Then they went to a place, called Moneclatu, and
afterwards
Monichi.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
Martii.
Vita S.
Mochua sive Cronani Abb.
Ballensis, cap.
xxi.
, pp.
790, 791.
** See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 254, 255.
^' See ibid. , n. (z), p. 256.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
<* See
niae," xxx. Martii, n. 20, p. 792.
Colgan's
^9 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 795.
S'As edited by Rev. Matthew Kelly, in his Calendar of Irish Saints," p. xx.
s' I can only make out distinctly Ci\onAn bAlLi.
5» It has " S. Mochua de Balla in Cona- cia. "
'The St. Omer Manuscript has "Argo- sy He says : "Mochua Balla in regione lica derivatus ;" but, the Bollandist editor
Kera in Conacia, fuit Abbas ; et alio nomine Chronanus dicitur. "
5* The entry from Maguire is that of the Scholiast on St. /Engus, and already quoted,
thinks, that Gallica might be used for Argo- lica.
''^His feast occurs, at the 27th of Decern- ben
1022
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
Fleury's Ecclesiastique, i. , liv. ii. , sect, liii. , p. 272.
Reguli episcopi
et confesso-
9 Their festival is of October.
celebrated,
on the
9th
Hagiogra-
Domitian ^
of the
where Pope St. Clement had appointed St. Denis, the Arcopagite, to become the Apostle of France, and where St. Rieul, with other holy men, received appointmentasmissionariesunderhim. St. RieulwasstationedatAries,as itsfirstbishop; there,helabouredwithgreatzealandsuccess. Havinghad notice, in a vision, regarding the martyrdom of St. Denis, and of his two companions, Rusticius and Elutherius,^ St. Rieul left the charge of Aries, to a bishop, named Felicissimus, and he immediately went to seek their sacred relics, at Paris. This he fortunately effected, and having ministered to the faithful there, for a time, he consecrated a priest Malon, as their future bishop. Rieul wrought a remarkable miracle, by which he converted many pagans to the true faith. Having been invited to Senlis, he preached there with great fervour, he baptized many persons—some of great distinction— and he wrought numerous miracles. Here, he established a church, and a cemetery, which subsequently were called after him. He laboured much, andheconvertedthecountry,aboutSenlis,tothetruefaith. Thisissaidto have happened, at the time, when great danger of death was apprehended in France, by missionaries, who had the courage to announce the name of Christ, throughout this Roman province. However, St. Regulus became the first Bishop of Senlis, and he laboured earnestly, during forty years, on his several missions and visitations. " He died, in peace, and in the midst of his flock, A. D. 130, during the reign of the Emperor Adrian. He was buried, in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul. This, afterwards, bore his name, and a great number of miracles were effected, at his tomb, and owing to his intercession. " According to the Martyrology of Usuard. St. Regulus, Bishop
Emperor
separated
them.
Afterwards,
he went to
Rome,
and Confessor, was deposited at the camp or castle Silvanectensis. " The
first Christian king of France, Clovis, had a great reverence for this holy man.
This king rebuilt and endowed that church, in which Rieul had been interred,
while he had a gold shrine prepared to encase the saint's relics. The
CathedralofAmiens'3 possessedsomeofthese,whiletheyweresavedfrom
desecration in 1793, and kept by M. Lejeune, until 1802. They were
authenticated, in the years 18 16 and 1829. '* However, we suspect the fore-
going saint and his festival, to have been confounded with another holy
person, bearing a like name, in Scotland ; where, besides this day, a St.
Regulus, or Rule, is said to have had the 17th of October, dedicated to his
honour. ^5 Nor, is it very clearly established, that he was distinct from a
Celtic saint, venerated in Ireland. Now, it is remarkable, that St. Riaghail,
Abbot of Muicinis, in Lough Derg, on the Shannon, was commemorated, at
the i6th of ^^ to the Feilire of St. and the day October, according . ^ngus,*?
Martyrology of Donegal. Regulus, or Riagail, is said to have been one of
^
This Emperor died, on the 1 7tli of Sep- tember, in the forty-fifth year of his age, and the fifteenth of his reign, A. D. 96. See
"" Histoire tome
and its archives, thus obhterating the earliest acts of the present saint,
""Apud castrum Silvanectensium, de-
'° One of his eulogists, or a writer of
his Acts, was an Irishman, named Cceles-
tinus, as mentioned by the Bollandists, in
their previous Commentary, sect, i. , par. 4.
Nothing more seems to be known regarding
him.
phie du diocese d'Amiens. "
'See " Les Petits Bollandistes Vies des
Saints," tome iv. , Mar. 30, pp. 58 to 63.
'^ " Quoniam in quadrigesima de eo non fuerit servitium, omnia sicut—in alio feslo, sed differtur in crastinum. " " Breviarium
Aberdonense. " Pars Estiva, Fol. cxxviii.
