In the breviaries and missals,
belonging
to the churches of Utrecht, of Treves, of Mentz, of HerbipoHs, of Constance, of Strasburg, and of many other places in Germany, her feast is set down as a
simplex, at the ist of February.
simplex, at the ist of February.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
Martii,
ut in Martyrologio Romano, colitur. Est autim ille Patricius celeberrimus Episcopus, Hibernia Primas, et miraculis illustris : cu- jus corpus Duni urbe Hibernica, olim con- ditum erat una cum comporibus Sanctorum Columbae Abbatis, et Brigidaj Virginis. Cujus rei distichon apud Hectorem Boetium Icgitur hoc
" Hi tres in Duno tumulo tumulantur in uno,
Brigida, Patricius, atque Columba plus. "
9° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigida), cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
text bae. "
"transferentes festum S. Colum-
itself,
^ Colgan remarks, that if the loth of June be not meant, why should St. Co- lumba's feast, which fell "in quiritum Idus," or on the 9th day of June, be transferred to the feast of the before-mentioned translation, which seems to have
and
not on that day, but on the fourth of the Ides, correspond- ing with the loth of June, when it was pro-
'-" date Bearing
1
fallen,
August 6th, issued by Pope Pius IX.
854,
CanisiuS has a like entry, in
Confessoris.
'' ""
s^ At the 1st of February.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 219
of February, mentions this illustrious cenobiarch of pious women, with a dis-
The" of 9^ the tinguishing eulogy. 93 Martyrology Tallaght," composed by
same St. ^ngus and St. Molruan, records the eternal rest of St. Brigid, as taking place in the seventieth year of her age, and on the Kalends of Febru-
ary. Likewise, the Calendar of Cashel, Charles Maguire, Fitzsimons, and other hagiographists, treat about our saint and her festival, at the ist of
February. Besides these notices, in that ancient Martyrology, kept in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, the memory of St. Brigid,
virgin, is noted, with particular eulogy, at the Kalends, or ist day of Febni- ary. 95 Her office was celebrated with the reading of nine lessons. This day
was regarded as the one of her Dormition, Deposition,9^ or Death. The martyrologist avers, that she went to join the Heavenly choirs of angels, and Christ, for whose love she wrought, after performing signs and miracles, after renowned works of mercy and alms-deeds, after pure humility and benevolence, devoted to God, and after an illustrious example afforded to other virgins of chastity and of holiness. If the great works of this noble virgin were to be written in full, the martyrologist declares, he should be obliged to write a book of an unusual size. A still later composition, the Martyrology of Donegal^? records, on this day, the celebration of the festival of Brighit, virgin, abbess of Cill-Dara.
The Roman Martyrology,9^ and Father Stephen White,99 commemorate
this renowned virgin, at the ist of February. In the anonymous catalogue of Irish saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare,''°° the name of St. Brigida occurs. In Henry Fitzsimon's list, it is also to be found at this date. ^°^ Reference is made to Surius, and to notes in the Roman Martyrology, as edited by Baronius. ^°^ Convaeus- observes, in relation to this saintly virgin, at the same day, that she was of royal race. ^°3 in several ancient Martyrologies
the feast of this holy virgin is recorded. Veijerable Bede, in noting it, remarks,thatSt. Brigid'sLifehadbeendistinguishedformiracles. ^°^ Rabanus
9^ The following rann^ transcribed from the "Leabhar Breac," with its English translation, has been kindly furnished to
^s At this day, the Roman Martyrology says: "In Scotia S. Brigidse Virginis, quae cum lignum altaris tetigisset, in testi-
the writer, the Irish Professor, — monium
by Bryan Virginitatis
suae statim viride fac-
O'Looney, of the Catholic University
"O. kl. moi\Aic CAtAiriT) -pebyvAi,
"PlAOff TnAiACi^ mA]\ n-5let)en'o ;
blM^ic bAn DAtcc n-tiAlAiin, Cent) cAiT) CAibtec n-e^Aenn.
They ennoble the Kalends of February,
A shower of martyrs, great, resplendent; Bridget the great illustrious woman, The chaste head of the nuns of Erin.
5^ On the 1st of February, we find entered
in Dr. Kelly's "Martyrology of Tallagh," "Dormitatio S. Brigidse, Ixx. anno setatis
suae," p. xiv.
95 See the work, edited by John Clarke
Crosthwaithe and Rev. Dr. Todd. Intro- duction,pp. xlvii. ,liii. ,andpp. 62,84,85.
9^ The English Martyrology says: "In Hibernia depositio S. Brigidae Virginis," &c.
97 See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, pp. 34 to 37.
turn est. "
99 See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap,
:
iv. , p. 39, cap. v. , pp. 71, 72. ^°° *'
See Historige Catholicse Ibemiffl
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
p. 49.
^°^ ^^^
See ibid,\ cap. xii. , p. 53.
Baronius remarks, that Bede, Usuard, Ado, and other Martyrologists, agree. He also says, that Surius, in his first tome, has some acts relating to our saint ; while, in an old MS. copy, belonging to St. Cecilia's
monastery, beyond the Tiber, her Acts were written, at greater length, by Cogitosus, in 24 distinct chapters. Appended to this Life were some verses.
^°3 He adds, that she was venerated at
Lisbon, the chief city of Portugal, where her sacredrelicswerepreserved,andwerea—n-
nually exposed "Jubilsei celebratione. " See z^^zV/. , cap. x. , p. . 47.
