" The reputation of Syra's great
sanctity
soon spread through all the surrounding country.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
, p.
152.
I0 There is a brief reference to only very
this place, by Thomas O 'Conor, who guesses,
that should be rendered CilX Killoran,
orCellaOdrani. See" of 0-6r\<iiri, County
Sligo Letters," vol. i. Letter of Thomas O'Conor, dated 21 Great Charles-street, Dublin, October loth, 1836, p. 387.
xt Its position may be seen on sheet 25 of "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Sligo. " The parish of Killoran is on sheets 19, 25, 26, 32.
I2 See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire- land," vol. ii. , p. 484.
"Edited by Drs. Todd anl Reeves, pp. 148, 149.
3 See our Life of St. of December.
at the Corbmac, 13th
4 He was son of Corbmac
Corbmac Galensdus,
according
logies of the Irish Saints, chap, xxxvi. "
5 See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nix," Vita S. Corbmaci, xxvi. Martii, n. 32,
p. 756.
6
According to Marianus O'Gorman and others.
» See
"
Legend Lays of Ireland," by
Lageniensis, No. xx. A Legend of Slieve
Donard, n. 6, p. 127.
8
vol. n.
i. , (b), p. 311.
See "Annals of the Four Masters,"
or to the Genea-
Gaileng
According
to the of Martyrology
84^
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
1
century. Suchastatementshouldconflictwiththenotionofherbeingiden-
tical with St. Syra, a virgin, and a sister to St. Fiacre. Wherefore, the Bollan-
dists them • distinguished
and,
while
they
consider St. to have lived at Syria
an earlier and to have been the saint venerated at 2 period, Troyes, they
believe St. Syra was venerated at Meaux, but not on this day. 3 The Manu- scripts of Colgan are referred to by Rev. Alban Butler,* for some notices of thissaint. Atpresent,wecannotdiscoverfromthepublishedListofhisManu- scripts, that St. Syra's Acts are preserved. Failing these, we are obliged to give such accounts, as have come under our notice. The Bollandists s have published the Acts 6 of St. Syra or Syria, of Troyes, in France, at the 8th of June. They refer to the Acts of St. Sabinien, Martyr,? to show that she was a. matron, who received her sight at his tomb, having been blind for many years. They remark, however, that although St. Syra, who was sister to St. Fiacre in French Champeigne, has her festival inserted in the Breviary of Aberdeen, in the Scottish Menologies of Dempster and of Camerarius, as also in Arturus, at the 8th of June ; her festival is properly referable to the 23rd of October, while they distinguish her from a St. Syria, venerated in the territory of Troyes, at this date. 8 The Petits Bollandistes ° have drawn their
10
accounts of Sainte Syre, Virgin, from local French narratives, June. She is regarded, as having been a native of Ireland.
at the 8th of
to have been St. Fiacre's "
and if so she was of
St. Syra is said 12
sister,
distinguished family.
1 * and of the royal family of Scotland, 15 and that her father took great care to have her brought up virtuously and imbued with sentiments of Christian piety. From a very tender age, she manifested the results of such training. It is stated, that St. Conon, Bishop of Lodore, was selected to be her teacher ; while to knowledge and prudence, he joined wisdom and piety. From her earliest years, Syra conceived an ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, and she passed several hours on her knees, in fervent prayer. She therefore resolved to have no other spouse but Him alone, and she rejected those offers of mar- riage, preferred by many highly distinguished suitors. The Legend of her
Acts declares, that to resist their solicitations, she obtained through prayer the favour to her of becoming blind. However, she had some internal revela-
Another account has that she was it,'3
daughter
to
Eugene IV. ,
Article iii. —x See Rev. S. Baring-
"
Lives of the Saints," vol. vi. , June 8, p. 77.
a If so, many of the following remarks have no reference to our Irish saint.
" His feast occurs, on the 30th of
August.
" Father John Mabillon calls him " Fiac-
rius nobilis Scottus, Fefrus ohm appellatus," in " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. ,
lib. xii. , sect, vi. , p. 344. There, we find no mention of his sister.
13 That of Thomas Dempster, in " Histo-
ria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus
ii. . lib. xvii. , num. 1037, p. 577.
M Boetius and Buchanan incorrectly call
the son of King Aidan, Eugenius Quartus, while a learned Irish writer, Matthew Kennedy, Doctor of Laws. Master of the High Court of Chancery, and Judge of the Admiralty of all Ireland to King James II. , observes, that he has been confounded with Eocha-Buidhe, as "JSocia signifies the same with Echodius, Ethodius, Ecliadius, and Achaius, but has no relation to the word
Gould's
3 Menard, in his Benedictine
Martyrology, thinks they are not to be distinguished.
4 See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. vi. , June viii.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii
viii. De S. Syra vel Syria, in Territorio
Trecensi in Gallia, pp. 62 to 66.
6
In eighteen paragraphs.
7 The Bollandists treat of him, at the 29th
of January, the day of his feast.
See ibid. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
9 See "Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, pp. 529 to 531.
10
de l'Histoire de la Champagne," l'Abbe Etffmms. " Eocha-Buidhe died A. D. 629,
Such is FAbbe Boitel's "l,es Beautes
" La Vie d'une Sainte
jour de FAnnee " and " Ancien Propre de Troyes. "
to See " A Chronolo- Tigernac.