" '* It is to be regretted, that a great fire
There is usually a confusion in festival
broke out, at Senlis, in the ninth century, which destroyed the Cathedral church there,
celebrations, on these two days, when the l6th day of the month is also tlie 17th day
—Sancti positio
ris. "
'^ See M. I'Abbe Corblet's "
Seller's
edition, p.
180.
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1023
those ecclesiastics, \\\\o met St. Columkille,^^ at the time, when he founded a church at Drumcliffe, a little to the north of Sligo. Probably, Regulus—so greatly venerated in Scotland—may have been the same ; for, his history, as thereunderstood,hasbeeninvolvedinmuchobscurity. 's Thereisanobjec- tion, that Riaghail of Muic-inis was an accredited saint, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, about a. d. 788 ; whereas, criticism makes the advent of St. Regulus from the East to Scotland, as occurring in the eighth century, thus
i ving a very short time for public acknowledgment, if not for formal canoni- zation. ^" There are two separate editions of a legend, referring to the
foundation of St. Andrew's : the older is a document of the twelfth
while the second form of the story is longer and more elaborate, and it emerges, at a somewhat later period, from St. Andrew's itself. The Regulus legend, as believed in Scotland, occurs, in the Colbert Manuscript of the National Library, in Paris. There is also one, in the Harleian Manuscript of the British Museum, which seemingly belongs to the early part of the fourteenth century. The last mediseval form of it is that, contained in the
Breviary of Aberdeen. According to the legend of St. Regulus, as handed down in Scotland, he lived at Patras, in Achaia f and, there, he was custo-
dian of St. Andrew's relics, in the year 360. There, likewise, this Apostle, after having preached the Gospel of Christ to the northern nations, the Scy- thians and Pictones, had settled. There, too, he was crucified, and his bones remained, until the times of Constantine the Great, and of his sons, Constan-
tius and Constans, for about 270 years. In a Manuscript, belonging to the Priory of St. Andrew's, it is stated, that in 345, Constantius collected a great army to invade Patras, in order to avenge the martyrdom of St. Andrew and to remove his relics. ^3 But, an Angel appeared to St. Regulus, the Bishop, and ordered him, with his clergy, to proceed to the Sarcophagus, which con- tained his bones, and to take a part of them for concealment, viz. : three fingers of the right hand, a portion of one arm, the pan of one of the knees, and one of the teeth. On the following day, Constantius entered the city of Patras, and carried off to Rome the shrine, which contained the rest of St.
History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. , book
is commemorated, at Auvergne, on the i6th
of March, while his day, in the Irish Martyr-
ologies, is the 17th of that month. "It
seems, therefore," adds Mr. Skene, " to be
a reasonable conclusion, that the Regulus of
Muicinis, commemorated on the 16th of Picts, now called Scocia, than in other October, and the Regulus of Muicross, on regions ; and how it comes that so many the 17th of that month, were the same abbacies were anciently established there,
before the Kalends of the next month, as Mr. Skene remarks ; and thus, St. Patrick
ii. , chap, vi. , pp. 261 to 277. "° "
person, and that the historic Regulus belongs to a Columban church founded among those which Columba established among the southern Picts during the last years of his life, and at the same time when Cainnech of Achaboe had his hermitage there ; and to those older foundations must be appropriated the churches dedicated to Regulus, or St. Rule. "
which now in many cases are—by hereditary
right possessed by laymen. " "Chronicles of the Picts and Scots," vol. i. , p. 138. Edited by William F. Skene,
" According to the Breviary of Aberdeen.
'3 it is the opinion of William F. Skene, that a fictitious and an artificial antiquity has been given to this removal, and to the Scottish veneration for St. Andrew, which did not commence before the eighth century. He argues, likewise, that those relics were brought immediately from Hexham, founded A. D. 674, by St. Wilfrid, who dedicated it to St. Andrew. His successor Acca, who was bishop from 709 to 732, was driven into Scotland this latter year ; and, probably, he
•'Thus, RiAsuib i\Aic1i Ai\^em|'in, or,
" was his career and this Riagail, gifted ;"
is glossed, 1. niAjAil muiciri'Ofi ^'a boch
Oe|\c," Derg. "
*>. " of Muicinis in Loch Riaghail
'" See his Life, at the 9th of
June.
'9 On this subject, the reader is referred to
William F. Skene's ** Celtic Scotland : A brought St. Andrew's relics to the church,
See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 437.
