcentraltower; When buttress and buttress, alter-
nately,
num. lxxxv. , p. 240.
44 In the List of Irish Cistercian Abbeys,
light's
uncertain
Brytanniae, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus,"&c. CentuariaDecimaquarta,
42 For a and description
of Mellifont Abbey, see Mr. and Mis. Hall's
43
Ossory, writes, regarding St. Malachias,
"
Promittit tamen post suam mot tern, futurum se esse pro Ci—s-
Seem framed of ebon and in D'Alton's " of Ireland, ivory ; John History
When silver edges the imagery,
from the earliest period to the year 1245,
engravings
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
hehadarrangedwithSt. Bernardallthepreliminarydetails; but,theselec- tion of St. Christian O'Conarchy, afterwards Bishop ofLismore, to become the first Abbot, over the earliest established house of the institute, should cause him to be regarded as the beatified Father, who ruled over a fer- vent community, and whose example gave rise to the numerous Cistercian branches, which in the course of that age and of succeeding centuries had been erected over Ireland.
A brief account of the order, from its rise in our country to its suppression in the sixteenth century, and its subsequent restoration in the present age, mayhavesomeinterestforourreaders. 1. In1142,44DonatO'Carroll,chief of Uriel or Ergallia, bestowed lands whereon to erect the buildings *s within his own territory, and at the request of his Metropolitan, the illustrious Arch-
6
the Abbey of Mellifont was happily chosen ; it is entirely surrounded by ver-
dant hills, and thus placed in a pleasant valley, as sequestration should always characterize the monastic buildings, especially of that institute. In Wright's
•'
the close of the last century, about a. d. 1798, the ruins of Mellifont Abbey
hadbeendescribed,byJosephCooperWalker,*? astheythenappeared/8 He
supposes the octagon building to have been designed for some other purpose than that of a baptistery/9 The entrance was under a wide round arch, and
rendered impassable by a millrace, that ran through it, being uncovered ; the tower that capped the arch was in ruins, before the close of the last century. The watercourse led to the mill, which is quite modernized by frequent re- pairs, while the millrace empties into the Mattock, a tributary of the River Boyne. The Mattock is a beautiful little river, passing near the ruins, and under it,s° water was conveyed from a river, more elevated than the Mattock, about three miles distant from the abbey, to a cistern on the top of the octa- gonal building ; from which the water was again conveyed by conduits to every room and every cell in the abbey. Northward of the cells or cellars, at a little distance, the sacristy stood apart, and almost buried in a heap of rubbish. As
you advance a (ew paces towards the entrance from what Mr. Walker called the sacristy, there appeared, in pretty good preservation, a beautiful little
bishop of Armagh/
In accordance with the Cistercian custom, the site of
Louthiana," there is a delineation and description of this building. Towards
""
History of the Irish Bards," Memoirs of
45 See Roger Dodsworth's and William remained perfect , when visited by Mr.
when the Annals of Boyle, which are
adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
minate,"vol. i. , pp. 179, 180, the Taxations
of those various houses are given. The Irish Builder, vol. xxviii. , April 15th, 1886. Taxation of Mellefont is set down at 20s. 49 Five arches of the octagonal building
" Monasticon
Dugdale's 1029, 1030. 46 See Sir
Walker the rest fell, a few months before, ;
on a mason removing a stone he wished to
Anglicanum," pp.
Duobus expressse Commentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Ccenobiorum Cistercien- sium Hibernise," pp. 61 to 63. Following the authority of a Catalogue of Cistercian Abbeys in a Manuscript, classed E. 3, 8,
Trinity College. Dublin, Sir James Ware has the first foundation at II 39, viz. : St. Mary's, Dublin. For this early date, we have only
of its Annals. See " Chartula- ries of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin," &c, edi- ted by John F. Gilbert, in two vols. London, 1884, 8vo. See vol. ii , sect, ix . , pp. 217,
to 237, 258.
*' He was an M. R. I. A. , and author of the
Ware's "
rum Cassiliensium et Tuamensium Vitse.
in a modern edifice. Near to and on a line with the octagonal building remained two cells rudely finished, partly raised above and partly sunk below the surface. They appeared to have been cellars, and they were then occupied by the swine of a miller, who worked the adjoining mill.