Chapin's
pour Chaque
according
gical, Genealogical and Historical Disserta-
tion of the Royal Family of the Stuarts,"
June 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
247
16 She was resolved to imitate her brother's example, by leaving her friends and native country. Owing to this detachment from the fondest earthly ties, she hoped the better to arrive at Christian perfection. Syra selected some female com- panions to accompany her. She then left her native country, and she resolved on seeking her brother in France. Aided by her guardian Angel, she suc- ceeded in finding the place of his retreat. The holy man received St. Syra and her associates joyfully, while he exhorted them to the practice of all virtues, and especially to guard that of virginity. St. Syra addressed herself to St. Faro, Bishop of Meaux, 1 ? patron and protector of her brother. He had estab- lished various religious houses in his diocese, during the somewhat extended period of his episcopacy. The holy prelate recommended her to his sister
tion,
that in France she should be restored to the use of her
sight.
18 who was Abbess in Brie, or from the Celtic word, which it Brige,
St.
is said
Abbess is also called Burgundofara, while from her this celebrated founda- tion received the denomination Faremoutier, as also an adjoining forest. 20 The virtues of this holy woman are celebrated by the illustrious Bossuet, as also those of her holy brother, in a style of eloquence peculiar to that great writer and orator. 21 St. Syra became a perfect pattern of humility, charity,
Fara, signifies
" a
bridge. "
1 ?
It was otherwise called
Jouarre.
This
holy
under such a directress. 22 At Martyr St. Savinien 2* had been held in great veneration.
2* the
But hostile incur-
meekness and
devotion,
Troyes,
holy
sions had caused such disorders and ravages in the place, that the exact site of his tomb was then unknown. Through his merits, St. Fiacre had an inspira- tion, that his sister should recover her sight, while to her in like manner was revealed the spot where the body of St. Savinien lay. There, prostrating her- self, she poured forth her soul in prayer, and her face bedewed with tears, she would not rise from the ground until her petition was heard. She was restored miraculously to theuse of vision. Then, to manifest her gratitude to the holy Martyr, she formed a resolution of there fixing her abode. She caused a cell and a chapel to be built, so that her gratitude should remain lasting and tangible. There she spent whole days and nights in prayer, while some of those virgins, who accompanied her from Scotia, shared in her pious exer-
&c. , pp. 177, 178, Paris, 8vo, 1705.
*6 See Les Petits Bollandistes " Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, pp. S29> 53°-
1 He departed this life on the 28th of Oc-
Langue Celtique," tome ii.
20 He has been " Saltus Bri- Latinized,
'5 it is Again,
that she was
ter to David, King of Scotland and of Mar- garet his Queen. Besides her brother St.
stated,
daugh-
Fiacre is
son, according to a statement given as a
fable, by Chifflet. See the Bollandists'
"ActaSanctorum,"tomusii. ,Juniiviii. De consolation,parcequ'ilm'apprendraesde- S. Syra, vel Syria, in Territorio Trecensi in
Gallia. Appendix Critica, num. 13, p. 65.
absurdly
said to have been their
tober—the date for his festival—a. d.
672,
" CEuvres Completes," tome vii. , col. 634, l'Abbe Migne's edition,
22 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"
having governed the Church of Meaux for
forty-six years. See Dom. Toussaints Du vol. vi. , June viii.
*3 On the left bank of the Seine, the capital
of Aube Department, containing a splendid
Her chief feast is held on the 6th of De-
cember. She departed this life on the 3rd "Gazetteer of the World," vol. xiii. , p.
" tome i. , liv, i.
Plessis'
Histoire de l'Eglise de Meaux,"
'•
cathedral, the seat of an Archbishop. See
of April, about the year 655. See ibid.
'» However, we do not find this word, under either form in the Dictionnaire Celti- que of M. Bullet, in his " Memoires sur la
176.
2« His festival occurs, at the 29th of
January,
2s St. Poma, Virgin of Chalons-sur-Marne,
geus. "
ai "
In Pensees Chretiennes et Morales,"
he " Elle enfanta a Saint says : Jesus-Christ
Faron, son frere, que je ne puis nommer sans confusion ei sans consolation : sans
voirs ; sans confusion, parce qu'il m'accable mon infirmite par l'example de ses vertus. Diocese de Meaux, ce que tu dois a Fare e—st inestimable
; tu lui dois Saint Faron. "
248 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
cises. From this place, she occasionally visited Chalons, and she withdrew often to the pious virgins of the community of Sainte-Pome. 25 She communi- cated to them that Divine fire of love, with which her heart was filled, repeat-
ing often these beautiful words " Oh vile, despicable and infected is earth
:
to me, when I look upon Heaven ! Vanity of vanities and all is vanity,
except to serve God, and to love Him only !