It bears for its title : it happens " "How
that the memory of St. Andrew the Apostle should exist more widely in the region of the
century,"*
I024 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
Andrew's bones. He also laid waste the Insula Tyberis and Colossia. Thence, he removed the bones of St. Luke and of St. Timothy. These he carried, with the relics of St. Andrew, to Constantinople. While some of the English AnnaHsts ^'> place the transferring of St. Andrew's relics to Con- stantinople, at . \. D. 350, Dempster, who assigns the festival of St. Regulus to the 17th of October, has an observation, that the Scottish accounts are different. 's The Breviary of Aberdeen relates, that after the occurrence related, the Angel once more appeared to St. Regulus, and desired him to remove that portion of St. Andrew's relics, he had concealed, to the western region of the world, where he was destined to lay the foundations of a church, in honour of the Apostle. According to Dempster,^^ Regulus was called Albatus, having been a Grecian, from Achaia. Wherefore, following the Angel's directions, the pilgrim sailed with St. Andrew's relics towards the north, having been forewarned, that where his vessel should be wrecked, there he was to build a church, in honour of St. Andrew. "^ St. Regulus voyaged for a year and a-half, among the Islands of the Greek sea, and wherever he landed, a church in honour of St. Andrew was erected. After two years of travel, he reached the shores of Scotland. ^^ He is said to have landed, at a place, called Muckros, or Muicross,^? afterwards Kilrymont,3° in the land of the Picts. Here his vessel was wrecked, and here he set up a cross,whichhehadbroughtfromPatras. Havingremainedthereseventeen days or nights, Regulus went 3^ with the relics to Forteviot. 3' There, he found the three sons of King Hungus,33 namely, Owen, Nectan and Finguine. Their father was then engaged on an expedition, in the district of Argathelia ; and, his sons were anxious about the life of their parent, so that they gave a tenth part of Forteviot to God and to St. Andrew.
Then they went to a place, called Moneclatu, and afterwards Monichi. There, Finchem, the queen of King Hungus, was delivered of a daughter, called Mowren. She was buried, afterwards, at Kilrymont, and the queen gave the place to God
andtoSt. Andrew. Theythencrossamountain,calledMoneth,andreach a place, named Doldancha, afterwards known as Chondrochedalvan. There,
King Hungus was met, returning from his expedition. He prostrated him- self before the relics. Then, he gave the place to God and to St. Andrew.
They returned across the Moneth, to Monichi, where a church was built, in honour of God and of the Apostle. Thence they went to Forteviot, where, also a church was built. King Hungus afterwards went with the clergy to Kilrymont. There, a great part of that place was given, to build churches and oratories, and a large territory was marked off, for a parish. The boundaries of this parish can still be traced, and these contained that part of
founded by a Pictish king, between the
years 736 and 761.
^ Such as Matthew of Westminster,
"Flores Historiarum," at anno Gratise, cccl. , p. 136, also, Florence of Worcester.
"Chronicles of the Picts and Scots," vol. i. ,
p. 387.
=9 Rendered " the promontory of swine. "
So it is called, in the second legend of St. Regiilus, alluded to by Mr. Skene.
^o ju Jug course of time, it was known as St. Andrew'? ,
3« He had previously entrusted to the seniors and brothers, Damian and Merinach, the care of that place.
32 A parish, with a village, so called, in the south-east of Perthshire. See an account
"
of it, in the Imperial Gazetteer of Scot-
land," vol. i. , pp. 680, 681.
^^
'S See
"
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvi. , num. 1037,
p. 552.
=*
See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvi. , num. 1037, p. 551.
'' Such is the story, in the old legend of St. Andrew's.
'*
In a Chronicle, although not a very
" The zeire of God
to Mr. the lists of Skene,
early one, it is related :
sevynn hundir Ixi. ye relikis of San—ct the Pictish kings show no Angus, or Hun- Androw ye Apostle com in Scotland. " gus, son of Fergus, until we come to the
According
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1025
Fife, lying to the east of a line, drawn from Largs to Nauchton. Within this line was the district, called the Boar's Chase, containing the modern parishes of St. Andrews, Cameron, Dairsie, Kemback, Ceres, Denino, and Kings- muir. In the parochia were included, likewise, the following parishes, viz. : Crail, Kingsbarns, Anstruther, Abercromby, St. Monance, Kelly, Elie, New-
burgh, Largo, Leuchars, Forgan, and Logie-Murdoch. It seems impossible to doubt, that there is a historic basis of some kind for this part of the legend, as the circumstantial character of the narrative is not likely to have been in- vented. 3+ When Regulus arrived in Scotland, he entered a place, called in
the Latin
" Nemus Porcorum. " 33 There he built a and he church,
legend,
preached to the people, far and wide. Hungus, King of the Picts, saw a company of Angels over St, Andrew's relics. With his army, he then came
to Regulus, who baptized him, and all his servants. Then, he received a
grant of the land, and it was set apart to be the chief seat and mother church
of Scotland. It was known, afterwards, as St. Andrew's, 3^ owing, no doubt, to the circumstance, that th—ere a portion of his relics had been deposited. If we are to believe Dempster—and he quotes the Scottish Annals of Hector
wrote
Boece 37 and John Lesley 3^ St. Regulus many things ; but, of these,
hestates,thatthereremained,EpistolaadPatrenses,Lib. i. , orasJoannes Campusbellus has it, Monita Divina de transferendis S. Andreae Reliquiis ia
Albionem, Lib. i. However, we can depend very little on the authorities, that writer so frequently quotes, nor on his own care and critical acuiv. en, in hazarding many of his statements.