5° Walker's According to Joseph Cooper
description.
*• To the foregoing description Mr.
Walkeradds "Myciceroneinformedme, :
that the great chapel stretched up a hill that lies behind the little chapel I have been de-
scribing; 'and this, sir,' says he, pointing to a small church, 'is a part of it which the Protestants of this parish have converted to
the
testimony
James
Archiepiscopo- place
Tassoni," &c.
48 See his Unpublished Fragment, in the
630 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
chapel, the smallness of which induced him to think it must have been a chapel- of-ease. Thischapelwasenteredthroughapointedarch,ontheinsidefinished most exquisitely in the Gothic style. Opposite to the entrance was a noble window, and besides three windows on each side were all finished in the same manner. *1 2. Thenexterection,intheopinionofSirJamesWare,appearsto have been the Abbey of Newry,52 about the year 1144. However, the pre- cise year of its date cannot be ascertained with certainty, but there is sufficient evidence, that it must have been about 1160. 53 it was founded by Maurice M'Loughlin, King of all Ireland. 54 3. The first erection at Boyle 55 seems to have been about 1148, although changes of location took place, beforethemonksoccupiedthatsituation. s6 Atlength,MauriceO'Duffyfixed his fraternity at Boyle, and founded its splendid Abbey in 1161. It was de- dicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. About the year n50,57 in Athlone, and on the Roscommon side of the River Shannon, a monastery was founded, and it was dedicated to St. Peter and to St. Benedict. Sir James Ware thinks
it was identical with a foundation alluded to as Monasterium de Benedic-
tione Dei. 58 5. In 1151,59 Dermitius, the son of Murchard, King of Leinster, founded a monastery for Cistercian monks at Baltinglas, on the River Slaney. It was otherwise called, De Valle Salutis. 60 6. It is stated, that Murchard O'Melachlin, King of Meath, founded and endowed Bective Abbey,61 in the county of Meath, and near the River Boyne, on the 14th day of January, 11 64. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and styled
the
Abbey
deBeatitudine. 63 Inthe 63 wasfoundedthemonas-
6*
tery Nenay, anciently
in the Magio, county
of Limerick. 8. In
of
7. called De
year 1151
1 154, Odomey or the Abbey of Kyrieleyson, in the county of Kerry was
founded. 65 Here was buried Christianus O'Conarchy, the first Cistercian
Abbot of Mellifont, and afterwards the illustrious Bishop of Lismore, a. d.
1 186. The celebrated and beautiful of 66 beside the 9. Abbey Holycross,
River Suir in the county of Tipperary, was founded about 1169, and it was
magnificently endowed, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick. 67 10. At Fermoy, in the county of Cork, a Cistercian house 68 was built, a. d. 1170,
their own use. ' On this hill, the friars had
their garden which is still marked by a few
pear trees. Near the mill are some walls
that convey no idea of the kind s8 Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
of buildings to which they belonged.
Towards the close of the eleventh century, at Cistercium or Citeaux in France, St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme,5 with a company of fervent monks,
Article i. —Chapter 1. —' See "Acta
Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii xii. Among the
several diocese, and Delegate Apostolic of the Holy See for the Kingdom of Ireland," by Rev. John O'Hanlon. Dublin, 1861, 8vo.
pretermitted saints, p. 506. 2""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbas, cap. iii. , pp. 481, 482.
•5 His festival day was held on the 3rd of Novemb-r. See " The Life of St. Maiachy O'Morgair, Bishop of Down and Connor, Archbishop of Armagh, Patron of these
4 See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Bishops of Clogher," pp. 179, 180.
s See Very Rev. Canon James Craigie
Robertson's
"
History of the Christian
Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. ,
sect, iv. , p. 771. 6"
See the Rev. Jeremy Collier's Eccle- IR
626 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
the foundation of that austere order and severe
the true spirit of monasticism throughout the Christian world. 7 Iongelimus gives a full account of the foundation, rise, and progress of the Cistercian Order,8 which dates from St. Bennet's day, A. D. 1098,' and a sketch of the establishment of those various abbeys connected with it everywhere, down to the period when he wrote. The title page of this elaborate work consists of a
great character," was chosen as second Abbot of Citeaux, when after the rule of one year and some months, St. Robert had been recalled to Molesme. He
began
discipline,
finely-executed copperplate engraving.