^°4 "Apud Scotiam S. Brigidse virginis ; cuj us vita miraculis claruit ; quae cum lignum tetigisset, viride factum est. "
220 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Maurus has a notice of her nativity. '°5 St. Ado of Vienne has a record in his Martyrology, and exactly like that of Bede. Usuard extended, or the
Carthusian Martyrology, at the ist of February, remarks on her renowned
miracles. ^°^ St. Notker has a similar notice to that of Raban, with an addi-
tion about the wood of the altar becoming green, in recognition of her
purity. '°7 The Blessed Marianus O'Gorman calls our saint, the Arch-Virgin
or Chief of the Irish Virgins. ^°^ And the Martyrology of Salisbury states her great merits. '°9 Wandelbertus Prumiensis,"° Galasinus,"^ and Mola-
nus,"2 in their respective Martyrologies, as also Hermanus Gruen, have noticesofthisholyvirgin,attheistdayofFebruary. "3 Otherauthorities, if cited, should prove too tedious for enumeration. "4
In various antiphonaries, office books,"^ kalendars, and martyrologies, her name and feasts are inscribed. Likewise notices are to be met with, in those ecclesiastical remains, which serve to manifest the great reverence paid her memory by the clergy, in different dioceses, throughout Ireland.
The office of St. Brigid appears to have been recited in times the most
remote, not alone in the diocese of Kildare, as special patroness, but through- out the various other dioceses of Ireland, as also in the British Isles, and on thecontinentofEurope. Theold"BreviariumChorisopotensis"ofBritish Armorica, had an office of St. Brigid, having nine lessons. Her feast was celebrated at Cologne, as a double, and in the church, bearing her name.
los " In Hibernia Nativitas Brigidse, quae nativitas magnorum meritorum et sanctitatis
esse praedicatur. "
io6 <«
jj^ Scotia S. Brigidse Virginis cujus Vita miraculis claruit. "
107 "In Hibernia Nativitas S. Brigidse Virginis quae multorum meritorum et sanc- titatis esse praedicatur, adeo ut cum lignum altaris tetigisset viride fit effectum. "
io8««3rigida Archivirgo, seu caput vir- ginum Hibemiae. "
'°3 < « In Scotia festum S. Brigidse Vir- ginis, cujus vita virtutibus et miraculis fuit valde famosa. " —
Belgii, et eorum Chronica recapitulatio. " "3 At the same day, in MS. Chartucie
"4 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
"5 The follovi'ing notices refer to her Offices and Feasts. A MS. of T. C. D,, classed B. 1,1, contains at February ist, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virginis non martyris iii. lect. i A MS. classed B. 3, i, at the same date, enters in its Kalendar, Sanctse Brigi- dse Virginis non Martyris Duplex fifi ix. lect. A MS. classed B. i, 4, contains at February the 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virginis non Martyris, ix. lect. , in its Kalendar. Another entry, at February ist Kal. is Sanctse Brigi- dse Virg. ix. lect. A calendar in Trinity College in MS. , marked, B. 3, 9, has in the list of its Irish saints, at February the 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. non mart, iii. lect. A MS. classed B. 3, 10, registers at February the Ist, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. A MS. classed B. 3, 12, contains at Februarii, Kal. Brigidse Virg. ix. lect. A MS. classed B. 3, 13, contains at Feb- ruary 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. non mart. ix. lect. In the Kalendar of a Roman Psaltery, classed among the MSS. , B. 3, 14, at February ist, Kal. is noted Brigidie Vir- ginis. In another, classed B. 3, 15, is en- tered, at February 1st, in French, So Bride. In another Kalendar of the Breviary, accord-
"° He thus writes ;
"
Brigida Virgo potens,
Februi sibi
prima
Calendas
Scotorum miro poscit celebrata favore. "
Again: "Brigida Virgo, quae ut seribunt Lippomanus et alii, fuit e Scotia vel Hiber- nia oriunda, nata ex Dubtacho patre et qua- dam ejus ancilla ; quae multis postmodum miraculis valde illustris evasit, multaque Virginum et Monachorum Monasteria fun- davit, multa restauravit. Ilia est, quae solo attactu lignum altaris in suse virginitatis argumentum, viride effecit, mortua est cum
*" In his "
at the same day, Galasinus observes, "In Scotia S. Brigidaj Virginis, quse apud Episcopum cum virgini- tatem profiteretur, lignum altaris tetigit, quod statim viride factum, argumento fuit ejus, sanctitatis, et virginalis castitas. "
volunt, an 522. "
Martyrology"
sanctitatis— anno Alii ingtotheSarumrite,andinthesecond magna opinione 518.
part, at February 1st, Kal. , we have entered Sanctse Brigidas Virginis, with an Office of Three Lessons. This latter is classed, in both its parts, B. 3, 18, 19.
Felic. I. Febr.
"' In his Belgian Calendar, at the 1st of
February, Molanus places her among the Belgian saints. See "Natales Sanctorum
" Virginis in Scotia, alias Hibernia. "
Coloniensis, Gruen •writes:
S. Brigidjie
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 22 1
she being its patroness.
