"
Third edition, Appendix I.
Third edition, Appendix I.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Baring-
Gould. 13 Among the list of lives unpublished by Colgan, as we find from
Charles MacDonnell's paper, is the name of St. Gunifort, and entered for the
August.
With the history of the present holy man is associated that of a saintly
brother, named Guiniboldus, and two sisters, whose names are unknown ; but, all of these suffered death, for the sake of Christ. The period when these holy persons flourished has been contested by several writers. While
22ndof 1*
Article ii. —Chapter i. — We learn
from them, that they had been composed at a time, when the ancient Roman denomina- tion of Ticinum had been changed to the more modern one of Papia or Pavia,
' 2 We can infer, from a certain
those Acts, that they were composed as a
3 In that collection, known as M Sanctua- rium, sive Vitoe Sanctorum," which appeared in two folio volumes, at Milan, a. d. 1479, and it is a very rare work. The Acts of St. Guinefortius are contained in tomus i. , fol. cccxxxviii. , tt seq.
4 He was born, a. d. 1424, at Milan, and he belonged to a patrician family. He was
phie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne," tome xxviii. , pp. 590, 591.
5 He reigned from a. d, 147 i to 1484. See Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of His-
tory,"p. 211.
6 In his " Diarium Sacrum Ecclesise Me-
diolanensis," at the 22nd of August,
7 In his ' ' Generalis Sanctorum Catalogus
the author of
esteemed works. His
' 3 In " Actuum Sanctorum Catalogus
and delivered on the of feast-day
panegyric,
the glorious Martyr Guinifortus, from these added words, "cujus hodie festum cele- bramus. "
Italiae," at the 22nd of August, 8"
many
death is supposed to have occurred, about
"
the year 1482. See Michaud's Biogra-
quae Ms. habentur, Ordine Mensium et Die-
passage
in
In Sanctuarium Papise," lib. vi. ,
ix.
9 See tomus i. , lib. vii. , num. 575.
l0 "
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au-
gusti xxii. De S. Guniforto Martyre Ticini in Italia, pp. 524 to 530.
,x
They have been taken from Boninus Mombritius.
cap.
" See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , pp. 235, 236.
rum. "
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 22.
x* of
persecution
the tyrant Maximiam,1 * and allege good reasons for their opinion ; others l6 refer their martyrdom to the times of Honorius1 ' and of Theodosius II. l8 sur-
some assert their deaths must have taken the place during
,
namedtheYounger. Theselatter,however,wereChristianemperors. There are writers, such as Galesinius and Ferrarius, who consider their martyrdom to have occurred, at a time when the Arian heresy prevailed '9 but, it seems to
;
be sufficiently well established, that paganism was in the ascendant throughout the whole Roman Empire when they suffered for the Faith. It is strange that Castellan,20 who enters St. Gunifortus in his Martyrology, at the 22nd of August, as he found it in the Roman Martyrology, could have confounded the present holy man with St. Cucuphas," Latinized Cucufatus, whose festivaloccursonthe25thofJuly. " Moreover,hehasthoughtitestablished, thatatTicinum33 orPaviathelattersaint'srelicshadbeentranslated,and that the festival of Cucufas' translation thither had been kept there on the
22nd of August, but under the name of St. Gunifortus. 2* However, such a
very improbable statement leans upon no reasonable grounds, while it is
opposed to all written and oral traditions of the historians and people of
Pavia. Nor is there any resemblance in the names of St. Cucufatus and
Gunifortus, whereby they might be mistaken one for the other. Moreover,
such a rash opinion has been well refuted by the Bollandist Fathers Bosch a *
26
and Cuper.
According to Dempster, who has an account of him,2 ? the Martyr St.
Gunifort and his two sisters were natives of Scotland. However, only in a general way do the most ancient accounts term them Scoti, or Scots; and, it is now universally conceded, by the modern historians of Ireland and of
14 Such is the opinion of Tattus, in his Annals of Como, published a. d. 1663, lib. iii. , cap. xxxvii. , et seq.
15 This persecutor strangled himself in
acts of the saints.
February, A. D. 310. See M. Le Dr. xxve Jour de Juillet, pp. 33, 34.
" 32 " "
Hoeffer's Nouvelle Biographie Generate," tome xxxiv. , col. 484.