10 The Blessed a monk of Alberic,
departed this life, on the 26th of January, a. d. 1109, or n 10, according to J
others," when St. Stephen Harding, an Englishman succeeded him. 3 Labour- ing under almost incredible hardships, he brought the order to a high degree of perfection and renown. 1 * He lived to found thirteen Abbeys of the insti- tute himself, and above one hundred houses were established by monks under his direction. The celebrated St. Bernard, 15 with about thirty noblemen and
gentlemen including
brothers,
Christianity to the End of the Reign
of King Charles the Second ; with a
brief Account of the Affairs of Religion in Ireland," vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , p. 94,
New edition in nine volumes, by Francis Barham,Esq. London,1841,8vo. man's
7 See an article in the " Christian Remem- brancer," July, 1867. Also Dr. Michael
vol. iii. , book viii. , chap, iv. , pp. 227 to 229.
17 See Very Rev. James Craigie Robert-
Geddes' "Miscellaneous Tract v. , pp. 15 to 18.
vol.
son's " of the Christian History
*
His work in folio appeared at Antwerp,
Tracts,"
iii. ,
Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. , sect, iv. ,
16 and obtained entrance as novices sought
his
at Citeaux, in the year n 1 3, '7 and he afterwards began the establishment of
Clara-vallis or Clairvaux, a. d. 1 115, in a desert place, belonging to the Dio- ceseofLangres,Champagne. 18 Hisgreatinfluence,zeal,preachingandaustere
soonbecamemanifest. 10 Weneed thathiswasthe hardly state, parent
piety,
house, destined to spread the Cistercian institute in Ireland ; and, while main-
taining for ages after his time the rigid austerity and discipline of that Rule, the order began to extend itself in a wonderful manner, by multiplying its
monasteries
ao 31 in the various European countries.
siastical History of Great Britain, chiefly '* A very interesting and learned work, of England, from the first Planting of " The Life and Times of St. Bernard, Abbot
P-773- 18 A
account of the Cister- bookonthehistoryoftheCistercianOrder. c—iansinthetwelfthcenturyandsubsequently
in MDCXXXX. It is the text- acknowledged
very interesting
9 It was the first com- established, by
panions taking a vow to observe St. Bennet's Rule in its utmost degree of rigour.
with an the — engraved Map showing posi-
tions of their early foundations in France may be seen in the Rev. S. R. Maitland's "Dark Ages ; a Series of Essays, intended to illustrate the state of Religion and Litera- ture in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries," reprinted from the British Magazine, with corrections and some addi- tions,No. xxi. ,pp. 352,^j<y. Secondedi- tion, London, 1845, 8vo.
15 See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Mil- man's "History of Latin Christianity," vol. iii. . book viii. , chap, iv. , p. 230.
20 There was published before the close of the fifteenth century a thick 4to intituled, " Privilegiumde Confirmatione, Statutorum etConventus Cisterciensis. ufsunt carta cari- tas, usus Ordinis, et ea que antiqua dicuntur Cisterce, Instituta," A. D. 1498. This is now a very rare book, but of great interest as a record of the Cistercian Order.
10
Said to have been designed by Peter
Paul Rubeus.
11 "
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's Ecclesias-
tical History of Great Britain, chiefly of England," &c, vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , P-93-
" See Very Rev. James Craigie Robert-
"
History of the Christian Church," vol.
son's
ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap, vii. , sect, iv. , p. 77 2 *
13 He may be regarded as the true founder of this order. See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Milman's "History of Latin Chris- tianity," vol. iii. , book viii. , chap, iv. , p 226.