In the breviaries and missals, belonging to the churches of Utrecht, of Treves, of Mentz, of HerbipoHs, of Constance, of Strasburg, and of many other places in Germany, her feast is set down as a
simplex, at the ist of February. Before Colgan's time, an office of St. Brigid had been printed at Paris, a. d. 1622. In this, the antiphons are proper and taken from the lauds, in the first vespers of her feast. The capitulum, hymn,
antiphon of the Magni/kat, and prayer, are also proper. At matins, the in- vitatorium, hymn, as at first vespers, antiphons, responses, the fourth, fifth, and sixth lessons of the second noctum, are proper, the remaining lessons
being taken from the common of virgins. The antiphons, capitulum, hymn, versicles, and responses, with the antiphons at Benedictus, and the prayer are proper for lauds. At little hours, the antiphons are taken from the
proper antiphons of lauds. At second vespers, the antiphons, psalms, capi- tulum, and hymn, as at first vespers of the feast, the versicle, response and
antiphon of the Magjiificaf, are likewise proper. The second office, taken from the Roman Breviary,"^ has the six first lessons of the various nocturns, one and two, with a prayer proper. The same observations will also apply,
"
published in Italy. We find a fourth office, taken from the Breviary of the
CanonsRegularofLateran,printedbyFrancisWauder,atMons. Besides
the prayer proper, there are apparently three proper lessons, as reprinted in Colgan's work. "7
Hymns and panegyrics of St. Brigid have been written in various lan-
to the third office of our saint, printed from the
Breviarium Giennensis,"
guages. ALatinhymn,inpraiseofSt. Brigid,andattributedtoNinnidlam- "
hzda? i, or Ninnid of the clean hand," is preserved. "^ There is an Irish poem on St. Brigid, but improperly ascribed to St. Suibne, the son of Colman,
in the Betham Manuscript Collection,"? belonging to the Royal Irish Academy,andwrittenbyO'Longan,ofCork. Amongthemanuscriptsof
Trinity College, Lhuyd"° notes an Irish hymn,"^ in which St. Brigid's praise is celebrated. Another, composed by St. Columkille, in the time of ^dh Mac Ainmerech, also celebrates her merits, and it is in the Irish language. "^ Besides the foregoing, Edmund Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick, has composed some Latin verses, on the miracles of St. Brigid. ^^3
116
Printed at Venice, by Antonio de
Quid ? nota frons floris, floris at hostis
Hymen.
Sidere se privat, velut hoste pudoris,
ocello :
An quia dat ccecis lumina, cseca manet ?
DatBellonaviros,Brigidaumbrasensibus escam
Brigida bruta facit scire, Minerva viros Res cunctas parere parum est ; en recula
inanis
Umbra capit vulnus, pondus & umbra subit.
Next follow some lines, on the inextinguish- able fire of St. Brigid :—
Giunta, A. D. 1522.
^'7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Appendix Prima ad Acta S. Brigidse, pp. 599 to 602.
"^
Amongthe Trinity College Manu- scripts, Dublin, we found a copy in the MS. , classed, E. 4, 2.
See Archasologia Britannica," p.
436. "^
Itisparticularizedthus: 501. Hymni in laudem B. Patricii, Brigidse, et Columbse,
*^9 Vol. liv. , p. 176. ^^° **
Hibern. plerumque, fol. membr. I.
125.
^^^ It is thus described by Lhuyd " An :
hymn on S. Brigid in Irish, made by Colum- kille, in the time of Eda Mac Ainmereck, or Broccan Cloin ; cum regibus Hibern. et
*'
Success. S. Patricii, p. 14. " See Archaeo-
logia Britannica," p. 436.
*^3 We shall extract from —those portions,
**
Ardet inextinctus Brigidae focus igne pe-
renni,
Non capit augmentum coctus at inde
cinis
Quid notat ille rogus? tacitae-ne incendia
foverit ignes, Nescia mortis erit
which are given by Colgan
** Dum Brigidse fit Hymen, frondet pes ari- dus arse :
notatur amor ?
Sed si hsec flamma, suos dum Brigida
:
igne
mentis ? Vivaci vivax
;
nescia mortis erit. "
522 Livns OF THE iklSIi SAINTS.
[February i.
It is certain, from what we have already seen, the great St. Brigid's relics were preserved with great honour, at Kildare, and after\vards at Down, for many years after her death. Among other relics of our saint, Hanmer men-
""
tions a bell, called Clogg Brietta," or Brigid's Bell," which he says, the
superstitious Irish found out, in process of time, and to which they attributed great virtue and holiness. This bell, he says, and other toys, carried about, not only in Ireland, but also in England, were banished the land, in the time of Henry V. "4 Colgan indignantly takes exception to such statements ; and, he shows, that the relic in question was not a recent invention or a fraud, butthatithadexistedfromaremoteperiod,"s Yet,heAvouldnotunder- take to pronounce, whether or not, this had' been the identical bell, sent by St. Gildas to our saint as a present. "^ At the church of Serin, in Ireland, was preserved a shroud, in which St. Brigid's corpse is said to have been wrapped, together with other much venerated relics of this same church. "7 Doctor Petrie tells us, that he had in his own cabinet, that celebrated reli- quary, which contained a slipper of St. Bridget. It is said, that a part of St.