Article VI. —St. Colman, Son of Ronan. The Martyrology of Tallagh,'' at the 30th of March, records the entry of a St. Colman. The name of this saint appears twice repeated, in the published version. =^ This is not the case, in the Franciscan copy,3 preserved at the Convent, Merchant's-quay, Dublin. According to the Martyrology of Donegal,4 like- wise,onthisdaywasvenerated,Colman,sonofRonan,sontoLoam. He descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall. We know little
more regarding him.
ArticleVII. —St. Gobban. Onthe30thofMarch,wefindentered,in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of Goban,= who is called a bishop.
of that powerful king name,
who
reigned
^6 There is a very interesting article, in-
from A. D, 731 to 761.
3<«'The place beyond the Moneth or
Grampians, called Chrondrochedalvan, is
plainly the church of Kindrochet in Brae-
mar, which was dedicated to St. Andrew.
Monichi is probably not Monikie in Forfar-
shire, as that church was in the diocese of
Brechin, but a church called Eglis Monichti,
now in the parish of Monifieth, which was
in the diocese of St. Andrew's, and Forteviot
was also in the diocese of St. Andrew's. "—
"
tituled,
Notice of the early Ecclesiastical
of the
of Scotland. " Sessions mdccclx-lxi
^s ! „ his "Historia Scotise,' lib. iii„ p. cxxvi.
'
Article vi. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
^
Kelly, p. xx.
"
3 There we find, Sci CoLiriAm,
• Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
9°. 91-
Article VII. —'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kellv, p, xx. The Franciscan copy has
Proceedings
Society
of — Antiquaries
MDCCCLXi-i. xii. , vol. iv. Notice of the early Kcck. iastical Settlements at St. Andrew's, by William F. Skene, Esq. ,
F. S. A. , Scot. , pp. 305, 306.
3S The reader will observe some remark-
able similarity in this name of a place, and Muiciiiis, of the Irish St. Riaghail.
JoboAi. '
Colgan
has some
conjectural
allu i^n to T
"
Settlements at St. Andrew's," by William
" ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
F. Skene, Esq. , F. S. A. , Scot. , in
Pro-
Sessions mdccclx-lxi. — MDCCCLXI—LXII. , vol. iv. , pp. 300 to 321.
Scotland,"
-^^ In his cv.
•'
Historia Scotias," lib. vi. , p.
Ibui.
.
,
Another saint is there placed, in conjunction with his name. Again, we
meet St. Gobban, registered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having been venerated, on this day. There is neither reference to his rank, nor locaUty,
in the latter record. The Bollandists,^ at this date, merely enter his name.
Article VIII. —Reputed Festival of St. Attala, Abbot of Bobbio, Italy. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries^ As we have already stated, at the loth of March, this holy man was a native of Burgundy. ^ At Bobbio, Attala, Abbot, is set down, with his feast, at the 30th of March, by Dempster,^ who claims him as a Scottish saint. 3 If this were at all true, he should be regarded as an Irish Scot, as he was a disciple of the great St. Columban,* and he died, a. d. 627. 5 The BoUandists^ give his feast, at this date,ontheauthorityofDempster; but,theyreferthereadertohisLife, published on the 10th of March.
Article IX. —St. Fiachna. The Bollandists briefly notice this holy
man, and they quote the authority of Marianus O'Gorman, who has inserted his name, at this day, in his Calendar of Irish Saints. ' In the Martyrology
of Tallagh,^ there is a Fiachra, set down, at the present date ; and, scarcely can there be a doubt, but this name is intended to represent that of Fiachna. 3 He was, perhaps, descended from the race of Eoghan, son of Niall, remarks thewriterintheDonegalMartyrology. Whe—therhecanbeidentifiedwith
^
may be questioned. Much uncertainty prevails, regarding the identity of the person here set down for commemoration. The Martyrology of
Donegal ^ states, that on this day was venerated Fiachna. ^ There is another
Fiachna, observes the Calendarist, at the 29th of April. It is probable, to one of them Cuimin of Coindeire gave the character, that he never pronounced
a bad word, but always an expression, which was pleasing to God. 9 If this holy man were the disciple of St. Columba, he must be regarded as the St. Fechno, or Fiachna, surnamed the Wise, who was a monk,'° in the monas-
1026 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
F—echnoSapiens,^otherwisecalledFiechnauss adiscipleofSt,Columkille
him, as if he were brother to St. Sedna, or
Sedonius, venerated at the lOth of March.
There he is called Mo-Gaban, or Goban.
'
Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xx.
3 In the Franciscan copy, this can be
legibly made out, pAchrAi.
See
"
Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii X.
-t See "Trias Colgan's
De S, Sedonio Episcopo S. Senani Disci-
pulo, nn. 2, 3, p. 573.
3 Edited by Drs, Todd and Reeves, pp,
Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted 7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
saints, p. 796. — 90, 91.