14 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's "Ecclesiasti- cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of England," &c, vol. ii. , book iv. , cent, xi. , PP- 93. 94-
of Clairvaux, A. D. 1091-1153," written by James Cotter Morison, M. A. , Lincoln Col- lege, Oxford, issued from the London press,
1863, in octavo.
16 See Very Rev. Dean Henry Hart Mil-
"
History of Latin Christianity,"
6 which revived
June 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 627
During succeeding ages, the extreme primitive austerity of the order had relaxed; butvariousreformationswereestablishedtorestoreitsformerrigour. The French Cistercians had merged into the Reformed Congregation of La Trappe,underthedirectionofJohnleBouthillierdeRanee,32 anecclesiastic of a distinguished family, in 1664. This monastery was situated in a forest, known as Le Perche, near Normandy, and he had become its Abbot. 23 For
a most austere Life in this 2* where he in- solitude,
he
troduced mortifications and penitential exercises of great severity among his
thirty-seven years,
spent
9* and even now
Rome, in reference to the History of the Trappist Order ; and, it gives an
account of this religious institute, as it existed in that year. This shows, also, that La Trappe is the Order of Citeaux, and that the Trappists are the true Cistercian Monks.
The Order of Cistercians went over into England, a. d. U28,2? and
20
Waverley,
before the Cistercian Order had been extended throughout England, and
afterwards it was introduced to the principality of Wales. For a very com- plete account of those several Abbeys belonging to this order, the reader may consult Roger Dodsworth's and Sir William Dugdale's learned work,31 which appeared in three great folio volumes, in the years 1655,32 i66i,33 and 1673. 3+
religious.
In
1864,
a valuable
tract,
scarce,
26 was at published
founded28 the of Abbey
Surrey.
30 Some however, years elapsed,
21
Their number had increased to 500 in
cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of Eng- land," &c, vol. ii. , bookiv. , cent, xi. , p. 94. 31 The first volume is intituled " Monasti- con Anglicanum, sive Pandectae Coenobio- rum Benedictinorum Cluniascensium Cister- ciensium Carthusianorum a Primordiis ad eorum usque dissolutionem ex MSS. Codd. ad Monasiena olim pertinentibus ; Archivis Turrium Londinensis, Eboracensis ; Curia- rum Scaccaiii, Augmentationum ; Bibliothe- cis Bodleiana ; Coll. Reg. Coll. Bened.
Arundelliana, Cottoniana, Seldeniana, Hat- Militaires, et des Congregations Seculieres toniana aliisque digesti. " Per Rogerum
1 151 ; while, in the following century they had reached to 1,800. See Very Rev. Canon
Robertson's " of the History
James Craigie
Christian Church," vol. ii. , part ii. , book v. , chap vii. , sect, iv. , p. 774.
22 See a very complete account of this dis-
tinguished Abbot in the Lives published by Marsollier and Le Nain.
23 The history and progress of La Trappe may be found in "Histoire Complete et Cos-
tumes des Ordres Monastiques, Religieux et
des deux Sexes;" par le R. P. Heylot. Avec Notice, Annotations et Compement, par V. Philipon de la Madelaine, tome iv. , Religieux de laTrape, aveclaViedeD. Armand-Jeanle Bouthillier, leur reformateur, pp. 513 to 527.
Dodsworth Eborac. Gulielmum Dugdale, Warwic, vol. i. See Coenobia Anglicana de
Ordine Cisterciensi, pp. 695 to 954. Editio Secunda auctior et emendatior. Cum altero, et elucidiori Indice. Londini, 1682. fol.
33 The collaborateur Dodsworth Roger
died 1654, before the first edition of this
great work appeared.
33 Additions regarding the Cistercians ire
to be found, likewise, in the " Monas'ici Anglicani Volumen alterum, de Canonicis Regularibus Augustinianis, scilicet Ho. spita-
larns, Templariis, Gilbertinis, Prsemonstra- tensibus et Maturinis sive Trinitarianis. Cum Appendice ad Volumen Primum de Coeno-
2* He died on the 20th of
October, 1700,
at the age of seventy-five.