" The reputation of Syra's great sanctity soon spread through all the surrounding country. A request was made to her, that she would quit her cell to visit a community of women, which
hadrelaxedreligiousfervour,inorderthatagainshemightrestoreit. Through humility, not conceiving herself called to become a religious reformer, and doubting her powers of persuasion, she hesitated for a long time. How-
ever, to promote God's greater glory in the salvation of souls, she accepted the mission, at last, and she laboured zealously to effect the desired change. She succeeded, in an admirable manner, not less to her own astonishment, than to that of others, who knew the disagreeable nature of her task. Having thus restored order in that community, she returned to her little cell, near the tomb of St. Savinien. There she buried herself in exercises of penitence to
She departed on the 8th of June, sometime in the 2
!
26 The tocrownSt. sooncalledher Almighty, willing Syra,
theendofher
away from this life.
seventh century. It is said, by some writers, ? the year of her departure was
days.
640 to itwasa. d. ; according Dempster,
28 Her was
body buried,
643.
according to one statement, in the small chapel she had built, near the tomb
of St. Savinien. It was deposited within a stone coffin. Another account has it, that she departed this life at or near Meaux, where her spiritual fathers, St. Fiacre and St. Faro, lived. A part of St. Syra's relics remain in theplace,wheresheissaidtohavedied,atTroyes. There,too,wasbuilta small church, greatly frequented by pilgrims, while numberless miracles were wrought at her tomb. 2 ? A part of her relics were transferred to Troyes. A long time after her death, during the episcopate of Jean d'Aubinac and Jean d'Auxey at Troyes, her remains were in a shrine of brass, adorned with chas- ings of silver, and with several small images. In the year 1300, Henri de Noa, dean of Troyes, established a rich foundation to celebrate annually, in the church at Troyes, the festival of St. Syra, with an Office of Nine Lessons. In the seventeenth century, her coffin was to be seen, in the little chapel consecratedtohermemory. AccordingtotheRev. AlbanButler,3°shewas
is venerated on the 27th of June and on the
8th of August.
26 If we are to believe Dempster, she
wrote " De Sancta Monica," lib. i. , "Me-
"
Exhortationes ad These are stated, to be kept in the religious houses dedicated to her in Champaigne. See " Historia Ecclesias- tica Gentis bcotorum," tonius ii. , lib. xvii. ,
"
Regia Campanis celebrata est Syria terris,
Cujus quisque piam percipit seger openi.
Linquit arenosos per te gravis hernia renes,
Sanatur meritis fraclio quaeque tuis. Talibus ore meam serves cruciatibus
alvum :
Credimus es tanti vera medela
mali
Ora pro nobis summum, pia Syria,
Regem,
Ut scrupuloso curet viscera nostra
gravi. "
ditationes," lib. i. , and Sorores," lib. i.
num. 1057, p. 577.
27 See Les Petiis Bollandistes'
"
Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, p.
:
530.
28 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii,, num. 1037,
P. 577- 3»FromanoldManuscript,weinsertthe
following verses, referring to St. Syria, whose intercession was deemed to be spe-
cially pow—erful for the cure of very painful
From the word Regia, in the foregoing line, Menard considers the saint invoked to have been of royal descent, and not to be distin- guished from that Syria, the sister of St.
diseases
:
Fiacre,
and
daughter
to the Scottish
king.
June 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 249
honoured at Troyes on the 8th of June p1 while her festival was kept at Meaux, on the 23rd of October. 32 In Champagne, it is said several churches and religious houses have been dedicated to her. 33 In Scotland, this holy woman was likewise venerated, as we find an entry in the Kalendar of Adam King, at the 8th of June, regarding S. Syre, sister to S. Fiacre. 34 Her festival is inserted in the " Menologium Scotorum "3S of Thomas Dempster. 36 Her feast is also entered, in the Gallic Martyrology of Saussaye. The name of St. Syra, Virgin, occurs in Butler's Lives of the Saints,37 and in the Circle of
The shrine of St. was cast in the Syra
the 8 at the 8th of Seasons,3
June.
flames, on the 2 7th of March, 1 794 ; but, it pleased the Almighty, to preserve
the remains of His servant. Her relics were authenticated in 1826, and in 1835. Portions of St. Syra's remains are yet preserved in the Parishes of St.
Martin-es-Vignes, of Rilly-Sainte-Syre, of Chene, and of Jully-le-Chatel. 39 Irrespective of foreign testimonies, we do not know, that the present saint had been honoured in Ireland,40 at this date.
Article IV. —St. Airmedach, or Ermedhach, Abbot of Cong,
County of Mavo. On the 8th of in the of
Regular
of the Order of St. 6 The ruins at Augustine.
Cong
^ are
yet seen,
30 See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs Kelly, p. xxvi.
and other principal Saints," vol. vi. , June viii. 31 At this date, in Manuscript Martyrolo-
2
There is an engraving, with a descrip-
gies belonging
to and to the Carme- Troyes
Grose's " of vol. Antiquities Ireland," ii. , p.
81. The view is from an original drawing,
by Bigari.
3 His feast has been assigned to the 17th
of April, where a further account of him and of Cong may be found in Volume iv. of this work, at that date, Art. ii.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
5 See William F. Wakeman's Tourists'
Guide to Ireland," p. 275.