and
In art, S. Bridget is usually represented, with her perpetual flame, as a symbol ; sometimes, with a column of fire, said to have been seen above her head, when she took the veil. ^31 This flame has reference, likewise, to the portent of illumination about the house in which she was born. In allusion to her tending of cows, she is also represented, dressed as a dairy-maid, and in the act of churning. Again, one of her floral emblems is the " Laurus Nobilis," which is called the shrub of St. Bride, although it does not flower on her day. '32 We are told, furthermore, that her type among created things is the dove among birds, the vine among trees, and the sun among the stars. ^33
St. Brigid had been regarded by our ancestors as the special patroness of Leinster. '34 In many parts of Ireland, a very considerable number of mar-
the wood that became "^ were green,
sacred
preserved at Candida Casa, until these had been profaned at the period of theReformation. "9 InhiscatalogueoftheIrishsaints,RicardusConvaeus, as already mentioned, tells us, that some relics belonging to our saint, were preserved in a church of the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is not impro- bable, that certain mementoes of St. Brigid had been deposited in some of the churches, dedicated to her memory, as previously detailed, and more especially within those, which were built in extern countries. ^3o
Brigid's
relics,
especially
"4 See Hanmer's "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 9i«
"S For proof of this assertion, he cites the
respective martyrologies of St. i^ngus, or of his scholiast, and of Charles Maguire, at the 1st of February. See "Trias Thauma- turga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Bri- gidae, cap. xvii. , p. 625.
"^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niflB," xxix. Januarii. Vita S. Gildae Ba- donici, cap. ix. , p. 183.
"7 According to St. Adamnan's catalogue of these religious treasures.
"^
*3o gee "Trias " Colgan's Tliaumaturga.
Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. xvii. , p. 626.
'3i See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February i. , p. 22.
'^^ See " Circle of the Seasons," p. 32. *33 See Professof O'Looney's Irish Life of
St.
Brigid, pp. 43, 44.
'34 The following quotation, in reference
to St. Bridget, is from a poem on the "Pa- tron Saints of the principal tribes and terri- tories of Ireland, several copies of which are preserved in the Library of the R. I. A. Especially there are two MSS. , classed 23, L, 19, and 23, L. 39. An extract is kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph OLongan, which,
In token of her purity, the altar is said
to have become virescent, and to have budded
forth flowers, according to one account. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix with its English translation, reads as fol-
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
'^ See Camerarius " De Statu Hominis veteris simul ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Kegni Scotise," lib. I. , cap. iii. , sec. 2, p. 141.
lows r—
L(\i§eAn uile a|\ cul bpl^TDe
Clu 50 fAitib^Ae.
All Leinster under the protection of Bridget,
Fame most precious.
February t. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 223
riages were solemnized within that period of the year, extending from the
EpiphanytoAsh-Wednesday. Severalpartieswerealsomostanxious,that their marriages should be celebrated before the ist of February, so that possession might then be taken of their new abode. ^35 it was also an in- variable usage of the Irish people to have female infants, born on the feast of the holy abbess of Kildare, baptized with the beautiful name of Bridget'36 or Bride. This even was a practice, when such births preceded or succeeded the festival by a week or two, and when no other sister had already received
that name in a particular family.
The sapient Irish antiquary, Ledwich, while considerately allowing St.
Brigid to have had an existence, in one passage of his work,^37 deems her to have been a purely imaginary personage, in another,^38 or to have been a sort of Druidess, estabHshed at Kildare to preserve fire, together with her community of Druidesses,^39 whom it would be so absurd to call nuns. We cannot even discover, when the practice of preserving fire had been at first introduced, in Kildare. ^^o Giraldus Cambrensis is the first writer who men- tions it. ^41 Whatever had been the system of the heathen Irish, with regard
to the preservation of fire, nothing occurs to prove, that the practice of Kil-
dare was in any manner derived from it ; although, it is not meant to be
denied, that some remnants of Pagan customs have been observed, without,
however, any bad intention, in Ireland, as well as in other countries. ^'^^ Even,
it was sometimes thought advisable, to allow certain time-sanctioned usages,
harmlessinthemselves; yet,withtheprecautionofhavingthemdirectedto
the worship and honour of the true and Almighty God. ^'^3 As yet happens
in the midland counties, and in parts of the South of Ireland, the custom of
"
Brigid Oge" is practised, especially by young persons ;^'*4 still, this is more likely to have had a Christian, rather than a Gentile origin. ^45 The Irish practice of making eircular^'*^ and square crosses on St.
carrying the
^33 For this information, I feel indebted to
Ven. John Kenny, D. D. , P. P. , Ennis, and
dean of Killaloe diocese, conveyed in a letter
dated Ennis, April 14th, 1875.
^^i It was kept constantly burning, in an enclosure near the monastery, as Ware says,
*'
De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus, Dis- quisitiones," &c. , cap. xvii,, p. 83, for the benefit of the and of To this
^36 In Cormac's "
the name of
poor guests.
remark, Harris wantonly added, "as was in English "a fiery arrow. " See "SAriAf pretended. " This practice continued until
Glossary," V>x\^\. \^^Q. x\yt(iixQ>xa. breo-aigit,breo-shaigit,
cVioi\rnAic," translated and annotated by
Dr. O'Donovan, edited, with Notes and In-
dices, by Whitley Stokes, p. 23.
'37 Dr. Milner was induced to suppose,
that Ledwich did not deny the existence of St. Brigid. See "Tour in Ireland," letter xi. Dr. Milner, however, seems to have observed only a passage at p. 387 of the "Antiquities of Ireland," overlooking one at p. 378.
'38 See Dr. Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 378.