2s It is intituled, "La Trappe Congrega-
tion de Moines de 1'Ordre Benedictins-Cis- terciens. "
aS It contains 39 pp. 8vo. " La Trappe est 1'Ordre de Citeau—x, les Trappistes sont devraisCisteiciens. " "Notes and Queries," Fourth series, vol. xii. , pp. 474. Communi- cation by Edmond Tew, M. A.
27 See vol. i. of Roger Dodworth's and biis aliquot Gallicanis, Hibernicis et Scoti-
William
num," &c, p. 703.
" Monasticon
cis necnon antea Anglica- : quibusdam Anglicanis
28
According to the Annals of the Monas-
omissis, &c. Aditamenta, pp. 912 to 929. Londini, 1661, fol.
34 Further historic notices of the English C is- tercian monasteries may be found in" Monas- tici Anglicani Volumen Tertium et Ultimum : AdditamentaquoedaminVolumenPrimum,ac Volumen Secundum jampridem edita : nec- non Fundationes, sive Dotationes Di versarum Ecclesiarum Cathedralium ac Collegiatarum continens," &c. Per Will. Dugdale Warwi- censem Norroy Regem Armorum. Addita-
Dugdale's
tery of Waverly, " viii. Kal. Decembris," at a. d. 1 128. See p. 221, Luard's edition.
*9 A very interesting and valuable Chroni-
cle, intituled "Annales MonasteriideWaver-
leia," extending from A. D. 1 to a. d 1291, has been published in the " Annales Monas- tici," vol. ii. ,and edited by Henry Richards
Luard, M. A. , pp. 12710411. London, 1865. °° See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesiasti-
628 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Subsequent editions appeared, in other forms, and the work was enlarged by differenteditors. Inthetime—ofsuppressionbyHenryVIII. ,therewasnofewer
the
than 75 Cistercian Abbeys 3s of which 36 were reckoned among greater
monasteries. Besides these, there were 26 Cistercian Nunneries,36 one of which was regarded as among the greater monasteries.
In the year 1136, St. David I. , King of Scotland, founded a magnificent abbey at Melrose, the ruins of which yet remain, in a tolerable state of pre- servations It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, in 1146, and it was the first house of the Cistercian Order established in Scotland. 38 The u Chronicle of Melrose,"30 compiled by the monks, and which gives an accurate chronolo- gical relation of Scottish events, from 735 to 1270, has been preserved. '10 In Scotland, other houses of the same order were afterwards erected.
Few years elapsed until the order was established in Ireland. By some, it was thought Christian O'Morgair ruled as first Abbot over Mellifont Abbey. This, however, is a mistake. That office pertained to a contemporary, who
bore a similar name, and who was promoted to the office, by the Archbishop
MalachyO'Morgair. Nay,more: theCistercianOrderhadprobablynofounda-
tioninIreland,duringthelifetimeofhisbrotherChristianorGillachrist. Inthat
Table to the of 1 there is allusion made to postfixed Martyrology Donegal/
anotherChristianus,whowasabbotofMellifont. 42 HewascalledChristian O'Conarchy,butnotO'Morgair. Hehasbeentreatedofalready,atthe18thof
March, the date assigned for his festival. We believe, St. Malachy O'Morgair was the great patron 43 and founder of the Cistercian Order in Ireland, because
menta in Tomum Primum, pp. 30 to 40. Savoy, 1673, fol.
35 Their collective annual revenues were
Bishop Tanner's Notitia Monastica ; or an Account of all the Abbeys, Priories, and Houses of Friars, formerly in England and Wales. " And also of all the Colleges and Hospitals founded before A. D. MDXL. , p. liii.
36 Their collective annual revenues were valued at an amount not exceeding ;£ 1,249 18s. 5%d. See ibid. , pp. liii. , liv.