'* Article viii. According to Jonas,
who has written his Life,
'"
See Menologium Scoticum,"
Columbae, lib. ii. , cap.
** See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 254, 255.
^' See ibid. , n. (z), p. 256.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
<* See
niae," xxx. Martii, n. 20, p. 792.
Colgan's
^9 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 795.
S'As edited by Rev. Matthew Kelly, in his Calendar of Irish Saints," p. xx.
s' I can only make out distinctly Ci\onAn bAlLi.
5» It has " S. Mochua de Balla in Cona- cia. "
'The St. Omer Manuscript has "Argo- sy He says : "Mochua Balla in regione lica derivatus ;" but, the Bollandist editor
Kera in Conacia, fuit Abbas ; et alio nomine Chronanus dicitur. "
5* The entry from Maguire is that of the Scholiast on St. /Engus, and already quoted,
thinks, that Gallica might be used for Argo- lica.
''^His feast occurs, at the 27th of Decern- ben
1022
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
Fleury's Ecclesiastique, i. , liv. ii. , sect, liii. , p. 272.
Reguli episcopi
et confesso-
9 Their festival is of October.
celebrated,
on the
9th
Hagiogra-
Domitian ^
of the
where Pope St. Clement had appointed St. Denis, the Arcopagite, to become the Apostle of France, and where St. Rieul, with other holy men, received appointmentasmissionariesunderhim. St. RieulwasstationedatAries,as itsfirstbishop; there,helabouredwithgreatzealandsuccess. Havinghad notice, in a vision, regarding the martyrdom of St. Denis, and of his two companions, Rusticius and Elutherius,^ St. Rieul left the charge of Aries, to a bishop, named Felicissimus, and he immediately went to seek their sacred relics, at Paris. This he fortunately effected, and having ministered to the faithful there, for a time, he consecrated a priest Malon, as their future bishop. Rieul wrought a remarkable miracle, by which he converted many pagans to the true faith. Having been invited to Senlis, he preached there with great fervour, he baptized many persons—some of great distinction— and he wrought numerous miracles. Here, he established a church, and a cemetery, which subsequently were called after him. He laboured much, andheconvertedthecountry,aboutSenlis,tothetruefaith. Thisissaidto have happened, at the time, when great danger of death was apprehended in France, by missionaries, who had the courage to announce the name of Christ, throughout this Roman province. However, St. Regulus became the first Bishop of Senlis, and he laboured earnestly, during forty years, on his several missions and visitations. " He died, in peace, and in the midst of his flock, A. D. 130, during the reign of the Emperor Adrian. He was buried, in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul. This, afterwards, bore his name, and a great number of miracles were effected, at his tomb, and owing to his intercession. " According to the Martyrology of Usuard. St. Regulus, Bishop
Emperor
separated
them.
Afterwards,
he went to
Rome,
and Confessor, was deposited at the camp or castle Silvanectensis. " The
first Christian king of France, Clovis, had a great reverence for this holy man.
This king rebuilt and endowed that church, in which Rieul had been interred,
while he had a gold shrine prepared to encase the saint's relics. The
CathedralofAmiens'3 possessedsomeofthese,whiletheyweresavedfrom
desecration in 1793, and kept by M. Lejeune, until 1802. They were
authenticated, in the years 18 16 and 1829. '* However, we suspect the fore-
going saint and his festival, to have been confounded with another holy
person, bearing a like name, in Scotland ; where, besides this day, a St.
Regulus, or Rule, is said to have had the 17th of October, dedicated to his
honour. ^5 Nor, is it very clearly established, that he was distinct from a
Celtic saint, venerated in Ireland. Now, it is remarkable, that St. Riaghail,
Abbot of Muicinis, in Lough Derg, on the Shannon, was commemorated, at
the i6th of ^^ to the Feilire of St. and the day October, according . ^ngus,*?
Martyrology of Donegal. Regulus, or Riagail, is said to have been one of
^
This Emperor died, on the 1 7tli of Sep- tember, in the forty-fifth year of his age, and the fifteenth of his reign, A. D. 96. See
"" Histoire tome
and its archives, thus obhterating the earliest acts of the present saint,
""Apud castrum Silvanectensium, de-
'° One of his eulogists, or a writer of
his Acts, was an Irishman, named Cceles-
tinus, as mentioned by the Bollandists, in
their previous Commentary, sect, i. , par. 4.
Nothing more seems to be known regarding
him.
phie du diocese d'Amiens. "
'See " Les Petits Bollandistes Vies des
Saints," tome iv. , Mar. 30, pp. 58 to 63.
'^ " Quoniam in quadrigesima de eo non fuerit servitium, omnia sicut—in alio feslo, sed differtur in crastinum. " " Breviarium
Aberdonense. " Pars Estiva, Fol. cxxviii.
" '* It is to be regretted, that a great fire
There is usually a confusion in festival
broke out, at Senlis, in the ninth century, which destroyed the Cathedral church there,
celebrations, on these two days, when the l6th day of the month is also tlie 17th day
—Sancti positio
ris. "
'^ See M. I'Abbe Corblet's "
Seller's
edition, p.