6 An various
account of the Congrega-
tions belonging to the Augustinian Order may be found in " Histoire Complete et Costumes des Ordres Monastiques, Reli- gieux et Militaires, et des Congregations Seculieres des deux Sexes ;" par le R. P. Helyot, avec Notice, Annotationis et Com- plement, par V. Philipon de la Madelaine, tomeii. , pp. 261 to 335.
7 Forillustrations anda descriptionof them, the tourist is referred to " Handbook of the Midland Great Western Railway, and Guide to Connemara and the West of Ireland,"
pp. 61 to 64.
lite Monastery at Cologne, this feast is en-
32 See, also, our notices of St. Syra or St. Sira, at the same day.
" tered :
In territorio Tricassinensi B. Syrise matronae. "
"
Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii. , num.
33 See Dempster's
Historia Ecclesiastica
1037, p. 577-
34 See Bishop Forbes'
tish Saints," p. 154-
36 See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints," p. 202.
37 See vol. vi. , viii. June.
38 See p. 160.
39 See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des
Saints," tomevi. , viiie Juin, pp. 530, 531.
40 The Rev. Alban Butler states, that in
of our Island, she had been vene- rated, on the 8th of June. See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"
55 :" In Thus
Campania Syrae regis filiae, S. Fiacrii sororis, ML. BT. "
some
parts
vol. vi. , June vii—i. Article iv.
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
1 June, Martyrology Tallagh,
appearsthenameAirmedachaCunga. ThisplaceisnowknownasCong,
delightfully situated at the head of Lough Corrib, and in the county of Mayo. 2 About its early ecclesiastical history, little appears to be known ; but, it is
probable, a bishop had been here, from an early period. The founder seems to have been a St. Molocus, or as otherwise called St. Loichen,3 whose name is found to be connected with the place. But his period does not appear to have been discovered. In n14, Cunga was destroyed by fire;4 and, as Gilla-Keerin O'Roda and O'Draeda, two of its Erenachs or Conventual superiors, are stated to have died, a. d. 1 127-28, it is not improbable, 5 that some time within these dates, a fine abbey was founded, which belonged to Canons
tion of Cong Abbey, County of Mayo, in
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 998, 999. ""
Kalendars of Scot-
250 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
inagoodstateofpreservation; and,theyareatrulypicturesquegroup,ina district celebrated for the loveliness of its natural features. They have
undergone restoration, at the instance and expense of the lately deceased
public-spirited proprietor, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. 8 Though not exactly an island, Cong is surrounded by water ; while the town or rather village is
situated upon an isthmus, by which Loughs Corrib and Mask are divided. "
TheoldnameCunga,inIrish,means aneck,"sothatthesiteisveryappro-
priately described, as indeed, many of the Celtic denominations preserved in Ireland are indicative of the local peculiarities connected with them. 9 The
delightfully situated village of Cong is remarkably rich in scenery, natural wonders, and antiquities. Here, there is a curious cave , called u the Pigeon Hole," to which a flight of stone steps descends, from the upper surface of the
nificent mansion, while
a — the feast of
while, at the bottom, runs a subterraneous river, that petrifies
blocks. 10 We find, set down in the of 11 Martyrology Donegal,
ground outside ;
Article V. —St. Murchon, or Murchu, Mac Ua Maichtene.
Except our knowledge, that the present holy man lived at an early period, nothing seems to have been discovered, to ascertain his identity and place.
into
that a festival in honour of Ermedhach, Abbot of Conga, was celebrated on this day.
transparent
The festival of Murchu is announced in the " Feilire" of St.
8th of June, and in terms denoting its importance. A comment adds, that he was son of Ua-Mathcene, and that his city was in Ui-Faelain. 2 The exact locality, however, is not specified. Another saint, called Murchu, is venerated, also, in our Martyrologies, at the 12th ofJune. 3 This name appears as Murchon Mac h. Machteni, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,* at the 8th of June. However, the patronymic does not give a clue to his remote ancestry. He is also commemorated, in the Martyrology ©f Marianus O'Gorman ; but, without any particulars, to indicate his date or history. Notwithstanding, it seems probable enough, that he flourished in the seventh century, and that he was addicted to literary pursuits. This may be gleaned, from some detached indications, as existing in an undoubtedly ancient and genuine
document. An ancient writer of St. Patrick's Acts, called Machutenus in Latin,5 issupposedtohavebeenidenticalwithMuirchuMaccuMactheni,a copy of whose Vita S. Patricii 6 is to be found in that very old Manuscript,
8 He purchased the estate on which they are situated, and near Cong he built a mag-
In English: "The reception of the Holy Job after victory and white battle : the feast
of Medran
Murchu with
well all resident Irish landlord. His son and successor has been created Lord
Ardilaun.
9 See William F. Wakeman's "Tourists'
Guide to Ireland," p. 275.
Bishop Pococke said it was the most b—eautiful place he had seen in all his travels. " Rev. G. Hansbrow's " Improved Topo- graphical and Historical Hibernian Gazet-
teer," p. 180.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
the duties of a
good
Transactions
10 "
of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manu-
script Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar
of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
xciii.
3
See ibid. , p. xcix.
3 As his feast does not occur in the
" Feilire," at this date, he is probably later in point of time than the present holy man.
