The Martyrologium Parisiense has a
marginal
note, which places the present saint in the seventh century ; yet, this chronotaxis is set down, without sufficient authority.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Irchardo, seu Ethardo vel Erchado, Ep.
et Conf.
in Scotia,
PP- 773. 774-
2
Compiled by Father William Cuper, SJ. 3 See a notice in the Seventh Volume of
this work, at that date, Art. xiii.
lib. Hi. , p. 168.
6
See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," PP- 397. 466.
See tomus iv. , Augusti xxiv.
4 In "
Generalis Sanctorum. " 5 In his book, " De Scotorum Fortitudine, Doctrina, Pietate, ac de Ortu et Progressu Hseresis in Regnis Scotias et Anglise,"
,0 St. Ternan lived in the fifth
Catalogus
Kincardine-O'Neil forms the south-
August 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 361
to Rome, where he was consecrated bishop by Pope Gregory," who gave him faculties for a mission in his own country, and who bestowed his
blessing, when the saint took his departure. On returning to Scotland, he passed through the province of Pictavia or Poitou in Gaul. " There he found many of the Picti or natives of Poitou, who had been subjugated by the Galli. He remained among those people for three years. St. Yarchard was the instrument chosen by the Almighty for restoring them to their
belief,^ owing to the prudence and sanctity he manifested, and as due also 1
to his spirit of faith and prayer. * Afterwards, he fell sick, but he humbly besought God to spare his life, until he returned to his own country. He
passed through the countries of Anglia and of Scotia, and preached along the way. At length, he came to the hill of Kincardine Oneyll. There he
to heavenly delights, his most pure life was prolonged in the presence of Christ, so that he obtained the lasting and great happiness of life eternal. 16 When St. Yarchard -perceived that his death was approaching, he desired his body to be placed in a chariot drawn by two horses. His remains were ordered to be deposited where the chariot stopped. When this order was obeyed, and the corpse had been deposited on the chariot, it is said to have moved to a considerable distance beyond the River Dee, when mechanically itceasedtoproceed. Therethebodywastakenfromthebierandinterred.
1
In that place, called Kincardin, ? a fine church was afterwards erected, and
there the Saint was specially venerated, as it had been considered the spot miraculously designed for his sepulture. Besides Kincardine Oneyll, asso-
received his 1* Hewas a by compatriots.
was
cardine, in the Diocese of Aberdeen. His memory was deemed to be worthy ofpiousvenerationandcelebration,inthatplace. Thedespicableandvain desires of this world he thought deserving only of his disdain, while attached
honourably
at bishop Kin-
Breviary of Aberdeen, is irreconcilable with the account of Yarchard having been the
disciple of St. Ternan. Pope St. Gregory I. , or the Great, did not ascend the pontifical throne, until A. D. 590, and he died on the 1 2th of March, A. D. 604. See Rev. Alban' Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iii. , March xii.
M In the fifth century, the heresiarchs
Pelagius and Celestius had spread many errors on the doctrine of Divine Grace, while
in Gaul and Britain, Pelagianism, as the
heresy had been generally called, greatly
prevailed. These are probably the errors to
which allusion is here made. See Vossius,
"
Historia de Controversiis quas Pelagius ejusque Reliquiae moverunt," Leyden, 1618, 4to.
IS See the "Breviarium Aberdonensis," Pars vEstiva, lect. v. , fol. lxxxix.
l6 The Aberdeen Martyrology thus states
" According to an Irish Tract on the Picts, and a legend contained in the Book of Lecain, the progenitors of the Picts came originally from Thrace, under the guidance of six brothers, and these
passed through the Romans until they came to Gaul, where they built the city of Pictaris, thus called from the Picts. Thence they passed into Ireland, and finally a colony went into Scot- land. But, other versions of this story are to be found in "Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," edited by William F. Skene, LL. D. See Preface,
it:
" Qui caduca et vana huius mundi cal-
sect, iv. , pp. xcvi. , xcvii.
13 Lont; before this time, St. Hilary,
Bishop of Poitiers, had laboured there in the effort to expel Arianism from his diocese,
cando et celestibus desideriis inherendo
pauper Christi purissimam in presente elegit
vitam ut largam eterne vite consequeretur
beatitudinem. " See "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 267. Calendar of Scottish Saints, corn- municated by David Laing, Esq. , F. S. A. , Scotland, and extracted from the Aberdeen
Martyrology.
1? This parish of Kincardine-O'Neil is
situated in the Kincardine-O'Neil district of Aberdeenshire. The River Dee traces the
south-western boundary, dividing this parish from Aboyne and Birse. See an excellent
"
account of it in The Imperial Gazetteer of
Scotland, Topographical, Statistical and
Historical," vol. ii. , p. 223.
l8
and
"
in January of the year 367, or, as some
think, 368, he died at Po—itiers, amidst the
honour and respect of all. " VeryRev. Canon
Richard Travers Smith's " Church in Roman
Gaul," chap, xviii. , p. 223. London, n. d. , 8vo.
This lies wholly in Inverness-shire.