180.
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1023
those ecclesiastics, \\\\o met St. Columkille,^^ at the time, when he founded a church at Drumcliffe, a little to the north of Sligo. Probably, Regulus—so greatly venerated in Scotland—may have been the same ; for, his history, as thereunderstood,hasbeeninvolvedinmuchobscurity. 's Thereisanobjec- tion, that Riaghail of Muic-inis was an accredited saint, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, about a. d. 788 ; whereas, criticism makes the advent of St. Regulus from the East to Scotland, as occurring in the eighth century, thus
i ving a very short time for public acknowledgment, if not for formal canoni- zation. ^" There are two separate editions of a legend, referring to the
foundation of St. Andrew's : the older is a document of the twelfth
while the second form of the story is longer and more elaborate, and it emerges, at a somewhat later period, from St. Andrew's itself. The Regulus legend, as believed in Scotland, occurs, in the Colbert Manuscript of the National Library, in Paris. There is also one, in the Harleian Manuscript of the British Museum, which seemingly belongs to the early part of the fourteenth century. The last mediseval form of it is that, contained in the
Breviary of Aberdeen. According to the legend of St. Regulus, as handed down in Scotland, he lived at Patras, in Achaia f and, there, he was custo-
dian of St. Andrew's relics, in the year 360. There, likewise, this Apostle, after having preached the Gospel of Christ to the northern nations, the Scy- thians and Pictones, had settled. There, too, he was crucified, and his bones remained, until the times of Constantine the Great, and of his sons, Constan-
tius and Constans, for about 270 years. In a Manuscript, belonging to the Priory of St. Andrew's, it is stated, that in 345, Constantius collected a great army to invade Patras, in order to avenge the martyrdom of St. Andrew and to remove his relics. ^3 But, an Angel appeared to St. Regulus, the Bishop, and ordered him, with his clergy, to proceed to the Sarcophagus, which con- tained his bones, and to take a part of them for concealment, viz. : three fingers of the right hand, a portion of one arm, the pan of one of the knees, and one of the teeth. On the following day, Constantius entered the city of Patras, and carried off to Rome the shrine, which contained the rest of St.
History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. , book
is commemorated, at Auvergne, on the i6th
of March, while his day, in the Irish Martyr-
ologies, is the 17th of that month. "It
seems, therefore," adds Mr. Skene, " to be
a reasonable conclusion, that the Regulus of
Muicinis, commemorated on the 16th of Picts, now called Scocia, than in other October, and the Regulus of Muicross, on regions ; and how it comes that so many the 17th of that month, were the same abbacies were anciently established there,
before the Kalends of the next month, as Mr. Skene remarks ; and thus, St. Patrick
ii. , chap, vi. , pp. 261 to 277. "° "
person, and that the historic Regulus belongs to a Columban church founded among those which Columba established among the southern Picts during the last years of his life, and at the same time when Cainnech of Achaboe had his hermitage there ; and to those older foundations must be appropriated the churches dedicated to Regulus, or St. Rule. "
which now in many cases are—by hereditary
right possessed by laymen. " "Chronicles of the Picts and Scots," vol. i. , p. 138. Edited by William F. Skene,
" According to the Breviary of Aberdeen.
'3 it is the opinion of William F. Skene, that a fictitious and an artificial antiquity has been given to this removal, and to the Scottish veneration for St. Andrew, which did not commence before the eighth century. He argues, likewise, that those relics were brought immediately from Hexham, founded A. D. 674, by St. Wilfrid, who dedicated it to St. Andrew. His successor Acca, who was bishop from 709 to 732, was driven into Scotland this latter year ; and, probably, he
•'Thus, RiAsuib i\Aic1i Ai\^em|'in, or,
" was his career and this Riagail, gifted ;"
is glossed, 1. niAjAil muiciri'Ofi ^'a boch
Oe|\c," Derg. "
*>. " of Muicinis in Loch Riaghail
'" See his Life, at the 9th of
June.
'9 On this subject, the reader is referred to
William F. Skene's ** Celtic Scotland : A brought St. Andrew's relics to the church,
See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 437.