At that date, in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, tomus vi. , his Acts have been edited by Father Boschius, S. J.
23 A city in Insubria, Italy.
24 This opinion is set forth, at the 15th day of February, p. 656, in his Universal
16
ster.
x? He succeeded his father, Theodosius
the Great, with his brother Arcadius, A. D.
Such is the statement of Thomas Demp-
395. They divided the Empire between Martyrology.
them. Honorius fixed his seat of power at
Rome, and became the first Roman Emperor
of the West. Arcadius selected Constanti-
nople for his capital, and became first ruler
of the Eastern Roman Empire. Honorius suffered martyrdom, as also how diverse are died of a dropsy, in the thirty-ninth year of
his age, A. D. 423. See the "Popular Ency- clopaedia, or Conversations Lexicon," vol. iii. , pp. 787, 788.
the particulars set down in their respective Acts.
18 He was the son of
and
26
At the present date.
3? In the " Menologium Scotorum," at t—he
Knight's
phy," vol. v. , col. 1006.
19 This mistake seems to have occurred, because in the saint's panegyric his perse- cutors have been called heretics. However, even Ferrarius himself, in the Acts of St. Daniel the Martyr, at this same day, seems to consider that the terms hceretici and idolatri are sometimes confounded in ancient
Bishop Forbes'
Saints," p. 209.
33
•*
Ka'lendars of Scottish
Arcadius,
grand-
22nd of
{August,
is the notice: following
son to Theodosius the Great. He was born " Mediolani Gunifortis martyris qui cum
on the 10th of April, A. D. 401. He died on duas sorores in Germaniabarbarorum gladio
the 28th of July, a. d. 450. See Charles interemptas amisisset, et frater ipsius Comi
"
English Cyclopaedia of Biogra-
occubuisset caesus pro Christo, ipse sagittis confixus a paganis, inde Ticinum abiit, et in paupertina vetulae domo animam beatam coelo reddidit, et tugurium illud in templum versum est, et ille civitatis patronus colitur, actaque in sanctuario Papiae extant. M. "—
20 21
The French Martyrologist.
See a brief account of him in Les Petits
Bollandistes, " Vies des Saints," tome ix. ,
35 At the 25th day of July, in a previous commentary to the Acts of St. Cucufatus, he shows how different are the countries and the places, where he and St. Gunifortus
Not undertaking to settle the question,
August 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 325
Scotland, that long after the introduction of Christianity to both countries, the terms Scotus and Scoti applied in use, only to a native or natives of Ireland.
However, those pious brothers and sisters were Scots28 by race, and of a noble family, as declared in their ancient panegyric. Whether their parents had been Christians is not distinctly stated. Still, it is related, that inspired with a desire to gain over souls to Christ in Pagan lands, and if necessary in this endeavour to encounter martyrdom ; the two brothers and their two sisters resolved on leaving their parents, friends, and native country to make that heroic sacrifice. Their parents and friends remonstrated in vain, offering various inducements and persuasions, to divert their minds from such a purpose.
Having borne with this opposition for a long time, in the kingdom of Scotia ; at length, they were resolved to seek escape from such importunities, and all four left their native country to journey afar in strange and distant lands. After enduring much fatigue in their travels and many hardships, through the ProvidenceofGoddirecting,theycametotheterritoryofthePaganTeutons. 3? There the fury of persecution beset the most holy brothers, Guinefortus and Guiniboldus, with their two devoted sisters. These latter were remarkable, not alone for beautiful features, but for their purity of heart and strength of mind. BytheferociousTeutons,thisnoblebandofbrothersandsistershad been subjected to every species of insult and injury. At length, both of the holy sisters were martyred in the territory of the Teutons ; yet, that particular kind of death they endured has not been recorded. However, they thus escaped all temporal townents, and passed to the embraces of their Divine spouse, Jesus Christ. Their sacred remains appear to have rested in the place of their martyrdom, although no knowledge of the exact spot has been preserved.
The two surviving brothers grieved that their beloved sisters had been thus
deprived of life, or rather that these had preceded them, in obtaining the glorious crown of martyrdom. The brothers even reproached the cruel Teutons, according to the Legend, that they were not offered up as sacrifices atthesametimeforthecauseofChrist. Forusingthesewords,althoughthreats and angry manifestations were returned, yet the Pagans could not but admire their wonderful fortitude and courage. They deigned, even, to ask for an ex- planation of the Faith that was in them ; and, the holy brothers gratified them in that respect, but apparently without making much impression on their obdurate and stony hearts. Nevertheless, the Teutons persisted in re- quiring that they should offer sacrifice to idols. The holy brothers then declared their resolution to die, rather than do so.