362 LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 24.
ciated with him in the Breviary of Aberdeen, there was a parish of Kincardine, 18 at the time of the Reformation, annexed to Abernethy,^ on the River Spey, and a sea-port town bearing that name,10 in the parish of Tulliallan in Perth-
shire ; another was in Ross-shire, parish
21
fourteen miles from Tain
another
23 county,
was in Monteith 32 two miles from Doune and that district, ; lastly,
which takes its name from the ancient castle, which was once a royal resi-
dence. These various local dedications manifest the great influence this holy
bishop exercised during life, the cause of that honour in which he was held
2
after his decease. * In the Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aber-
of the
26
amongScottishwriters, andveneratedonthe4thofJuly,whileheflourished
in the year 933, and while Malcolm I. was King over Scotland. 2? Were we to admit his account, it is clear, the Saint who is there introduced cannot be classed with the present St. Merchard or Yarchard ; while even the data furnished by the Breviary of Aberdeen shows its chronology and personages introduced to be irreconcilable. However, it seems most probable, the present holy bishop's time may be referred to the fifth or sixth century.
ArticleV. —St. SeginorSeighein. Scantjusticehasbeenmetedto many of our holy men, in human records ; although their careers were not unnoted by traits of a sublime and noble character, during their life-time.
1 andof 2 or Donegal register Segin
cardine.
" tomus
20
It stands on the shore of the Frith of
9* the feast of St. Yarchard is set down at the ix.
deen,
Kalends, or at the 24th of August. Notwithstanding the foregoing state- ments, Dempster will have it, that St. Irchardus or Ethardus, had been noted
The of Martyrologies
Tallagh
as having been venerated at the 24th of August; but, without giving
further information regarding him.
Article VI. —St. Faelan or Foilanus, Confessor. At the 24th of August, a festival in honour of Faelan or Foilanus, a confessor, is set down in
the of 1 of Marianus of Cathal
2 Maguire,
Martyrologies Tallagh, and of Donegal. 3
O'Gorman,
19 This highland parish is partly in Moray-
shire and partly in Inverness-shire. It
is sometimes known as the united parish
of Abernethy and Kinchardine or Kin- lib. i. ; and Allegorias Sacras, lib. i. See
Forth, and about 22 miles south-west of
Perth.
21
This Kincardine lies on the northern
border of Ross-shire, and it comprises two
detached portions of Cromartyshire.
32
It is situated about the middle of the southern verge of Perthshire.
23 Kincardineshire is popularly called the Mearns, and it is a maritime county on the east side of Scotland. It is naturally divided into four districts—the Grampian, the Dee- side, the How of Mearns and the Coast-side.
Article v.
Edited
In the Book of Leinster
24 See Bishop Forbes'
Scottish Saints," p. 466.
"
Kalendars of
•
Edited by Rev. Dr. In the Book of Leinster
Foillani, Appendix, cap. i. , p. 104.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
p. 226, 227.
2 See
ix. Kl. Septembris :— "In Scotia Sancti niae," xvi. Januarii. De Inventione S.
asThe ofAberdeenstatesat Martyrology
Colgan's
Yarchardi episcopi apud Kyncardin Aber- donensis dyocesis. Cuius memoria pie censetur esse veneranda et laudibus dignis
extollenda. "
day
September
86
turas in Biblia, lib. i. ; De Divina Essentia,
According to Dempster, he wrote Lec- Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum,"
lib. v.
2? He was assassinated, A. D. 953, at Fet-
teressoe, by one of the Moray men, in revenge for the death of his chief Cellach. See Rev. Dr. James Taylor's " Pictorial History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , p. 35. —
•
i. ,
Rev. Dr. copy we find entered at this date Segini.
Kelly, p. xxxii.
2
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
p. 226, 227. — Article vi.
Kelly, p. xxxii. copy p*eLani.
by
"ActaSanctorumHibcr-
;
Seighein,
August 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363 ArticleVII. —St. Abban. AfestivalinhonorofAbban,ismetwith
in the of 1 published Martyrology Tallagh
,
at the of The same 24th August.
entry is to be found in the Book of Leinster copy. "
Article VIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Geldarius, or Gildarius.
The simple entry, Geldarius, without any other designation, appears in the 1
published Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 24th August. In like manner, the
name is entered in the Book of Leinster 2 and as classed the Irish copy, among
Saints. This is probably the St. Gildard, a priest, who formerly gave singular edification to the inhabitants of the parish of Lurcy-le-Bourg,3 in the diocese of Nevers, France, and where he died on the 24th of August. The Bollandists have notices of him, taken from old Martyrologies, on this day/ Little seems to be known, regarding his personal history. In some of the ancient Martyrologies, his name is associated with that of St. Patrick, Abbot, in the territory of Nivernais. Thus, in the editions to the Martyrology of Usuard, edited by the Jesuit Father Soller, we find such entries in the
Codex of Centule, 5 and in that of Rheims.
6
Likewise, in the Martyrologium
Parisiense, published in 1727; having set down the feast of St. Patrick of Nivernais, at the 24th of August, an addition of St. Gildard's feast is pre-
scribed. 7 However, in other Martyrologies, his name, profession and feast
entered. The Latin name of his 8 within place, Luperciacum,
are
the former territory of the vEdui, had been a fortified town, and it was sur- rounded with walls. Such strongholds were known by the term Burgos. Hence it came to be called Leurcy le Bourg, in modern French.
The Martyrologium Parisiense has a marginal note, which places the present saint in the seventh century ; yet, this chronotaxis is set down, without sufficient authority. St. Gildarddiedonthe24thofAugust; but,asthefestivalofSt. Bartholomew fell on the same day, his feast had been transferred to the 31st of the present month. 9 St. Gildard was buried in the Church of St. Loup, near Nevers. It is a curious subject for enquiry, to learn how his name had been inserted in the Martyrology of Tallagh, as if he were to be classed among the Irish Saints.
separately
Article IX. —St. Fathna, a Bishop and Confessor. The identity
of the present holy Bishop has not been ascertained. In the anonymous
1 there is a St. Fathna list of our Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, .