It bears for its title : it happens " "How
that the memory of St. Andrew the Apostle should exist more widely in the region of the
century,"*
I024 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
Andrew's bones. He also laid waste the Insula Tyberis and Colossia. Thence, he removed the bones of St. Luke and of St. Timothy. These he carried, with the relics of St. Andrew, to Constantinople. While some of the English AnnaHsts ^'> place the transferring of St. Andrew's relics to Con- stantinople, at . \. D. 350, Dempster, who assigns the festival of St. Regulus to the 17th of October, has an observation, that the Scottish accounts are different. 's The Breviary of Aberdeen relates, that after the occurrence related, the Angel once more appeared to St. Regulus, and desired him to remove that portion of St. Andrew's relics, he had concealed, to the western region of the world, where he was destined to lay the foundations of a church, in honour of the Apostle. According to Dempster,^^ Regulus was called Albatus, having been a Grecian, from Achaia. Wherefore, following the Angel's directions, the pilgrim sailed with St. Andrew's relics towards the north, having been forewarned, that where his vessel should be wrecked, there he was to build a church, in honour of St. Andrew. "^ St. Regulus voyaged for a year and a-half, among the Islands of the Greek sea, and wherever he landed, a church in honour of St. Andrew was erected. After two years of travel, he reached the shores of Scotland. ^^ He is said to have landed, at a place, called Muckros, or Muicross,^? afterwards Kilrymont,3° in the land of the Picts. Here his vessel was wrecked, and here he set up a cross,whichhehadbroughtfromPatras. Havingremainedthereseventeen days or nights, Regulus went 3^ with the relics to Forteviot. 3' There, he found the three sons of King Hungus,33 namely, Owen, Nectan and Finguine. Their father was then engaged on an expedition, in the district of Argathelia ; and, his sons were anxious about the life of their parent, so that they gave a tenth part of Forteviot to God and to St. Andrew.
Then they went to a place, called Moneclatu, and afterwards Monichi. There, Finchem, the queen of King Hungus, was delivered of a daughter, called Mowren. She was buried, afterwards, at Kilrymont, and the queen gave the place to God
andtoSt. Andrew. Theythencrossamountain,calledMoneth,andreach a place, named Doldancha, afterwards known as Chondrochedalvan. There,
King Hungus was met, returning from his expedition. He prostrated him- self before the relics. Then, he gave the place to God and to St. Andrew.
They returned across the Moneth, to Monichi, where a church was built, in honour of God and of the Apostle. Thence they went to Forteviot, where, also a church was built. King Hungus afterwards went with the clergy to Kilrymont. There, a great part of that place was given, to build churches and oratories, and a large territory was marked off, for a parish. The boundaries of this parish can still be traced, and these contained that part of
founded by a Pictish king, between the
years 736 and 761.
^ Such as Matthew of Westminster,
"Flores Historiarum," at anno Gratise, cccl. , p. 136, also, Florence of Worcester.
"Chronicles of the Picts and Scots," vol. i. ,
p. 387.
=9 Rendered " the promontory of swine. "
So it is called, in the second legend of St. Regiilus, alluded to by Mr. Skene.
^o ju Jug course of time, it was known as St. Andrew'? ,
3« He had previously entrusted to the seniors and brothers, Damian and Merinach, the care of that place.
32 A parish, with a village, so called, in the south-east of Perthshire. See an account
"
of it, in the Imperial Gazetteer of Scot-
land," vol. i. , pp. 680, 681.
^^
'S See
"
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvi. , num. 1037,
p. 552.
=*
See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvi. , num. 1037, p. 551.
'' Such is the story, in the old legend of St. Andrew's.
'*
In a Chronicle, although not a very
" The zeire of God
to Mr. the lists of Skene,
early one, it is related :
sevynn hundir Ixi. ye relikis of San—ct the Pictish kings show no Angus, or Hun- Androw ye Apostle com in Scotland. " gus, son of Fergus, until we come to the
According
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1025
Fife, lying to the east of a line, drawn from Largs to Nauchton. Within this line was the district, called the Boar's Chase, containing the modern parishes of St. Andrews, Cameron, Dairsie, Kemback, Ceres, Denino, and Kings- muir. In the parochia were included, likewise, the following parishes, viz. : Crail, Kingsbarns, Anstruther, Abercromby, St. Monance, Kelly, Elie, New-
burgh, Largo, Leuchars, Forgan, and Logie-Murdoch. It seems impossible to doubt, that there is a historic basis of some kind for this part of the legend, as the circumstantial character of the narrative is not likely to have been in- vented. 3+ When Regulus arrived in Scotland, he entered a place, called in
the Latin
" Nemus Porcorum. " 33 There he built a and he church,
legend,
preached to the people, far and wide. Hungus, King of the Picts, saw a company of Angels over St, Andrew's relics. With his army, he then came
to Regulus, who baptized him, and all his servants. Then, he received a
grant of the land, and it was set apart to be the chief seat and mother church
of Scotland. It was known, afterwards, as St. Andrew's, 3^ owing, no doubt, to the circumstance, that th—ere a portion of his relics had been deposited. If we are to believe Dempster—and he quotes the Scottish Annals of Hector
wrote
Boece 37 and John Lesley 3^ St. Regulus many things ; but, of these,
hestates,thatthereremained,EpistolaadPatrenses,Lib. i. , orasJoannes Campusbellus has it, Monita Divina de transferendis S. Andreae Reliquiis ia
Albionem, Lib. i. However, we can depend very little on the authorities, that writer so frequently quotes, nor on his own care and critical acuiv. en, in hazarding many of his statements.