Whereupon, admiring their resolution, and knowing them to be good men, the Teutons would not
put them to death. 3°
as to whether these saints were natives of 3° The Acts then state : * Unde Christi Scotland or of Ireland, the editor Cuper martyres maxime turbati dicebant. Servi
refers in his commentary to what Father Bollandus had already written on such a sub- ject, in the earlier volumes of his great col-
Christi sumus, qui natus est de Virgine, et pro eo mortem subire cupimus. Deinde his verbis se vicissim alloquuntur : Nos infeli-
lection, when this matter had been more ciores mulieribus sumus : sorores namque
earnestly and ignorantly discussed than it is
at present.
2 » In the anonymous Acts of our saint they
are designated Theotonici, a term equivalent to Tutones, and a name applied by Latin writers to the people of Germany.
nostrae coronam martyrii a Deo sibi promis- "
sam accipere meruerunt. "— Acta Sancto- rum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. Acta S. Guniforti Martyris, auctore anonymo in- certa setatis, cap. i. , num. I to 9, pp. 527, 528 .
326
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
CHAPTER II.
THE BROTHER SAINTS GUINIPORT AND GUINIBOLD LEAVE GERMANY FOR NORTHERN ITALY—THEY ARE ARRESTED AT COMO, AND GUINIBOLD IS THERE MARTYRED— GUINIFORT ESCAPES TO MILAN, WHERE HE IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH—LEFT FOR DEAD, HE NEVERTHELESS SURVIVES AND ENTERS PAVIA, WHERE HE DIES OF HIS WOUNDS—HE IS BURIED IN THE CHURCH OF ST. ROMANUS—MIRACLES WROUGHT AT HIS TOMB—COMMEMORATION OF HIS FEAST—CONCLUSION.
After the death of their sisters, the two noble brothers, Guinifort and
1
Guinibold, filled with the heroic desire to gain like them the crown of
martyrdom, resolved on travelling to Italy, where persecution raged against the Christians at that period. This seems to have been during the time of the Pagan Emperors ; and before the Arians had attempted to spread their errors there, notwithstanding a doubtful observation contained in the Acts of our saints, which might lead the reader to suppose that their persecutors were heretics. 9
Their journey was made accordingly to the city of Como,3 where the Roman authority then prevailed, and where the followers of Christ were daily subjected to torments and death. However, they were not afraid to appear in the public places of the pagans, at Como,* and to announce themselves Christians, while reproaching the lictors for great cruelties towards their brethrenintheFaith. s Totheauthoritiestheywerethendenounced,andthe Praetororderedthemtobearrestedandbroughtbeforehim. Atthattime, Guinifort and Guinibold were found preaching the doctrines of Christ to a great multitude of willing listeners in the public streets. However, the brothers did not obey that first summons, and [the Praetor's emissaries returned to him with a report, that they disregarded his threats, and that
6
nearly all the inhabitants followed them.
VVhereupon, the chief magistrate at Como ordered a great number of armed men to proceed thither, and making them prisoners, to bring them into his presence. Being asked whence they came, and why they attempted to seduce the people, the brothers courageously replied: "We are Scots by race, and Christians by profession ; but, we seduce not your people, rather do we invite the sons of God to the country of eternal happiness. " Then the Prefect asked whom did they regard as the sons of God, when they immedi-
ately replied,
" Those whom He hath redeemed with His most
precious
Chapter il—* By some writers they are named Winifortis and Winibald. See Rev.
S. Baring-Gould's 'Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , p. 235.
4 The Latin writers usually style it Novo- comum.
s The narrative contained in the anony-
mous Acts indicates a period when idolatry
still prevailed in Northern Italy, and especi- ally in Como.
*
In the anonymous Acts of our saint, they are called Cumani, instead of their proper designation Comenses. The Cumani were a
3
These words are, "cum gravis infidelium
haereticorum oriretur persecutio ;
"
but the
context afterwards clearly shows, that their
persecutors were in the habit of sacrificing
extremity of the beautiful Lago di Como, and it is built around the semicircular termination of that lake. The Romans called it Comum or Novicomum. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of a small republic belonging to the Ghibelline party. It was taken and burnt
to idols.