Article vii. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. dardi presbyteri. "
Kelly, p. xxxii.
3 Thus noted Ab—bam.
l
Article viii. Edited by
Kelly, p. xxxii.
7 Among the Addenda et Emendanda, at p. xii. , is inserted: "Item in territorio
2
3 Nievre, arrondissement de Cosne, canton
ejusdem civitatis,
Gildardi presbyteri, cujus nomine extitit intra dicecesim abbatia tempore Caroli Crassi imperatoris. "
It is there written Jebl'OA^u.
de
4 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. ,
8 In his " Notitia Galliarum " Hadrianus Valesius thus derives the town denomi- nations: " A Luperco vel Lupercio nomen accepit. Ex Luperciaco Loperciacum fac-
Premery.
Rev. Dr.
castro sancti Luperciaco,
Augusti xxiv. De S. Gildardo Presbytero,
Luperciaci in Territorio Nivernensi Galliae.
Sylloge de loco, cultu, aetate, ac mendosis turn : ex Loperciaco, sublatis duabus litteris,
annuntiationibus, pp. 840, 841. This is con- tained in six paragraphs, written by Father
JohnPinius, S. J.
5 Thus :" In territorio Nivernensi, sancto-
rum Patricii abbatis, et Gildardi presbyteri confessorum. "
6 Thus " In territorio Nivernensi, sane- :
torum confessorum Patricii abbatis et Gil-
Lorciacum : ex Lorciaco, Leurcy o in eu converso. "
» See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome x, xxxie Jour d'Aout, p.
349. — Article ix.
Catho- licae Ibernias Compendium," tomus i. ,
See ""Historic lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
364 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 24,
registered, at the 24th of August. Likewise, on the authority of the Carthu- sian Martyrology and of Floratius, we find Faihna, a Bishop, entered on •Father Henry Fitzsimon's list. 2 The Bollandists, at this date, also cite these authorities ;> but, they seem to entertain a doubt, that he may have been identical with St. Fachnan or Fachananus, Bishop and Confessor, who is venerated on the 14th of this month. * He is patron of the church and diocese of Kilfenora,s but we cannot be at all certain the present Fathna
is the same person.
Article X. —Translation of St. Cuthbert's Relics. Such is the title of a festival announced in Colgan's list of unpublished MSS. , from which we may infer, that our great national hagiologist had intended the publication of some narrative memoirs referring to some particular Translation of St. Cuthbert's Relics. The life of this holy man has been already set
1
forth, at the 12th of March, the day for his chief festival.
translations of his relics that took place after his death, elsewhere I cannot find one noted for this date. Doubtless, from the Irish, the disciples of St. Cuthbert learned the practice of erecting Celtic crosses, as most graceful andfittingemblemstocommemoratethedead. Accordinglyweread,that St. Ethelwold, his successor over the See of Lindisfarne, placed a cross, elaborately fashioned from stone, over the grave of St. Cuthbert. 3 This seems to have been inscribed, as well with the name of Cuthbert, as with that of its erector, Ethelwold. 3 When the Pagans devastated Lindisfarne church, they broke off the head of this cross ; but, by an ingenious artifice, it was afterwards joined, by an infusion of lead, to those parts remaining. When dangers threatened again from the Northmen, the cross was borne away by the Christians of Northumbria, with the body of St. Cuthbert, to someplaceofconcealment,orforgreatersecurity. InthetimeofSimeonof Durham,* this lofty cross was to be seen in the cemetery, attached to Durham Cathedral—, and having the names of both holy bishops of Lindisfarne inscribed a precious memorial of the past
quary may seek, in vain, for a single vestige of this monument in or near the majestic Cathedral of Durham. It is said, that in 1829, the body of St. Cuthbert was found in Durham Cathedral, and thence conveyed to the British Museum, where it now reposes,s But, we find no confirmation of such statement.
Article XI. —Feast of the Martyrdom of St. Zenobius and of his Companions, at Antioch.
2
See ibid. , cap. xii. , p. 54.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
this work, at that date, Art. i. a See the Bollandists' " Acta
iv. , Augusti xxiv. Among the pretermitted
Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii xii. De S. Ethelwoldo Episcopo Lindisfarnensi in Anglia, sect. 4, 5,
Saints, p. 742.
4 See some account of him, in the present
Volume,andatthatdate, Art. ii.
5 Among the Proper Masses for Patron Saints and Titulars of France and Ireland, printed at Paris, A. D. 1734, is noted his Mass " in festo sancti Fachnani, episcopi et confessoris, ecclesiae et dicecesis Fenabo-
"
Article x. — See the Third Volume of
p. 605. 3Hisfeastoccursonthe12thofFebruary,
and he died about a. d. 740.
* See " Historia Dunelmensis," lib. i. ,
cap. xii.
s See " Lives of the Saints," enriched with
Fifty-one full-page Miniatures, in Gold and Colours, the Text within engraved Borders, from Ancient Books of Devotion, p. 84.
rensis patroni.
'
!
At the an anti- present day,
Among the many
August 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 365
festival to commemorate the sufferings of St. Zenatius—more correctly—of St.