I0 There is a brief reference to only very
this place, by Thomas O 'Conor, who guesses,
that should be rendered CilX Killoran,
orCellaOdrani. See" of 0-6r\<iiri, County
Sligo Letters," vol. i. Letter of Thomas O'Conor, dated 21 Great Charles-street, Dublin, October loth, 1836, p. 387.
xt Its position may be seen on sheet 25 of "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Sligo. " The parish of Killoran is on sheets 19, 25, 26, 32.
I2 See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire- land," vol. ii. , p. 484.
"Edited by Drs. Todd anl Reeves, pp. 148, 149.
3 See our Life of St. of December.
at the Corbmac, 13th
4 He was son of Corbmac
Corbmac Galensdus,
according
logies of the Irish Saints, chap, xxxvi. "
5 See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nix," Vita S. Corbmaci, xxvi. Martii, n. 32,
p. 756.
6
According to Marianus O'Gorman and others.
» See
"
Legend Lays of Ireland," by
Lageniensis, No. xx. A Legend of Slieve
Donard, n. 6, p. 127.
8
vol. n.
i. , (b), p. 311.
See "Annals of the Four Masters,"
or to the Genea-
Gaileng
According
to the of Martyrology
84^
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
1
century. Suchastatementshouldconflictwiththenotionofherbeingiden-
tical with St. Syra, a virgin, and a sister to St. Fiacre. Wherefore, the Bollan-
dists them • distinguished
and,
while
they
consider St. to have lived at Syria
an earlier and to have been the saint venerated at 2 period, Troyes, they
believe St. Syra was venerated at Meaux, but not on this day. 3 The Manu- scripts of Colgan are referred to by Rev. Alban Butler,* for some notices of thissaint. Atpresent,wecannotdiscoverfromthepublishedListofhisManu- scripts, that St. Syra's Acts are preserved. Failing these, we are obliged to give such accounts, as have come under our notice. The Bollandists s have published the Acts 6 of St. Syra or Syria, of Troyes, in France, at the 8th of June. They refer to the Acts of St. Sabinien, Martyr,? to show that she was a. matron, who received her sight at his tomb, having been blind for many years. They remark, however, that although St. Syra, who was sister to St. Fiacre in French Champeigne, has her festival inserted in the Breviary of Aberdeen, in the Scottish Menologies of Dempster and of Camerarius, as also in Arturus, at the 8th of June ; her festival is properly referable to the 23rd of October, while they distinguish her from a St. Syria, venerated in the territory of Troyes, at this date. 8 The Petits Bollandistes ° have drawn their
10
accounts of Sainte Syre, Virgin, from local French narratives, June. She is regarded, as having been a native of Ireland.
at the 8th of
to have been St. Fiacre's "
and if so she was of
St. Syra is said 12
sister,
distinguished family.
1 * and of the royal family of Scotland, 15 and that her father took great care to have her brought up virtuously and imbued with sentiments of Christian piety. From a very tender age, she manifested the results of such training. It is stated, that St. Conon, Bishop of Lodore, was selected to be her teacher ; while to knowledge and prudence, he joined wisdom and piety. From her earliest years, Syra conceived an ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, and she passed several hours on her knees, in fervent prayer. She therefore resolved to have no other spouse but Him alone, and she rejected those offers of mar- riage, preferred by many highly distinguished suitors. The Legend of her
Acts declares, that to resist their solicitations, she obtained through prayer the favour to her of becoming blind. However, she had some internal revela-
Another account has that she was it,'3
daughter
to
Eugene IV. ,
Article iii. —x See Rev. S. Baring-
"
Lives of the Saints," vol. vi. , June 8, p. 77.
a If so, many of the following remarks have no reference to our Irish saint.
" His feast occurs, on the 30th of
August.
" Father John Mabillon calls him " Fiac-
rius nobilis Scottus, Fefrus ohm appellatus," in " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. ,
lib. xii. , sect, vi. , p. 344. There, we find no mention of his sister.
13 That of Thomas Dempster, in " Histo-
ria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus
ii. . lib. xvii. , num. 1037, p. 577.
M Boetius and Buchanan incorrectly call
the son of King Aidan, Eugenius Quartus, while a learned Irish writer, Matthew Kennedy, Doctor of Laws. Master of the High Court of Chancery, and Judge of the Admiralty of all Ireland to King James II. , observes, that he has been confounded with Eocha-Buidhe, as "JSocia signifies the same with Echodius, Ethodius, Ecliadius, and Achaius, but has no relation to the word
Gould's
3 Menard, in his Benedictine
Martyrology, thinks they are not to be distinguished.
4 See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. vi. , June viii.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii
viii. De S. Syra vel Syria, in Territorio
Trecensi in Gallia, pp. 62 to 66.
6
In eighteen paragraphs.
7 The Bollandists treat of him, at the 29th
of January, the day of his feast.
See ibid. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
9 See "Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, pp. 529 to 531.
10
de l'Histoire de la Champagne," l'Abbe Etffmms. " Eocha-Buidhe died A. D. 629,
Such is FAbbe Boitel's "l,es Beautes
" La Vie d'une Sainte
jour de FAnnee " and " Ancien Propre de Troyes. "
to See " A Chronolo- Tigernac.