3 It is situated at the south-west
of Cuma celebrated as the residence of the Cuman or Cumaean Sybil. There were various other Sybils in different places, and a curious account of them may be found in Dr.
Augustus Jessopp's edition of Very Rev. Dr. F. C. Hussenbeth's " Emblems of Saints.
"
Third edition, Appendix I. Iconography of the Sibyls, by W. Marsh, pp. 403 to 426.
7 The day and year of his martyrdom
by the Milanese in 1127 and again in 127 1. "
See Gazetteer of the World," vol. iv. , pp. *34> 635-
of their
being
people Campania
;
city
August 22. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 327
blood. " Filled with rage, on receiving such a reply, the tyrant commanded them to be led through the public streets of that city, and afterwards to be
decapitated. Thinking that by ordering one to be sacrificed in presence of the other, the survivor might be moved through fear of death to apostatize ; while the brothers were congratulating each other, that they were to suffer martyrdom together, Gunibold was beheaded,1 at the place of public execution, and Guinifort was released for that time. During the night, the Christians came stealthily and removed the remains of the martyr Gunibold for interment. From that to the present period, his sacred relics have remained at Como.
It does not seem likely, that Guinifort long survived. However, filled with zeal to preach the words of life, he went alone to Milan, where he con- verted many to the true Faith, for which he still desired to suffer, and to share the glorious crowns of his beloved sisters and brother. 8 Nor were his hopes long deferred, for having been apprehended once more, Gunifort was again brought before the judges, and ordered by them to sacrifice before their
idols. * He " I desire most replied :
to sacrifice
God. " u Whom do you call the living God ? " asked his persecutor. He then
earnestly
myself
to the
living
answered: "Jesus Christ is the living God and man, who created and redeemed me with His precious blood. " Then, the pagan judge commanded himtobeconductedwithoutthecity,andtobebeheaded. Moreover,while he was led to that place destined for his execution, the lictors were ordered to inflict severe stripes upon him, and to discharge arrows against his body. Thatcruelsentencetheystrictlyobeyed. Theystruckhimrepeatedlywith stones and until he was all covered with wounds. 10
arrows,
loss of blood, the glorious Martyr fell to the ground, before he arrived at the
place destined for his execution. Then he exclaimed
eternal glory, O clement Father, receive my body and soul, which I offer to Thee as a sacrifice. " He then lay prostrate on the earth, and apparently lifeless. Thinking he was dead, the persecutors left him there, and then
departed.
After remaining for some time in that state of helplessness, it pleased the
AlmightytogiveGuinefortstrengthtorise; yet,althoughthusseverelyinjured and acutely suffering, with arrows fixed in his body and which he could not ex- tract, he was enabled nevertheless to reach the noble city of Papia. In the Roman times, it was called Ticinum after the river Ticinus," now the Tesino, which flows by its walls ; but, between the sixth and eighth centuries, the ancient name disappeared, and it assumed the appellation of Papia, softened by Italian euphony into Pavia. " There a pious Christian woman, who
have not been recorded, nor is any date for his festival known.
8 In his poetic Martyrology, at this date, Brautius commemorates these four :—
" His panegyrist states, "hinc atque inde sanctissimum Martyrem sagittis repleverunt, ut quasi ericius videretur. "
" It is thus c—elebrated in the poem of C.
11
Germano passo, geminisque sorori-
Silius Italicus
:
*' CseruleasTicinusaquasetstagnavadoso Perspicuus servat turbari nescia fundo, Ac nitidum viridi lente trahit amne
liquorum. "
—" Punicorum," lib. iv. , vv. 82-84,
" See Rev. John Chetwode Eustace'- "Classical Tour through Italy, An. MDCCCII. ," vol. hi. , chap, xv. , pp. 507 to 509.
arsit
Martyrio, donee fossus et ustus obit. "
bus,
9 Thisstatementrevealsthecircumstance, that the martyrdom of our saint occurred when the people of Milan were for the most part idolaters, and not during the time of the Arians, as Jacobus Gualla relates, in his work, " Sanctuarium Papise," lib. vii. , cap. ix.