Zenobiusand of his 1 in at at this date. All companions martyrdom, Antioch,
that can well be known regarding them has been set down by the Bollandists," at the 24th of August, when they are mentioned in some of the old Martyrologies. 3
Ctoentp*ttftb Dap of aujjusrt.
ARTICLE I. —ST. MICHAN, PATRON OF ST. MICHAN'S PARISH, AND CHURCH, IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DUBLIN.
[PROBABLY IN THE TENTH OR ELEVENTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION. —ST. MICHAN—UNCERTAINTY REGARDING HIS AGE AND RACE—HIS COMMEMORATION AND HIS CHURCH IN DUBLIN—ORIGIN OF OSMANTOWN—ST. MICHAN'S PARISH DURING THE MIDDLE AGES—VENERATION OF ST. SYTH OR OSYTH.
appears rather strange, that a Saint, intimately connected with a ITcity, which contains so many records of its early history, should have left little trac—e of his own personality to our time. The forms of his name are very various Thus, Michanus, Mighan, Myghan, Michee, and Mahano are found in different mediaeval documents, which have reference to him and to the well-known church and parish of which he is the patron. The name Michanus is entered at this date, in the anonymous calendar, published
by O'Sullivan Beare.
1
For all that is personally known of the present holy
man, we might end the account in a few 2 But the of very paragraphs. history
his parish, and of the churches there dedicated to him, may have some interest for our readers.
Article xi—J See " Transactions of the
Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
/Engus, by Whitley Stokes, p. cxxv.
2
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au-
gusti xxiv. De SS. Zenobio, Capitulino, of Arabia. For twenty years she was sterile,
Emerita, ltalica, Item de SS. Juviano et Julio, MM. Antiochice. Cultusexapographis Hieronymianis, pp. 767, 768.
3 The commentaiyon these is written by
Father John P—inius, S. J.
when an angel predicted the birth of Michee, and the boy was afterwards baptized tjy Magonius, Bishop of Alexandria. When he was seventeen years old, Obeth died, then Michee was offered succession over the
of Chananaeum, but this he refused. He then went to the city of Alexandria, where he received the monk's habit from the bishop, and he was initiated to the priest- hood, in the thirtieth year of his age. Then returning to his native country, he was con- secrated bishop, and governed in that capacity for twenty-two years. Afterwards he left that place under angelic guidance, The narrative then continues in the original Latin: "inde perveniens ad ripam Nili fluminis, sociis LX sibi assecutis, fluminis impetum benedictionis oppositione con- stringens, cum omni comitatu suo securus
"
I. See Historise Catholicse
Article
Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
'
The Bollandists alluding to him, at the 25th of August, relate, that they had an
"
Vita Sancti Michese," but that it abounded altogether in fables ; and to prove this statement, they adduce some specimens of absurd narratives drawn from it. This tract was contained in a drawer, among other Manuscript Lives of Irish Saints, received from Father Henry Fitz-
simon, and it was marked i|« M. S. 167 A.
apocryphal
That
"
Vita Sancti Micheae" was to be found
at fol. 20 et In the father of St. seq. it,
Michee is stated to have been King over the
Chananseans, and his name was Obeth, the son of Eliud ; while his mother was named
Alipia, and she was daughter to the King
Kingdom
366 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 25.
Whether St. Michan is to be regarded as a Danish or an Irish saint is a matter contested. One of our most learned Irish antiquaries seems inclined to think he was of the former race. 3 If we are to follow the prevailing popular opinion of the inhabitants of Dublin, in the sixteenth century, we are likely to concur in the statement of Rev. Dr. Meredith Hanmer, who calls St. Michan a " Dane and Bishop. " 4 Notwithstanding the latter distinction accorded him, and for which Hanmer appears to have had even documentary warrant, it does not seem likely, that Michan had been advanced to the
episcopal dignity. A very probable opinion may be formed, as the name Michan, in any of its forms, is not found historically to have been at all common in Irish families,5 that the present holy man was of Danish origin, and born in Dublin, which in his time had been colonized by Scandinavians, who had embraced the Christian faith. The period when he flourished is unknown.
His name occurs in the Calendar prefixed to the Martyrology of Christ
Church,Dublin,under25thAugust—viii. Kal. ,Sept. —asS. MicheeConfessoris; while he is described in the Martyrology itself in these terms, and at the
:
" Eodem die ; sancti Michee episcopi, confessoris. "6 However, we
same date
are told, that the insertion of the word episcopi is —in a more recent hand. 7 In
to two ancient Breviaries one—
of these to
the Calendars
St. John's Church, Dublin, the other to Clondalkin and now in Trinity College Library, Dublin, the word "Episcopi" is inserted before "Confessoris. " By some writers, he is regarded, as not having advanced beyond the grade
prefixed
belonging
of priest ; and this opinion is altogether probable, since no record presents his parish in the character of having been a primitive See. St. Michan must have lived in the eleventh or perhaps the preceding century ; but the year for his decease has not been recorded.
The Danes or Ostmen, who had settled in Dublin, and who had surrounded their city with walls, embraced Christianity in the tenth and eleventh centuries. 8 Their conversion from Paganism placed them on more friendly
pertransiit. Deinde ad littus Maris Rubri
cum sociis veniens, secundum illud Israelitici
populi, ab expugnatione Pharaonis per Dominum salvati, sic (sicco) vestigio transi- turn fecit. " The narrative then continues,
that having spent two months at Jerusalem, there he continued to exercise the patriarchal
ministry for seven years. During that time,
he was directed by an angel to Mount Sion,
and there he was shown that tree, from Patrick. " Introduction, sect, i.