Chapin's
pour Chaque
according
gical, Genealogical and Historical Disserta-
tion of the Royal Family of the Stuarts,"
June 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
247
16 She was resolved to imitate her brother's example, by leaving her friends and native country. Owing to this detachment from the fondest earthly ties, she hoped the better to arrive at Christian perfection. Syra selected some female com- panions to accompany her. She then left her native country, and she resolved on seeking her brother in France. Aided by her guardian Angel, she suc- ceeded in finding the place of his retreat. The holy man received St. Syra and her associates joyfully, while he exhorted them to the practice of all virtues, and especially to guard that of virginity. St. Syra addressed herself to St. Faro, Bishop of Meaux, 1 ? patron and protector of her brother. He had estab- lished various religious houses in his diocese, during the somewhat extended period of his episcopacy. The holy prelate recommended her to his sister
tion,
that in France she should be restored to the use of her
sight.
18 who was Abbess in Brie, or from the Celtic word, which it Brige,
St.
is said
Abbess is also called Burgundofara, while from her this celebrated founda- tion received the denomination Faremoutier, as also an adjoining forest. 20 The virtues of this holy woman are celebrated by the illustrious Bossuet, as also those of her holy brother, in a style of eloquence peculiar to that great writer and orator. 21 St. Syra became a perfect pattern of humility, charity,
Fara, signifies
" a
bridge. "
1 ?
It was otherwise called
Jouarre.
This
holy
under such a directress. 22 At Martyr St. Savinien 2* had been held in great veneration.
2* the
But hostile incur-
meekness and
devotion,
Troyes,
holy
sions had caused such disorders and ravages in the place, that the exact site of his tomb was then unknown. Through his merits, St. Fiacre had an inspira- tion, that his sister should recover her sight, while to her in like manner was revealed the spot where the body of St. Savinien lay. There, prostrating her- self, she poured forth her soul in prayer, and her face bedewed with tears, she would not rise from the ground until her petition was heard. She was restored miraculously to theuse of vision. Then, to manifest her gratitude to the holy Martyr, she formed a resolution of there fixing her abode. She caused a cell and a chapel to be built, so that her gratitude should remain lasting and tangible. There she spent whole days and nights in prayer, while some of those virgins, who accompanied her from Scotia, shared in her pious exer-
&c. , pp. 177, 178, Paris, 8vo, 1705.
*6 See Les Petits Bollandistes " Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, pp. S29> 53°-
1 He departed this life on the 28th of Oc-
Langue Celtique," tome ii.
20 He has been " Saltus Bri- Latinized,
'5 it is Again,
that she was
ter to David, King of Scotland and of Mar- garet his Queen. Besides her brother St.
stated,
daugh-
Fiacre is
son, according to a statement given as a
fable, by Chifflet. See the Bollandists'
"ActaSanctorum,"tomusii. ,Juniiviii. De consolation,parcequ'ilm'apprendraesde- S. Syra, vel Syria, in Territorio Trecensi in
Gallia. Appendix Critica, num. 13, p. 65.
absurdly
said to have been their
tober—the date for his festival—a. d.
672,
" CEuvres Completes," tome vii. , col. 634, l'Abbe Migne's edition,
22 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"
having governed the Church of Meaux for
forty-six years. See Dom. Toussaints Du vol. vi. , June viii.
*3 On the left bank of the Seine, the capital
of Aube Department, containing a splendid
Her chief feast is held on the 6th of De-
cember. She departed this life on the 3rd "Gazetteer of the World," vol. xiii. , p.
" tome i. , liv, i.
Plessis'
Histoire de l'Eglise de Meaux,"
'•
cathedral, the seat of an Archbishop. See
of April, about the year 655. See ibid.
'» However, we do not find this word, under either form in the Dictionnaire Celti- que of M. Bullet, in his " Memoires sur la
176.
2« His festival occurs, at the 29th of
January,
2s St. Poma, Virgin of Chalons-sur-Marne,
geus. "
ai "
In Pensees Chretiennes et Morales,"
he " Elle enfanta a Saint says : Jesus-Christ
Faron, son frere, que je ne puis nommer sans confusion ei sans consolation : sans
voirs ; sans confusion, parce qu'il m'accable mon infirmite par l'example de ses vertus. Diocese de Meaux, ce que tu dois a Fare e—st inestimable
; tu lui dois Saint Faron. "
248 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
cises. From this place, she occasionally visited Chalons, and she withdrew often to the pious virgins of the community of Sainte-Pome. 25 She communi- cated to them that Divine fire of love, with which her heart was filled, repeat-
ing often these beautiful words " Oh vile, despicable and infected is earth
:
to me, when I look upon Heaven ! Vanity of vanities and all is vanity,
except to serve God, and to love Him only !