'39 Ledwich imagines, these were intended to replace the heathen Druidesses of yore. If the Pagan Irish worshipped or tended fire, however, its care was entrusted to Druids, rather than to Druidesses.
ut in Martyrologio Romano, colitur. Est autim ille Patricius celeberrimus Episcopus, Hibernia Primas, et miraculis illustris : cu- jus corpus Duni urbe Hibernica, olim con- ditum erat una cum comporibus Sanctorum Columbae Abbatis, et Brigidaj Virginis. Cujus rei distichon apud Hectorem Boetium Icgitur hoc
" Hi tres in Duno tumulo tumulantur in uno,
Brigida, Patricius, atque Columba plus. "
9° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigida), cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
text bae. "
"transferentes festum S. Colum-
itself,
^ Colgan remarks, that if the loth of June be not meant, why should St. Co- lumba's feast, which fell "in quiritum Idus," or on the 9th day of June, be transferred to the feast of the before-mentioned translation, which seems to have
and
not on that day, but on the fourth of the Ides, correspond- ing with the loth of June, when it was pro-
'-" date Bearing
1
fallen,
August 6th, issued by Pope Pius IX.
854,
CanisiuS has a like entry, in
Confessoris.
'' ""
s^ At the 1st of February.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 219
of February, mentions this illustrious cenobiarch of pious women, with a dis-
The" of 9^ the tinguishing eulogy. 93 Martyrology Tallaght," composed by
same St. ^ngus and St. Molruan, records the eternal rest of St. Brigid, as taking place in the seventieth year of her age, and on the Kalends of Febru-
ary. Likewise, the Calendar of Cashel, Charles Maguire, Fitzsimons, and other hagiographists, treat about our saint and her festival, at the ist of
February. Besides these notices, in that ancient Martyrology, kept in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, the memory of St. Brigid,
virgin, is noted, with particular eulogy, at the Kalends, or ist day of Febni- ary. 95 Her office was celebrated with the reading of nine lessons. This day
was regarded as the one of her Dormition, Deposition,9^ or Death. The martyrologist avers, that she went to join the Heavenly choirs of angels, and Christ, for whose love she wrought, after performing signs and miracles, after renowned works of mercy and alms-deeds, after pure humility and benevolence, devoted to God, and after an illustrious example afforded to other virgins of chastity and of holiness. If the great works of this noble virgin were to be written in full, the martyrologist declares, he should be obliged to write a book of an unusual size. A still later composition, the Martyrology of Donegal^? records, on this day, the celebration of the festival of Brighit, virgin, abbess of Cill-Dara.
The Roman Martyrology,9^ and Father Stephen White,99 commemorate
this renowned virgin, at the ist of February. In the anonymous catalogue of Irish saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare,''°° the name of St. Brigida occurs. In Henry Fitzsimon's list, it is also to be found at this date. ^°^ Reference is made to Surius, and to notes in the Roman Martyrology, as edited by Baronius. ^°^ Convaeus- observes, in relation to this saintly virgin, at the same day, that she was of royal race. ^°3 in several ancient Martyrologies
the feast of this holy virgin is recorded. Veijerable Bede, in noting it, remarks,thatSt. Brigid'sLifehadbeendistinguishedformiracles. ^°^ Rabanus
9^ The following rann^ transcribed from the "Leabhar Breac," with its English translation, has been kindly furnished to
^s At this day, the Roman Martyrology says: "In Scotia S. Brigidse Virginis, quae cum lignum altaris tetigisset, in testi-
the writer, the Irish Professor, — monium
by Bryan Virginitatis
suae statim viride fac-
O'Looney, of the Catholic University
"O. kl. moi\Aic CAtAiriT) -pebyvAi,
"PlAOff TnAiACi^ mA]\ n-5let)en'o ;
blM^ic bAn DAtcc n-tiAlAiin, Cent) cAiT) CAibtec n-e^Aenn.
They ennoble the Kalends of February,
A shower of martyrs, great, resplendent; Bridget the great illustrious woman, The chaste head of the nuns of Erin.
5^ On the 1st of February, we find entered
in Dr. Kelly's "Martyrology of Tallagh," "Dormitatio S. Brigidse, Ixx. anno setatis
suae," p. xiv.
95 See the work, edited by John Clarke
Crosthwaithe and Rev. Dr. Todd. Intro- duction,pp. xlvii. ,liii. ,andpp. 62,84,85.
9^ The English Martyrology says: "In Hibernia depositio S. Brigidae Virginis," &c.
97 See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, pp. 34 to 37.
turn est. "
99 See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap,
:
iv. , p. 39, cap. v. , pp. 71, 72. ^°° *'
See Historige Catholicse Ibemiffl
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
p. 49.
^°^ ^^^
See ibid,\ cap. xii. , p. 53.
Baronius remarks, that Bede, Usuard, Ado, and other Martyrologists, agree. He also says, that Surius, in his first tome, has some acts relating to our saint ; while, in an old MS. copy, belonging to St. Cecilia's
monastery, beyond the Tiber, her Acts were written, at greater length, by Cogitosus, in 24 distinct chapters. Appended to this Life were some verses.
^°3 He adds, that she was venerated at
Lisbon, the chief city of Portugal, where her sacredrelicswerepreserved,andwerea—n-
nually exposed "Jubilsei celebratione. " See z^^zV/. , cap. x. , p. . 47.