PP- 773. 774-
2
Compiled by Father William Cuper, SJ. 3 See a notice in the Seventh Volume of
this work, at that date, Art. xiii.
lib. Hi. , p. 168.
6
See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," PP- 397. 466.
See tomus iv. , Augusti xxiv.
4 In "
Generalis Sanctorum. " 5 In his book, " De Scotorum Fortitudine, Doctrina, Pietate, ac de Ortu et Progressu Hseresis in Regnis Scotias et Anglise,"
,0 St. Ternan lived in the fifth
Catalogus
Kincardine-O'Neil forms the south-
August 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 361
to Rome, where he was consecrated bishop by Pope Gregory," who gave him faculties for a mission in his own country, and who bestowed his
blessing, when the saint took his departure. On returning to Scotland, he passed through the province of Pictavia or Poitou in Gaul. " There he found many of the Picti or natives of Poitou, who had been subjugated by the Galli. He remained among those people for three years. St. Yarchard was the instrument chosen by the Almighty for restoring them to their
belief,^ owing to the prudence and sanctity he manifested, and as due also 1
to his spirit of faith and prayer. * Afterwards, he fell sick, but he humbly besought God to spare his life, until he returned to his own country. He
passed through the countries of Anglia and of Scotia, and preached along the way. At length, he came to the hill of Kincardine Oneyll. There he
to heavenly delights, his most pure life was prolonged in the presence of Christ, so that he obtained the lasting and great happiness of life eternal. 16 When St. Yarchard -perceived that his death was approaching, he desired his body to be placed in a chariot drawn by two horses. His remains were ordered to be deposited where the chariot stopped. When this order was obeyed, and the corpse had been deposited on the chariot, it is said to have moved to a considerable distance beyond the River Dee, when mechanically itceasedtoproceed. Therethebodywastakenfromthebierandinterred.
1
In that place, called Kincardin, ? a fine church was afterwards erected, and
there the Saint was specially venerated, as it had been considered the spot miraculously designed for his sepulture. Besides Kincardine Oneyll, asso-
received his 1* Hewas a by compatriots.
was
cardine, in the Diocese of Aberdeen. His memory was deemed to be worthy ofpiousvenerationandcelebration,inthatplace. Thedespicableandvain desires of this world he thought deserving only of his disdain, while attached
honourably
at bishop Kin-
Breviary of Aberdeen, is irreconcilable with the account of Yarchard having been the
disciple of St. Ternan. Pope St. Gregory I. , or the Great, did not ascend the pontifical throne, until A. D. 590, and he died on the 1 2th of March, A. D. 604. See Rev. Alban' Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iii. , March xii.
M In the fifth century, the heresiarchs
Pelagius and Celestius had spread many errors on the doctrine of Divine Grace, while
in Gaul and Britain, Pelagianism, as the
heresy had been generally called, greatly
prevailed. These are probably the errors to
which allusion is here made. See Vossius,
"
Historia de Controversiis quas Pelagius ejusque Reliquiae moverunt," Leyden, 1618, 4to.
IS See the "Breviarium Aberdonensis," Pars vEstiva, lect. v. , fol. lxxxix.
l6 The Aberdeen Martyrology thus states
" According to an Irish Tract on the Picts, and a legend contained in the Book of Lecain, the progenitors of the Picts came originally from Thrace, under the guidance of six brothers, and these
passed through the Romans until they came to Gaul, where they built the city of Pictaris, thus called from the Picts. Thence they passed into Ireland, and finally a colony went into Scot- land. But, other versions of this story are to be found in "Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," edited by William F. Skene, LL. D. See Preface,
it:
" Qui caduca et vana huius mundi cal-
sect, iv. , pp. xcvi. , xcvii.
13 Lont; before this time, St. Hilary,
Bishop of Poitiers, had laboured there in the effort to expel Arianism from his diocese,
cando et celestibus desideriis inherendo
pauper Christi purissimam in presente elegit
vitam ut largam eterne vite consequeretur
beatitudinem. " See "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 267. Calendar of Scottish Saints, corn- municated by David Laing, Esq. , F. S. A. , Scotland, and extracted from the Aberdeen
Martyrology.
1? This parish of Kincardine-O'Neil is
situated in the Kincardine-O'Neil district of Aberdeenshire. The River Dee traces the
south-western boundary, dividing this parish from Aboyne and Birse. See an excellent
"
account of it in The Imperial Gazetteer of
Scotland, Topographical, Statistical and
Historical," vol. ii. , p. 223.
l8
and
"
in January of the year 367, or, as some
think, 368, he died at Po—itiers, amidst the
honour and respect of all. " VeryRev. Canon
Richard Travers Smith's " Church in Roman
Gaul," chap, xviii. , p. 223. London, n. d. , 8vo.
This lies wholly in Inverness-shire.