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die ;
When distant Tweed is heard to rave And the owlet to hoot e'er the dead
man's grave,
Then go—but go alone the while— Then view St. David's ruin'd pile ; And, home returning, soothly swear
—" Was never scene so sad and fair. " Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto II.
then estimated at ,£17,441 14s. o^d. See "
38 The monks of this order were sup- plied from the Abbey of Rivaulx in Yorkshire. 39 It has been published by Mr. Gale, in the first volume of his "Rerum Anglicanum Walter Scott of the present appearance of Scriptorum Veterum," tomus i. , pp. 133 to
37 The beautiful description, given by Sir
the ruins, must be familiar to the admirers of 244. 40
'*
View of North- Melrose —has been the frequent resort of umberland," an admirable account of the
English poetry
;
and, since its publication,
In Mr. Hutchinson's
tourists
" If thou would'st view fair Melrose
aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight ;
and of its historic incidents is 41 See ibid. , pp. 394, 395.
:
abbey
given.
For the
beams of
" Ireland :
its Character," &c. Scenery,
gay butto
lightsome day
theruins
When the broken arches are black in
night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers
John Bale,
the Protestant of Bishop
Gild,
flout,
gray.
white
When the cold
Archbishop of Armagh :
terciensibus monachis advocatum. "
;
" Illustrium Maioris Scriptorum
shower Streamsontheruin'dcentraltower; When buttress and buttress, alter-
nately,
num. lxxxv. , p. 240.
44 In the List of Irish Cistercian Abbeys,
light's
uncertain
Brytanniae, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus,"&c. CentuariaDecimaquarta,
42 For a and description
of Mellifont Abbey, see Mr. and Mis. Hall's
43
Ossory, writes, regarding St. Malachias,
"
Promittit tamen post suam mot tern, futurum se esse pro Ci—s-
Seem framed of ebon and in D'Alton's " of Ireland, ivory ; John History
When silver edges the imagery,
from the earliest period to the year 1245,
engravings
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
hehadarrangedwithSt. Bernardallthepreliminarydetails; but,theselec- tion of St. Christian O'Conarchy, afterwards Bishop ofLismore, to become the first Abbot, over the earliest established house of the institute, should cause him to be regarded as the beatified Father, who ruled over a fer- vent community, and whose example gave rise to the numerous Cistercian branches, which in the course of that age and of succeeding centuries had been erected over Ireland.
A brief account of the order, from its rise in our country to its suppression in the sixteenth century, and its subsequent restoration in the present age, mayhavesomeinterestforourreaders. 1. In1142,44DonatO'Carroll,chief of Uriel or Ergallia, bestowed lands whereon to erect the buildings *s within his own territory, and at the request of his Metropolitan, the illustrious Arch-
6
the Abbey of Mellifont was happily chosen ; it is entirely surrounded by ver-
dant hills, and thus placed in a pleasant valley, as sequestration should always characterize the monastic buildings, especially of that institute. In Wright's
•'
the close of the last century, about a. d. 1798, the ruins of Mellifont Abbey
hadbeendescribed,byJosephCooperWalker,*? astheythenappeared/8 He
supposes the octagon building to have been designed for some other purpose than that of a baptistery/9 The entrance was under a wide round arch, and
rendered impassable by a millrace, that ran through it, being uncovered ; the tower that capped the arch was in ruins, before the close of the last century. The watercourse led to the mill, which is quite modernized by frequent re- pairs, while the millrace empties into the Mattock, a tributary of the River Boyne. The Mattock is a beautiful little river, passing near the ruins, and under it,s° water was conveyed from a river, more elevated than the Mattock, about three miles distant from the abbey, to a cistern on the top of the octa- gonal building ; from which the water was again conveyed by conduits to every room and every cell in the abbey. Northward of the cells or cellars, at a little distance, the sacristy stood apart, and almost buried in a heap of rubbish. As
you advance a (ew paces towards the entrance from what Mr. Walker called the sacristy, there appeared, in pretty good preservation, a beautiful little
bishop of Armagh/
In accordance with the Cistercian custom, the site of
Louthiana," there is a delineation and description of this building. Towards
""
History of the Irish Bards," Memoirs of
45 See Roger Dodsworth's and William remained perfect , when visited by Mr.
when the Annals of Boyle, which are
adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
minate,"vol. i. , pp. 179, 180, the Taxations
of those various houses are given. The Irish Builder, vol. xxviii. , April 15th, 1886. Taxation of Mellefont is set down at 20s. 49 Five arches of the octagonal building
" Monasticon
Dugdale's 1029, 1030. 46 See Sir
Walker the rest fell, a few months before, ;
on a mason removing a stone he wished to
Anglicanum," pp.