^°4 "Apud Scotiam S. Brigidse virginis ; cuj us vita miraculis claruit ; quae cum lignum tetigisset, viride factum est. "
220 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Maurus has a notice of her nativity. '°5 St. Ado of Vienne has a record in his Martyrology, and exactly like that of Bede. Usuard extended, or the
Carthusian Martyrology, at the ist of February, remarks on her renowned
miracles. ^°^ St. Notker has a similar notice to that of Raban, with an addi-
tion about the wood of the altar becoming green, in recognition of her
purity. '°7 The Blessed Marianus O'Gorman calls our saint, the Arch-Virgin
or Chief of the Irish Virgins. ^°^ And the Martyrology of Salisbury states her great merits. '°9 Wandelbertus Prumiensis,"° Galasinus,"^ and Mola-
nus,"2 in their respective Martyrologies, as also Hermanus Gruen, have noticesofthisholyvirgin,attheistdayofFebruary. "3 Otherauthorities, if cited, should prove too tedious for enumeration. "4
In various antiphonaries, office books,"^ kalendars, and martyrologies, her name and feasts are inscribed. Likewise notices are to be met with, in those ecclesiastical remains, which serve to manifest the great reverence paid her memory by the clergy, in different dioceses, throughout Ireland.
The office of St. Brigid appears to have been recited in times the most
remote, not alone in the diocese of Kildare, as special patroness, but through- out the various other dioceses of Ireland, as also in the British Isles, and on thecontinentofEurope. Theold"BreviariumChorisopotensis"ofBritish Armorica, had an office of St. Brigid, having nine lessons. Her feast was celebrated at Cologne, as a double, and in the church, bearing her name.
los " In Hibernia Nativitas Brigidse, quae nativitas magnorum meritorum et sanctitatis
esse praedicatur. "
io6 <«
jj^ Scotia S. Brigidse Virginis cujus Vita miraculis claruit. "
107 "In Hibernia Nativitas S. Brigidse Virginis quae multorum meritorum et sanc- titatis esse praedicatur, adeo ut cum lignum altaris tetigisset viride fit effectum. "
io8««3rigida Archivirgo, seu caput vir- ginum Hibemiae. "
'°3 < « In Scotia festum S. Brigidse Vir- ginis, cujus vita virtutibus et miraculis fuit valde famosa. " —
Belgii, et eorum Chronica recapitulatio. " "3 At the same day, in MS. Chartucie
"4 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
"5 The follovi'ing notices refer to her Offices and Feasts. A MS. of T. C. D,, classed B. 1,1, contains at February ist, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virginis non martyris iii. lect. i A MS. classed B. 3, i, at the same date, enters in its Kalendar, Sanctse Brigi- dse Virginis non Martyris Duplex fifi ix. lect. A MS. classed B. i, 4, contains at February the 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virginis non Martyris, ix. lect. , in its Kalendar. Another entry, at February ist Kal. is Sanctse Brigi- dse Virg. ix. lect. A calendar in Trinity College in MS. , marked, B. 3, 9, has in the list of its Irish saints, at February the 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. non mart, iii. lect. A MS. classed B. 3, 10, registers at February the Ist, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. A MS. classed B. 3, 12, contains at Februarii, Kal. Brigidse Virg. ix. lect. A MS. classed B. 3, 13, contains at Feb- ruary 1st, Kal. Sanctse Brigidse Virg. non mart. ix. lect. In the Kalendar of a Roman Psaltery, classed among the MSS. , B. 3, 14, at February ist, Kal. is noted Brigidie Vir- ginis. In another, classed B. 3, 15, is en- tered, at February 1st, in French, So Bride. In another Kalendar of the Breviary, accord-
"° He thus writes ;
"
Brigida Virgo potens,
Februi sibi
prima
Calendas
Scotorum miro poscit celebrata favore. "
Again: "Brigida Virgo, quae ut seribunt Lippomanus et alii, fuit e Scotia vel Hiber- nia oriunda, nata ex Dubtacho patre et qua- dam ejus ancilla ; quae multis postmodum miraculis valde illustris evasit, multaque Virginum et Monachorum Monasteria fun- davit, multa restauravit. Ilia est, quae solo attactu lignum altaris in suse virginitatis argumentum, viride effecit, mortua est cum
*" In his "
at the same day, Galasinus observes, "In Scotia S. Brigidaj Virginis, quse apud Episcopum cum virgini- tatem profiteretur, lignum altaris tetigit, quod statim viride factum, argumento fuit ejus, sanctitatis, et virginalis castitas. "
volunt, an 522. "
Martyrology"
sanctitatis— anno Alii ingtotheSarumrite,andinthesecond magna opinione 518.
part, at February 1st, Kal. , we have entered Sanctse Brigidas Virginis, with an Office of Three Lessons. This latter is classed, in both its parts, B. 3, 18, 19.
Felic. I. Febr.
"' In his Belgian Calendar, at the 1st of
February, Molanus places her among the Belgian saints. See "Natales Sanctorum
" Virginis in Scotia, alias Hibernia. "
Coloniensis, Gruen •writes:
S. Brigidjie
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 22 1
she being its patroness.