362 LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 24.
ciated with him in the Breviary of Aberdeen, there was a parish of Kincardine, 18 at the time of the Reformation, annexed to Abernethy,^ on the River Spey, and a sea-port town bearing that name,10 in the parish of Tulliallan in Perth-
shire ; another was in Ross-shire, parish
21
fourteen miles from Tain
another
23 county,
was in Monteith 32 two miles from Doune and that district, ; lastly,
which takes its name from the ancient castle, which was once a royal resi-
dence. These various local dedications manifest the great influence this holy
bishop exercised during life, the cause of that honour in which he was held
2
after his decease. * In the Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aber-
of the
26
amongScottishwriters, andveneratedonthe4thofJuly,whileheflourished
in the year 933, and while Malcolm I. was King over Scotland. 2? Were we to admit his account, it is clear, the Saint who is there introduced cannot be classed with the present St. Merchard or Yarchard ; while even the data furnished by the Breviary of Aberdeen shows its chronology and personages introduced to be irreconcilable. However, it seems most probable, the present holy bishop's time may be referred to the fifth or sixth century.
ArticleV. —St. SeginorSeighein. Scantjusticehasbeenmetedto many of our holy men, in human records ; although their careers were not unnoted by traits of a sublime and noble character, during their life-time.
1 andof 2 or Donegal register Segin
cardine.
" tomus
20
It stands on the shore of the Frith of
9* the feast of St. Yarchard is set down at the ix.
deen,
Kalends, or at the 24th of August. Notwithstanding the foregoing state- ments, Dempster will have it, that St. Irchardus or Ethardus, had been noted
The of Martyrologies
Tallagh
as having been venerated at the 24th of August; but, without giving
further information regarding him.
Article VI. —St. Faelan or Foilanus, Confessor. At the 24th of August, a festival in honour of Faelan or Foilanus, a confessor, is set down in
the of 1 of Marianus of Cathal
2 Maguire,
Martyrologies Tallagh, and of Donegal. 3
O'Gorman,
19 This highland parish is partly in Moray-
shire and partly in Inverness-shire. It
is sometimes known as the united parish
of Abernethy and Kinchardine or Kin- lib. i. ; and Allegorias Sacras, lib. i. See
Forth, and about 22 miles south-west of
Perth.
21
This Kincardine lies on the northern
border of Ross-shire, and it comprises two
detached portions of Cromartyshire.
32
It is situated about the middle of the southern verge of Perthshire.
23 Kincardineshire is popularly called the Mearns, and it is a maritime county on the east side of Scotland. It is naturally divided into four districts—the Grampian, the Dee- side, the How of Mearns and the Coast-side.
Article v.
Edited
In the Book of Leinster
24 See Bishop Forbes'
Scottish Saints," p. 466.
"
Kalendars of
•
Edited by Rev. Dr. In the Book of Leinster
Foillani, Appendix, cap. i. , p. 104.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
p. 226, 227.
2 See
ix. Kl. Septembris :— "In Scotia Sancti niae," xvi. Januarii. De Inventione S.
asThe ofAberdeenstatesat Martyrology
Colgan's
Yarchardi episcopi apud Kyncardin Aber- donensis dyocesis. Cuius memoria pie censetur esse veneranda et laudibus dignis
extollenda. "
day
September
86
turas in Biblia, lib. i. ; De Divina Essentia,
According to Dempster, he wrote Lec- Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum,"
lib. v.
2? He was assassinated, A. D. 953, at Fet-
teressoe, by one of the Moray men, in revenge for the death of his chief Cellach. See Rev. Dr. James Taylor's " Pictorial History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, iv. , p. 35. —
•
i. ,
Rev. Dr. copy we find entered at this date Segini.
Kelly, p. xxxii.
2
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
p. 226, 227. — Article vi.
Kelly, p. xxxii. copy p*eLani.
by
"ActaSanctorumHibcr-
;
Seighein,
August 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363 ArticleVII. —St. Abban. AfestivalinhonorofAbban,ismetwith
in the of 1 published Martyrology Tallagh
,
at the of The same 24th August.
entry is to be found in the Book of Leinster copy. "
Article VIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Geldarius, or Gildarius.
The simple entry, Geldarius, without any other designation, appears in the 1
published Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 24th August. In like manner, the
name is entered in the Book of Leinster 2 and as classed the Irish copy, among
Saints. This is probably the St. Gildard, a priest, who formerly gave singular edification to the inhabitants of the parish of Lurcy-le-Bourg,3 in the diocese of Nevers, France, and where he died on the 24th of August. The Bollandists have notices of him, taken from old Martyrologies, on this day/ Little seems to be known, regarding his personal history. In some of the ancient Martyrologies, his name is associated with that of St. Patrick, Abbot, in the territory of Nivernais. Thus, in the editions to the Martyrology of Usuard, edited by the Jesuit Father Soller, we find such entries in the
Codex of Centule, 5 and in that of Rheims.
6
Likewise, in the Martyrologium
Parisiense, published in 1727; having set down the feast of St. Patrick of Nivernais, at the 24th of August, an addition of St. Gildard's feast is pre-
scribed. 7 However, in other Martyrologies, his name, profession and feast
entered. The Latin name of his 8 within place, Luperciacum,
are
the former territory of the vEdui, had been a fortified town, and it was sur- rounded with walls. Such strongholds were known by the term Burgos. Hence it came to be called Leurcy le Bourg, in modern French.
The Martyrologium Parisiense has a marginal note, which places the present saint in the seventh century ; yet, this chronotaxis is set down, without sufficient authority. St. Gildarddiedonthe24thofAugust; but,asthefestivalofSt. Bartholomew fell on the same day, his feast had been transferred to the 31st of the present month. 9 St. Gildard was buried in the Church of St. Loup, near Nevers. It is a curious subject for enquiry, to learn how his name had been inserted in the Martyrology of Tallagh, as if he were to be classed among the Irish Saints.
separately
Article IX. —St. Fathna, a Bishop and Confessor. The identity
of the present holy Bishop has not been ascertained. In the anonymous
1 there is a St. Fathna list of our Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, .