Article VI. —St. Colman, Son of Ronan. The Martyrology of Tallagh,'' at the 30th of March, records the entry of a St. Colman. The name of this saint appears twice repeated, in the published version. =^ This is not the case, in the Franciscan copy,3 preserved at the Convent, Merchant's-quay, Dublin. According to the Martyrology of Donegal,4 like- wise,onthisdaywasvenerated,Colman,sonofRonan,sontoLoam. He descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall. We know little
more regarding him.
ArticleVII. —St. Gobban. Onthe30thofMarch,wefindentered,in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of Goban,= who is called a bishop.
of that powerful king name,
who
reigned
^6 There is a very interesting article, in-
from A. D, 731 to 761.
3<«'The place beyond the Moneth or
Grampians, called Chrondrochedalvan, is
plainly the church of Kindrochet in Brae-
mar, which was dedicated to St. Andrew.
Monichi is probably not Monikie in Forfar-
shire, as that church was in the diocese of
Brechin, but a church called Eglis Monichti,
now in the parish of Monifieth, which was
in the diocese of St. Andrew's, and Forteviot
was also in the diocese of St. Andrew's. "—
"
tituled,
Notice of the early Ecclesiastical
of the
of Scotland. " Sessions mdccclx-lxi
^s ! „ his "Historia Scotise,' lib. iii„ p. cxxvi.
'
Article vi. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
^
Kelly, p. xx.
"
3 There we find, Sci CoLiriAm,
• Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
9°. 91-
Article VII. —'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kellv, p, xx. The Franciscan copy has
Proceedings
Society
of — Antiquaries
MDCCCLXi-i. xii. , vol. iv. Notice of the early Kcck. iastical Settlements at St. Andrew's, by William F. Skene, Esq. ,
F. S. A. , Scot. , pp. 305, 306.
3S The reader will observe some remark-
able similarity in this name of a place, and Muiciiiis, of the Irish St. Riaghail.
JoboAi. '
Colgan
has some
conjectural
allu i^n to T
"
Settlements at St. Andrew's," by William
" ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
F. Skene, Esq. , F. S. A. , Scot. , in
Pro-
Sessions mdccclx-lxi. — MDCCCLXI—LXII. , vol. iv. , pp. 300 to 321.
Scotland,"
-^^ In his cv.
•'
Historia Scotias," lib. vi. , p.
Ibui.
.
,
Another saint is there placed, in conjunction with his name. Again, we
meet St. Gobban, registered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having been venerated, on this day. There is neither reference to his rank, nor locaUty,
in the latter record. The Bollandists,^ at this date, merely enter his name.
Article VIII. —Reputed Festival of St. Attala, Abbot of Bobbio, Italy. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries^ As we have already stated, at the loth of March, this holy man was a native of Burgundy. ^ At Bobbio, Attala, Abbot, is set down, with his feast, at the 30th of March, by Dempster,^ who claims him as a Scottish saint. 3 If this were at all true, he should be regarded as an Irish Scot, as he was a disciple of the great St. Columban,* and he died, a. d. 627. 5 The BoUandists^ give his feast, at this date,ontheauthorityofDempster; but,theyreferthereadertohisLife, published on the 10th of March.
Article IX. —St. Fiachna. The Bollandists briefly notice this holy
man, and they quote the authority of Marianus O'Gorman, who has inserted his name, at this day, in his Calendar of Irish Saints. ' In the Martyrology
of Tallagh,^ there is a Fiachra, set down, at the present date ; and, scarcely can there be a doubt, but this name is intended to represent that of Fiachna. 3 He was, perhaps, descended from the race of Eoghan, son of Niall, remarks thewriterintheDonegalMartyrology. Whe—therhecanbeidentifiedwith
^
may be questioned. Much uncertainty prevails, regarding the identity of the person here set down for commemoration. The Martyrology of
Donegal ^ states, that on this day was venerated Fiachna. ^ There is another
Fiachna, observes the Calendarist, at the 29th of April. It is probable, to one of them Cuimin of Coindeire gave the character, that he never pronounced
a bad word, but always an expression, which was pleasing to God. 9 If this holy man were the disciple of St. Columba, he must be regarded as the St. Fechno, or Fiachna, surnamed the Wise, who was a monk,'° in the monas-
1026 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 30.
F—echnoSapiens,^otherwisecalledFiechnauss adiscipleofSt,Columkille
him, as if he were brother to St. Sedna, or
Sedonius, venerated at the lOth of March.
There he is called Mo-Gaban, or Goban.
'
Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xx.
3 In the Franciscan copy, this can be
legibly made out, pAchrAi.
See
"
Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii X.
-t See "Trias Colgan's
De S, Sedonio Episcopo S. Senani Disci-
pulo, nn. 2, 3, p. 573.
3 Edited by Drs, Todd and Reeves, pp,
Martii xxx. Among the pretermitted 7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
saints, p. 796. — 90, 91.
'* Article viii. According to Jonas,
who has written his Life,
'"
See Menologium Scoticum,"
Columbae, lib. ii. , cap.