In the breviaries and missals, belonging to the churches of Utrecht, of Treves, of Mentz, of HerbipoHs, of Constance, of Strasburg, and of many other places in Germany, her feast is set down as a
simplex, at the ist of February. Before Colgan's time, an office of St. Brigid had been printed at Paris, a. d. 1622. In this, the antiphons are proper and taken from the lauds, in the first vespers of her feast. The capitulum, hymn,
antiphon of the Magni/kat, and prayer, are also proper. At matins, the in- vitatorium, hymn, as at first vespers, antiphons, responses, the fourth, fifth, and sixth lessons of the second noctum, are proper, the remaining lessons
being taken from the common of virgins. The antiphons, capitulum, hymn, versicles, and responses, with the antiphons at Benedictus, and the prayer are proper for lauds. At little hours, the antiphons are taken from the
proper antiphons of lauds. At second vespers, the antiphons, psalms, capi- tulum, and hymn, as at first vespers of the feast, the versicle, response and
antiphon of the Magjiificaf, are likewise proper. The second office, taken from the Roman Breviary,"^ has the six first lessons of the various nocturns, one and two, with a prayer proper. The same observations will also apply,
"
published in Italy. We find a fourth office, taken from the Breviary of the
CanonsRegularofLateran,printedbyFrancisWauder,atMons. Besides
the prayer proper, there are apparently three proper lessons, as reprinted in Colgan's work. "7
Hymns and panegyrics of St. Brigid have been written in various lan-
to the third office of our saint, printed from the
Breviarium Giennensis,"
guages. ALatinhymn,inpraiseofSt. Brigid,andattributedtoNinnidlam- "
hzda? i, or Ninnid of the clean hand," is preserved. "^ There is an Irish poem on St. Brigid, but improperly ascribed to St. Suibne, the son of Colman,
in the Betham Manuscript Collection,"? belonging to the Royal Irish Academy,andwrittenbyO'Longan,ofCork. Amongthemanuscriptsof
Trinity College, Lhuyd"° notes an Irish hymn,"^ in which St. Brigid's praise is celebrated. Another, composed by St. Columkille, in the time of ^dh Mac Ainmerech, also celebrates her merits, and it is in the Irish language. "^ Besides the foregoing, Edmund Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick, has composed some Latin verses, on the miracles of St. Brigid. ^^3
116
Printed at Venice, by Antonio de
Quid ? nota frons floris, floris at hostis
Hymen.
Sidere se privat, velut hoste pudoris,
ocello :
An quia dat ccecis lumina, cseca manet ?
DatBellonaviros,Brigidaumbrasensibus escam
Brigida bruta facit scire, Minerva viros Res cunctas parere parum est ; en recula
inanis
Umbra capit vulnus, pondus & umbra subit.
Next follow some lines, on the inextinguish- able fire of St. Brigid :—
Giunta, A. D. 1522.
^'7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Appendix Prima ad Acta S. Brigidse, pp. 599 to 602.
"^
Amongthe Trinity College Manu- scripts, Dublin, we found a copy in the MS. , classed, E. 4, 2.
See Archasologia Britannica," p.
436. "^
Itisparticularizedthus: 501. Hymni in laudem B. Patricii, Brigidse, et Columbse,
*^9 Vol. liv. , p. 176. ^^° **
Hibern. plerumque, fol. membr. I.
125.
^^^ It is thus described by Lhuyd " An :
hymn on S. Brigid in Irish, made by Colum- kille, in the time of Eda Mac Ainmereck, or Broccan Cloin ; cum regibus Hibern. et
*'
Success. S. Patricii, p. 14. " See Archaeo-
logia Britannica," p. 436.
*^3 We shall extract from —those portions,
**
Ardet inextinctus Brigidae focus igne pe-
renni,
Non capit augmentum coctus at inde
cinis
Quid notat ille rogus? tacitae-ne incendia
foverit ignes, Nescia mortis erit
which are given by Colgan
** Dum Brigidse fit Hymen, frondet pes ari- dus arse :
notatur amor ?
Sed si hsec flamma, suos dum Brigida
:
igne
mentis ? Vivaci vivax
;
nescia mortis erit. "
522 Livns OF THE iklSIi SAINTS.
[February i.
It is certain, from what we have already seen, the great St. Brigid's relics were preserved with great honour, at Kildare, and after\vards at Down, for many years after her death. Among other relics of our saint, Hanmer men-
""
tions a bell, called Clogg Brietta," or Brigid's Bell," which he says, the
superstitious Irish found out, in process of time, and to which they attributed great virtue and holiness. This bell, he says, and other toys, carried about, not only in Ireland, but also in England, were banished the land, in the time of Henry V. "4 Colgan indignantly takes exception to such statements ; and, he shows, that the relic in question was not a recent invention or a fraud, butthatithadexistedfromaremoteperiod,"s Yet,heAvouldnotunder- take to pronounce, whether or not, this had' been the identical bell, sent by St. Gildas to our saint as a present. "^ At the church of Serin, in Ireland, was preserved a shroud, in which St. Brigid's corpse is said to have been wrapped, together with other much venerated relics of this same church. "7 Doctor Petrie tells us, that he had in his own cabinet, that celebrated reli- quary, which contained a slipper of St. Bridget. It is said, that a part of St.