" The reputation of Syra's great sanctity soon spread through all the surrounding country. A request was made to her, that she would quit her cell to visit a community of women, which
hadrelaxedreligiousfervour,inorderthatagainshemightrestoreit. Through humility, not conceiving herself called to become a religious reformer, and doubting her powers of persuasion, she hesitated for a long time. How-
ever, to promote God's greater glory in the salvation of souls, she accepted the mission, at last, and she laboured zealously to effect the desired change. She succeeded, in an admirable manner, not less to her own astonishment, than to that of others, who knew the disagreeable nature of her task. Having thus restored order in that community, she returned to her little cell, near the tomb of St. Savinien. There she buried herself in exercises of penitence to
She departed on the 8th of June, sometime in the 2
!
26 The tocrownSt. sooncalledher Almighty, willing Syra,
theendofher
away from this life.
seventh century. It is said, by some writers, ? the year of her departure was
days.
640 to itwasa. d. ; according Dempster,
28 Her was
body buried,
643.
according to one statement, in the small chapel she had built, near the tomb
of St. Savinien. It was deposited within a stone coffin. Another account has it, that she departed this life at or near Meaux, where her spiritual fathers, St. Fiacre and St. Faro, lived. A part of St. Syra's relics remain in theplace,wheresheissaidtohavedied,atTroyes. There,too,wasbuilta small church, greatly frequented by pilgrims, while numberless miracles were wrought at her tomb. 2 ? A part of her relics were transferred to Troyes. A long time after her death, during the episcopate of Jean d'Aubinac and Jean d'Auxey at Troyes, her remains were in a shrine of brass, adorned with chas- ings of silver, and with several small images. In the year 1300, Henri de Noa, dean of Troyes, established a rich foundation to celebrate annually, in the church at Troyes, the festival of St. Syra, with an Office of Nine Lessons. In the seventeenth century, her coffin was to be seen, in the little chapel consecratedtohermemory. AccordingtotheRev. AlbanButler,3°shewas
is venerated on the 27th of June and on the
8th of August.
26 If we are to believe Dempster, she
wrote " De Sancta Monica," lib. i. , "Me-
"
Exhortationes ad These are stated, to be kept in the religious houses dedicated to her in Champaigne. See " Historia Ecclesias- tica Gentis bcotorum," tonius ii. , lib. xvii. ,
"
Regia Campanis celebrata est Syria terris,
Cujus quisque piam percipit seger openi.
Linquit arenosos per te gravis hernia renes,
Sanatur meritis fraclio quaeque tuis. Talibus ore meam serves cruciatibus
alvum :
Credimus es tanti vera medela
mali
Ora pro nobis summum, pia Syria,
Regem,
Ut scrupuloso curet viscera nostra
gravi. "
ditationes," lib. i. , and Sorores," lib. i.
num. 1057, p. 577.
27 See Les Petiis Bollandistes'
"
Vies des Saints," tome vi. , viiie Jour de Juin, p.
:
530.
28 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii,, num. 1037,
P. 577- 3»FromanoldManuscript,weinsertthe
following verses, referring to St. Syria, whose intercession was deemed to be spe-
cially pow—erful for the cure of very painful
From the word Regia, in the foregoing line, Menard considers the saint invoked to have been of royal descent, and not to be distin- guished from that Syria, the sister of St.
diseases
:
Fiacre,
and
daughter
to the Scottish
king.
June 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 249
honoured at Troyes on the 8th of June p1 while her festival was kept at Meaux, on the 23rd of October. 32 In Champagne, it is said several churches and religious houses have been dedicated to her. 33 In Scotland, this holy woman was likewise venerated, as we find an entry in the Kalendar of Adam King, at the 8th of June, regarding S. Syre, sister to S. Fiacre. 34 Her festival is inserted in the " Menologium Scotorum "3S of Thomas Dempster. 36 Her feast is also entered, in the Gallic Martyrology of Saussaye. The name of St. Syra, Virgin, occurs in Butler's Lives of the Saints,37 and in the Circle of
The shrine of St. was cast in the Syra
the 8 at the 8th of Seasons,3
June.
flames, on the 2 7th of March, 1 794 ; but, it pleased the Almighty, to preserve
the remains of His servant. Her relics were authenticated in 1826, and in 1835. Portions of St. Syra's remains are yet preserved in the Parishes of St.
Martin-es-Vignes, of Rilly-Sainte-Syre, of Chene, and of Jully-le-Chatel. 39 Irrespective of foreign testimonies, we do not know, that the present saint had been honoured in Ireland,40 at this date.
Article IV. —St. Airmedach, or Ermedhach, Abbot of Cong,
County of Mavo. On the 8th of in the of
Regular
of the Order of St. 6 The ruins at Augustine.
Cong
^ are
yet seen,
30 See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs Kelly, p. xxvi.
and other principal Saints," vol. vi. , June viii. 31 At this date, in Manuscript Martyrolo-
2
There is an engraving, with a descrip-
gies belonging
to and to the Carme- Troyes
Grose's " of vol. Antiquities Ireland," ii. , p.
81. The view is from an original drawing,
by Bigari.
3 His feast has been assigned to the 17th
of April, where a further account of him and of Cong may be found in Volume iv. of this work, at that date, Art. ii.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
5 See William F. Wakeman's Tourists'
Guide to Ireland," p. 275.