Article vii. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. dardi presbyteri. "
Kelly, p. xxxii.
3 Thus noted Ab—bam.
l
Article viii. Edited by
Kelly, p. xxxii.
7 Among the Addenda et Emendanda, at p. xii. , is inserted: "Item in territorio
2
3 Nievre, arrondissement de Cosne, canton
ejusdem civitatis,
Gildardi presbyteri, cujus nomine extitit intra dicecesim abbatia tempore Caroli Crassi imperatoris. "
It is there written Jebl'OA^u.
de
4 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. ,
8 In his " Notitia Galliarum " Hadrianus Valesius thus derives the town denomi- nations: " A Luperco vel Lupercio nomen accepit. Ex Luperciaco Loperciacum fac-
Premery.
Rev. Dr.
castro sancti Luperciaco,
Augusti xxiv. De S. Gildardo Presbytero,
Luperciaci in Territorio Nivernensi Galliae.
Sylloge de loco, cultu, aetate, ac mendosis turn : ex Loperciaco, sublatis duabus litteris,
annuntiationibus, pp. 840, 841. This is con- tained in six paragraphs, written by Father
JohnPinius, S. J.
5 Thus :" In territorio Nivernensi, sancto-
rum Patricii abbatis, et Gildardi presbyteri confessorum. "
6 Thus " In territorio Nivernensi, sane- :
torum confessorum Patricii abbatis et Gil-
Lorciacum : ex Lorciaco, Leurcy o in eu converso. "
» See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome x, xxxie Jour d'Aout, p.
349. — Article ix.
Catho- licae Ibernias Compendium," tomus i. ,
See ""Historic lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
364 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 24,
registered, at the 24th of August. Likewise, on the authority of the Carthu- sian Martyrology and of Floratius, we find Faihna, a Bishop, entered on •Father Henry Fitzsimon's list. 2 The Bollandists, at this date, also cite these authorities ;> but, they seem to entertain a doubt, that he may have been identical with St. Fachnan or Fachananus, Bishop and Confessor, who is venerated on the 14th of this month. * He is patron of the church and diocese of Kilfenora,s but we cannot be at all certain the present Fathna
is the same person.
Article X. —Translation of St. Cuthbert's Relics. Such is the title of a festival announced in Colgan's list of unpublished MSS. , from which we may infer, that our great national hagiologist had intended the publication of some narrative memoirs referring to some particular Translation of St. Cuthbert's Relics. The life of this holy man has been already set
1
forth, at the 12th of March, the day for his chief festival.
translations of his relics that took place after his death, elsewhere I cannot find one noted for this date. Doubtless, from the Irish, the disciples of St. Cuthbert learned the practice of erecting Celtic crosses, as most graceful andfittingemblemstocommemoratethedead. Accordinglyweread,that St. Ethelwold, his successor over the See of Lindisfarne, placed a cross, elaborately fashioned from stone, over the grave of St. Cuthbert. 3 This seems to have been inscribed, as well with the name of Cuthbert, as with that of its erector, Ethelwold. 3 When the Pagans devastated Lindisfarne church, they broke off the head of this cross ; but, by an ingenious artifice, it was afterwards joined, by an infusion of lead, to those parts remaining. When dangers threatened again from the Northmen, the cross was borne away by the Christians of Northumbria, with the body of St. Cuthbert, to someplaceofconcealment,orforgreatersecurity. InthetimeofSimeonof Durham,* this lofty cross was to be seen in the cemetery, attached to Durham Cathedral—, and having the names of both holy bishops of Lindisfarne inscribed a precious memorial of the past
quary may seek, in vain, for a single vestige of this monument in or near the majestic Cathedral of Durham. It is said, that in 1829, the body of St. Cuthbert was found in Durham Cathedral, and thence conveyed to the British Museum, where it now reposes,s But, we find no confirmation of such statement.
Article XI. —Feast of the Martyrdom of St. Zenobius and of his Companions, at Antioch.
2
See ibid. , cap. xii. , p. 54.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
this work, at that date, Art. i. a See the Bollandists' " Acta
iv. , Augusti xxiv. Among the pretermitted
Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Februarii xii. De S. Ethelwoldo Episcopo Lindisfarnensi in Anglia, sect. 4, 5,
Saints, p. 742.
4 See some account of him, in the present
Volume,andatthatdate, Art. ii.
5 Among the Proper Masses for Patron Saints and Titulars of France and Ireland, printed at Paris, A. D. 1734, is noted his Mass " in festo sancti Fachnani, episcopi et confessoris, ecclesiae et dicecesis Fenabo-
"
Article x. — See the Third Volume of
p. 605. 3Hisfeastoccursonthe12thofFebruary,
and he died about a. d. 740.
* See " Historia Dunelmensis," lib. i. ,
cap. xii.
s See " Lives of the Saints," enriched with
Fifty-one full-page Miniatures, in Gold and Colours, the Text within engraved Borders, from Ancient Books of Devotion, p. 84.
rensis patroni.
'
!
At the an anti- present day,
Among the many
August 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 365
festival to commemorate the sufferings of St. Zenatius—more correctly—of St.
Zenobiusand of his 1 in at at this date. All companions martyrdom, Antioch,
that can well be known regarding them has been set down by the Bollandists," at the 24th of August, when they are mentioned in some of the old Martyrologies. 3
Ctoentp*ttftb Dap of aujjusrt.