and
In art, S. Bridget is usually represented, with her perpetual flame, as a symbol ; sometimes, with a column of fire, said to have been seen above her head, when she took the veil. ^31 This flame has reference, likewise, to the portent of illumination about the house in which she was born. In allusion to her tending of cows, she is also represented, dressed as a dairy-maid, and in the act of churning. Again, one of her floral emblems is the " Laurus Nobilis," which is called the shrub of St. Bride, although it does not flower on her day. '32 We are told, furthermore, that her type among created things is the dove among birds, the vine among trees, and the sun among the stars. ^33
St. Brigid had been regarded by our ancestors as the special patroness of Leinster. '34 In many parts of Ireland, a very considerable number of mar-
the wood that became "^ were green,
sacred
preserved at Candida Casa, until these had been profaned at the period of theReformation. "9 InhiscatalogueoftheIrishsaints,RicardusConvaeus, as already mentioned, tells us, that some relics belonging to our saint, were preserved in a church of the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is not impro- bable, that certain mementoes of St. Brigid had been deposited in some of the churches, dedicated to her memory, as previously detailed, and more especially within those, which were built in extern countries. ^3o
Brigid's
relics,
especially
"4 See Hanmer's "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 9i«
"S For proof of this assertion, he cites the
respective martyrologies of St. i^ngus, or of his scholiast, and of Charles Maguire, at the 1st of February. See "Trias Thauma- turga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Bri- gidae, cap. xvii. , p. 625.
"^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niflB," xxix. Januarii. Vita S. Gildae Ba- donici, cap. ix. , p. 183.
"7 According to St. Adamnan's catalogue of these religious treasures.
"^
*3o gee "Trias " Colgan's Tliaumaturga.
Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. xvii. , p. 626.
'3i See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February i. , p. 22.
'^^ See " Circle of the Seasons," p. 32. *33 See Professof O'Looney's Irish Life of
St.
Brigid, pp. 43, 44.
'34 The following quotation, in reference
to St. Bridget, is from a poem on the "Pa- tron Saints of the principal tribes and terri- tories of Ireland, several copies of which are preserved in the Library of the R. I. A. Especially there are two MSS. , classed 23, L, 19, and 23, L. 39. An extract is kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph OLongan, which,
In token of her purity, the altar is said
to have become virescent, and to have budded
forth flowers, according to one account. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix with its English translation, reads as fol-
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
'^ See Camerarius " De Statu Hominis veteris simul ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Kegni Scotise," lib. I. , cap. iii. , sec. 2, p. 141.
lows r—
L(\i§eAn uile a|\ cul bpl^TDe
Clu 50 fAitib^Ae.
All Leinster under the protection of Bridget,
Fame most precious.
February t. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 223
riages were solemnized within that period of the year, extending from the
EpiphanytoAsh-Wednesday. Severalpartieswerealsomostanxious,that their marriages should be celebrated before the ist of February, so that possession might then be taken of their new abode. ^35 it was also an in- variable usage of the Irish people to have female infants, born on the feast of the holy abbess of Kildare, baptized with the beautiful name of Bridget'36 or Bride. This even was a practice, when such births preceded or succeeded the festival by a week or two, and when no other sister had already received
that name in a particular family.
The sapient Irish antiquary, Ledwich, while considerately allowing St.
Brigid to have had an existence, in one passage of his work,^37 deems her to have been a purely imaginary personage, in another,^38 or to have been a sort of Druidess, estabHshed at Kildare to preserve fire, together with her community of Druidesses,^39 whom it would be so absurd to call nuns. We cannot even discover, when the practice of preserving fire had been at first introduced, in Kildare. ^^o Giraldus Cambrensis is the first writer who men- tions it. ^41 Whatever had been the system of the heathen Irish, with regard
to the preservation of fire, nothing occurs to prove, that the practice of Kil-
dare was in any manner derived from it ; although, it is not meant to be
denied, that some remnants of Pagan customs have been observed, without,
however, any bad intention, in Ireland, as well as in other countries. ^'^^ Even,
it was sometimes thought advisable, to allow certain time-sanctioned usages,
harmlessinthemselves; yet,withtheprecautionofhavingthemdirectedto
the worship and honour of the true and Almighty God. ^'^3 As yet happens
in the midland counties, and in parts of the South of Ireland, the custom of
"
Brigid Oge" is practised, especially by young persons ;^'*4 still, this is more likely to have had a Christian, rather than a Gentile origin. ^45 The Irish practice of making eircular^'*^ and square crosses on St.
carrying the
^33 For this information, I feel indebted to
Ven. John Kenny, D. D. , P. P. , Ennis, and
dean of Killaloe diocese, conveyed in a letter
dated Ennis, April 14th, 1875.
^^i It was kept constantly burning, in an enclosure near the monastery, as Ware says,
*'
De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus, Dis- quisitiones," &c. , cap. xvii,, p. 83, for the benefit of the and of To this
^36 In Cormac's "
the name of
poor guests.
remark, Harris wantonly added, "as was in English "a fiery arrow. " See "SAriAf pretended. " This practice continued until
Glossary," V>x\^\. \^^Q. x\yt(iixQ>xa. breo-aigit,breo-shaigit,
cVioi\rnAic," translated and annotated by
Dr. O'Donovan, edited, with Notes and In-
dices, by Whitley Stokes, p. 23.
'37 Dr. Milner was induced to suppose,
that Ledwich did not deny the existence of St. Brigid. See "Tour in Ireland," letter xi. Dr. Milner, however, seems to have observed only a passage at p. 387 of the "Antiquities of Ireland," overlooking one at p. 378.
'38 See Dr. Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 378.
'39 Ledwich imagines, these were intended to replace the heathen Druidesses of yore. If the Pagan Irish worshipped or tended fire, however, its care was entrusted to Druids, rather than to Druidesses.