6 An various
account of the Congrega-
tions belonging to the Augustinian Order may be found in " Histoire Complete et Costumes des Ordres Monastiques, Reli- gieux et Militaires, et des Congregations Seculieres des deux Sexes ;" par le R. P. Helyot, avec Notice, Annotationis et Com- plement, par V. Philipon de la Madelaine, tomeii. , pp. 261 to 335.
7 Forillustrations anda descriptionof them, the tourist is referred to " Handbook of the Midland Great Western Railway, and Guide to Connemara and the West of Ireland,"
pp. 61 to 64.
lite Monastery at Cologne, this feast is en-
32 See, also, our notices of St. Syra or St. Sira, at the same day.
" tered :
In territorio Tricassinensi B. Syrise matronae. "
"
Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii. , num.
33 See Dempster's
Historia Ecclesiastica
1037, p. 577-
34 See Bishop Forbes'
tish Saints," p. 154-
36 See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints," p. 202.
37 See vol. vi. , viii. June.
38 See p. 160.
39 See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des
Saints," tomevi. , viiie Juin, pp. 530, 531.
40 The Rev. Alban Butler states, that in
of our Island, she had been vene- rated, on the 8th of June. See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"
55 :" In Thus
Campania Syrae regis filiae, S. Fiacrii sororis, ML. BT. "
some
parts
vol. vi. , June vii—i. Article iv.
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
1 June, Martyrology Tallagh,
appearsthenameAirmedachaCunga. ThisplaceisnowknownasCong,
delightfully situated at the head of Lough Corrib, and in the county of Mayo. 2 About its early ecclesiastical history, little appears to be known ; but, it is
probable, a bishop had been here, from an early period. The founder seems to have been a St. Molocus, or as otherwise called St. Loichen,3 whose name is found to be connected with the place. But his period does not appear to have been discovered. In n14, Cunga was destroyed by fire;4 and, as Gilla-Keerin O'Roda and O'Draeda, two of its Erenachs or Conventual superiors, are stated to have died, a. d. 1 127-28, it is not improbable, 5 that some time within these dates, a fine abbey was founded, which belonged to Canons
tion of Cong Abbey, County of Mayo, in
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 998, 999. ""
Kalendars of Scot-
250 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
inagoodstateofpreservation; and,theyareatrulypicturesquegroup,ina district celebrated for the loveliness of its natural features. They have
undergone restoration, at the instance and expense of the lately deceased
public-spirited proprietor, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. 8 Though not exactly an island, Cong is surrounded by water ; while the town or rather village is
situated upon an isthmus, by which Loughs Corrib and Mask are divided. "
TheoldnameCunga,inIrish,means aneck,"sothatthesiteisveryappro-
priately described, as indeed, many of the Celtic denominations preserved in Ireland are indicative of the local peculiarities connected with them. 9 The
delightfully situated village of Cong is remarkably rich in scenery, natural wonders, and antiquities. Here, there is a curious cave , called u the Pigeon Hole," to which a flight of stone steps descends, from the upper surface of the
nificent mansion, while
a — the feast of
while, at the bottom, runs a subterraneous river, that petrifies
blocks. 10 We find, set down in the of 11 Martyrology Donegal,
ground outside ;
Article V. —St. Murchon, or Murchu, Mac Ua Maichtene.
Except our knowledge, that the present holy man lived at an early period, nothing seems to have been discovered, to ascertain his identity and place.
into
that a festival in honour of Ermedhach, Abbot of Conga, was celebrated on this day.
transparent
The festival of Murchu is announced in the " Feilire" of St.
8th of June, and in terms denoting its importance. A comment adds, that he was son of Ua-Mathcene, and that his city was in Ui-Faelain. 2 The exact locality, however, is not specified. Another saint, called Murchu, is venerated, also, in our Martyrologies, at the 12th ofJune. 3 This name appears as Murchon Mac h. Machteni, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,* at the 8th of June. However, the patronymic does not give a clue to his remote ancestry. He is also commemorated, in the Martyrology ©f Marianus O'Gorman ; but, without any particulars, to indicate his date or history. Notwithstanding, it seems probable enough, that he flourished in the seventh century, and that he was addicted to literary pursuits. This may be gleaned, from some detached indications, as existing in an undoubtedly ancient and genuine
document. An ancient writer of St. Patrick's Acts, called Machutenus in Latin,5 issupposedtohavebeenidenticalwithMuirchuMaccuMactheni,a copy of whose Vita S. Patricii 6 is to be found in that very old Manuscript,
8 He purchased the estate on which they are situated, and near Cong he built a mag-
In English: "The reception of the Holy Job after victory and white battle : the feast
of Medran
Murchu with
well all resident Irish landlord. His son and successor has been created Lord
Ardilaun.
9 See William F. Wakeman's "Tourists'
Guide to Ireland," p. 275.
Bishop Pococke said it was the most b—eautiful place he had seen in all his travels. " Rev. G. Hansbrow's " Improved Topo- graphical and Historical Hibernian Gazet-
teer," p. 180.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
the duties of a
good
Transactions
10 "
of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manu-
script Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar
of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
xciii.
3
See ibid. , p. xcix.
3 As his feast does not occur in the
" Feilire," at this date, he is probably later in point of time than the present holy man.