ARTICLE I. —ST. MICHAN, PATRON OF ST. MICHAN'S PARISH, AND CHURCH, IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DUBLIN.
[PROBABLY IN THE TENTH OR ELEVENTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION. —ST. MICHAN—UNCERTAINTY REGARDING HIS AGE AND RACE—HIS COMMEMORATION AND HIS CHURCH IN DUBLIN—ORIGIN OF OSMANTOWN—ST. MICHAN'S PARISH DURING THE MIDDLE AGES—VENERATION OF ST. SYTH OR OSYTH.
appears rather strange, that a Saint, intimately connected with a ITcity, which contains so many records of its early history, should have left little trac—e of his own personality to our time. The forms of his name are very various Thus, Michanus, Mighan, Myghan, Michee, and Mahano are found in different mediaeval documents, which have reference to him and to the well-known church and parish of which he is the patron. The name Michanus is entered at this date, in the anonymous calendar, published
by O'Sullivan Beare.
1
For all that is personally known of the present holy
man, we might end the account in a few 2 But the of very paragraphs. history
his parish, and of the churches there dedicated to him, may have some interest for our readers.
Article xi—J See " Transactions of the
Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
/Engus, by Whitley Stokes, p. cxxv.
2
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au-
gusti xxiv. De SS. Zenobio, Capitulino, of Arabia. For twenty years she was sterile,
Emerita, ltalica, Item de SS. Juviano et Julio, MM. Antiochice. Cultusexapographis Hieronymianis, pp. 767, 768.
3 The commentaiyon these is written by
Father John P—inius, S. J.
when an angel predicted the birth of Michee, and the boy was afterwards baptized tjy Magonius, Bishop of Alexandria. When he was seventeen years old, Obeth died, then Michee was offered succession over the
of Chananaeum, but this he refused. He then went to the city of Alexandria, where he received the monk's habit from the bishop, and he was initiated to the priest- hood, in the thirtieth year of his age. Then returning to his native country, he was con- secrated bishop, and governed in that capacity for twenty-two years. Afterwards he left that place under angelic guidance, The narrative then continues in the original Latin: "inde perveniens ad ripam Nili fluminis, sociis LX sibi assecutis, fluminis impetum benedictionis oppositione con- stringens, cum omni comitatu suo securus
"
I. See Historise Catholicse
Article
Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
'
The Bollandists alluding to him, at the 25th of August, relate, that they had an
"
Vita Sancti Michese," but that it abounded altogether in fables ; and to prove this statement, they adduce some specimens of absurd narratives drawn from it. This tract was contained in a drawer, among other Manuscript Lives of Irish Saints, received from Father Henry Fitz-
simon, and it was marked i|« M. S. 167 A.
apocryphal
That
"
Vita Sancti Micheae" was to be found
at fol. 20 et In the father of St. seq. it,
Michee is stated to have been King over the
Chananseans, and his name was Obeth, the son of Eliud ; while his mother was named
Alipia, and she was daughter to the King
Kingdom
366 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 25.
Whether St. Michan is to be regarded as a Danish or an Irish saint is a matter contested. One of our most learned Irish antiquaries seems inclined to think he was of the former race. 3 If we are to follow the prevailing popular opinion of the inhabitants of Dublin, in the sixteenth century, we are likely to concur in the statement of Rev. Dr. Meredith Hanmer, who calls St. Michan a " Dane and Bishop. " 4 Notwithstanding the latter distinction accorded him, and for which Hanmer appears to have had even documentary warrant, it does not seem likely, that Michan had been advanced to the
episcopal dignity. A very probable opinion may be formed, as the name Michan, in any of its forms, is not found historically to have been at all common in Irish families,5 that the present holy man was of Danish origin, and born in Dublin, which in his time had been colonized by Scandinavians, who had embraced the Christian faith. The period when he flourished is unknown.
His name occurs in the Calendar prefixed to the Martyrology of Christ
Church,Dublin,under25thAugust—viii. Kal. ,Sept. —asS. MicheeConfessoris; while he is described in the Martyrology itself in these terms, and at the
:
" Eodem die ; sancti Michee episcopi, confessoris. "6 However, we
same date
are told, that the insertion of the word episcopi is —in a more recent hand. 7 In
to two ancient Breviaries one—
of these to
the Calendars
St. John's Church, Dublin, the other to Clondalkin and now in Trinity College Library, Dublin, the word "Episcopi" is inserted before "Confessoris. " By some writers, he is regarded, as not having advanced beyond the grade
prefixed
belonging
of priest ; and this opinion is altogether probable, since no record presents his parish in the character of having been a primitive See. St. Michan must have lived in the eleventh or perhaps the preceding century ; but the year for his decease has not been recorded.
The Danes or Ostmen, who had settled in Dublin, and who had surrounded their city with walls, embraced Christianity in the tenth and eleventh centuries. 8 Their conversion from Paganism placed them on more friendly
pertransiit. Deinde ad littus Maris Rubri
cum sociis veniens, secundum illud Israelitici
populi, ab expugnatione Pharaonis per Dominum salvati, sic (sicco) vestigio transi- turn fecit. " The narrative then continues,
that having spent two months at Jerusalem, there he continued to exercise the patriarchal
ministry for seven years. During that time,
he was directed by an angel to Mount Sion,
and there he was shown that tree, from Patrick. " Introduction, sect, i.