Duobus expressse Commentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Ccenobiorum Cistercien- sium Hibernise," pp. 61 to 63. Following the authority of a Catalogue of Cistercian Abbeys in a Manuscript, classed E. 3, 8,
Trinity College. Dublin, Sir James Ware has the first foundation at II 39, viz. : St. Mary's, Dublin. For this early date, we have only
of its Annals. See " Chartula- ries of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin," &c, edi- ted by John F. Gilbert, in two vols. London, 1884, 8vo. See vol. ii , sect, ix . , pp. 217,
to 237, 258.
*' He was an M. R. I. A. , and author of the
Ware's "
rum Cassiliensium et Tuamensium Vitse.
in a modern edifice. Near to and on a line with the octagonal building remained two cells rudely finished, partly raised above and partly sunk below the surface. They appeared to have been cellars, and they were then occupied by the swine of a miller, who worked the adjoining mill.
5° Walker's According to Joseph Cooper
description.
*• To the foregoing description Mr.
Walkeradds "Myciceroneinformedme, :
that the great chapel stretched up a hill that lies behind the little chapel I have been de-
scribing; 'and this, sir,' says he, pointing to a small church, 'is a part of it which the Protestants of this parish have converted to
the
testimony
James
Archiepiscopo- place
Tassoni," &c.
48 See his Unpublished Fragment, in the
630 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
chapel, the smallness of which induced him to think it must have been a chapel- of-ease. Thischapelwasenteredthroughapointedarch,ontheinsidefinished most exquisitely in the Gothic style. Opposite to the entrance was a noble window, and besides three windows on each side were all finished in the same manner. *1 2. Thenexterection,intheopinionofSirJamesWare,appearsto have been the Abbey of Newry,52 about the year 1144. However, the pre- cise year of its date cannot be ascertained with certainty, but there is sufficient evidence, that it must have been about 1160. 53 it was founded by Maurice M'Loughlin, King of all Ireland. 54 3. The first erection at Boyle 55 seems to have been about 1148, although changes of location took place, beforethemonksoccupiedthatsituation. s6 Atlength,MauriceO'Duffyfixed his fraternity at Boyle, and founded its splendid Abbey in 1161. It was de- dicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. About the year n50,57 in Athlone, and on the Roscommon side of the River Shannon, a monastery was founded, and it was dedicated to St. Peter and to St. Benedict. Sir James Ware thinks
it was identical with a foundation alluded to as Monasterium de Benedic-
tione Dei. 58 5. In 1151,59 Dermitius, the son of Murchard, King of Leinster, founded a monastery for Cistercian monks at Baltinglas, on the River Slaney. It was otherwise called, De Valle Salutis. 60 6. It is stated, that Murchard O'Melachlin, King of Meath, founded and endowed Bective Abbey,61 in the county of Meath, and near the River Boyne, on the 14th day of January, 11 64. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and styled
the
Abbey
deBeatitudine. 63 Inthe 63 wasfoundedthemonas-
6*
tery Nenay, anciently
in the Magio, county
of Limerick. 8. In
of
7. called De
year 1151
1 154, Odomey or the Abbey of Kyrieleyson, in the county of Kerry was
founded. 65 Here was buried Christianus O'Conarchy, the first Cistercian
Abbot of Mellifont, and afterwards the illustrious Bishop of Lismore, a. d.
1 186. The celebrated and beautiful of 66 beside the 9. Abbey Holycross,
River Suir in the county of Tipperary, was founded about 1169, and it was
magnificently endowed, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick. 67 10. At Fermoy, in the county of Cork, a Cistercian house 68 was built, a. d. 1170,
their own use. ' On this hill, the friars had
their garden which is still marked by a few
pear trees. Near the mill are some walls
that convey no idea of the kind s8 Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
of buildings to which they belonged.