:
Fainting through
" O Lord, King of
328 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
dwelt near the Church of St. Romanus, received him with great charity and
veneration, while she tended him with great care for the three days he survived
in her house. But then his time had arrived to receive the eternal crown,
and departing this life, his soul ascended to join his sisters and brother in
Paradise. At that moment, the wonders of the Almighty were manifested on
behalf of his devoted servant ; for the Angels of Heaven stood around the
sacred remains, filling the whole house with resplendent light, and with a
most fragrant odour. At the same time were heard these joyous words of
Divine " Blessed be the Lord, who is in His saints. " praise : always glorious
In the Panegyric of St. Guinefort, we are told, that he was interred on the eleventh of the September Kalends (August 22nd), in the Church of St. Mary, near the Church of the great St. Romanus, where afterwards the Almighty was pleased to work many miracles, in honour of His holy Martyr. Many blind persons visiting his tomb were restored to sight. Numbers of lepers and other infirm persons, on going there, were also restored to health, through the prayers of St. Guinifort. These miracles shed no slight lustre and renown on Pavia, the city in which his relics had been preserved. Without the walls of Pavia is a church dedicated to St. Gunifort but at
;
Milan, where he suffered for the Faith, although the common people usually called him Bonifort, little was known regarding him, and such was likewise the
case in respect to his brother the Martyr Guinibold at Como. ^
The present holy Martyr is commemorated in the Roman Martyr-
1
ology, * on the 22nd August. Besides, on this same day, various
ecclesiastical writers have noted his feast, which appears to have been celebrated, not on the day of his death, but on that of his interment at Pavia. AmongthesewritersaretheauthorofhisancientActs,PietroPaulo
Bosca, Joannes Baptista Carisius, Aloysius Tatti, Jacobus Gualla, Petrus
1* 16 —Ferarius, andFatherStephenWhite
Galesinus,andtheBollandists. Philip
alsocommemoratehim. Dempster whocla— Scot,together
ims him as a
with his brother St. Gunibald and his sisters agrees as to the date for his feast. ** Gunifort, also called Gunifortis and Gunifortus in ancient writings,
was regarded with special veneration in the city of Pavia.
Among the courageous and zealous Irish Martyrs who suffered for the
Faith, the holy brothers Guinefort and Gunibold, with their two nameless sisters, deserve to be held in especial veneration. From the society of family and of friends, and from the attractions of home, they resolved to take up their cross and to follow Christ. Faithful to Him in their lives and deaths, their sacrifice was accepted, and their final reward had been secured, when their sufferings were over in this world, and crowned with the laurel of martyrdom,
Article III. —St. Beoghna, Abbot of Bangor, County of Down. [Sixth and Seventh Centuries. '] Doubtless where he had so long, as student, priest, and high official, discharged his duties with honour to himself and with benefit to all who came within the sphere of his influence, the memory
of this holy abbot must have been held in benediction. In a misplaced 1
manner, the published Martyrology of Tallagh enters this saint, as Beogaes,
13 Such are the statements of Pietro Paulo ,<s "See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap.
"
Bosca, in his Martyrologium Mediola- iv. , p. 39.
nense. "
*7 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
14
Th—us: "Papiae sancti Guniforti Mar-
Scotorum," tomus
lib. vii. , num.
tyris. " "Martyrologium Romanum," p. 12a. Editio novissima Romse, 1878-fol.
309.
Article hi. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
*
21
Italise. " Thus beogAer nuc "OAig^e ab benn.
15 In "Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum Kelly, p. xxxii.
i. ,
575, p.
August 22. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
329
Abb. Bennchoir. Anotherentryisevidentlyallowedtointervene,between
thefirstandthelastofthesedenominations. Inthatcopycontainedinthe
Book of Leinster his name and that of his father are 3 The name of , given.
the latter, according to that record was Daigre. His record and feast are
set down by Marianus O'Gorman, at the 22nd of August. 3 The present
holymanwasborn,probablyintheearlyhalfofthesixthcentury. Itseems
quite likely, that his religious profession must have been made under St.
Comgall,4 the first founder of Bangor, and who was called away from this
life, on the 10th of May, a. d. 6oi. s Soon after his decease, it would ap-
pear, that St. Beoghna was elected to succeed him. However, he did not long
survive his illustrious predecessor. The age of Christ, when the holy man
resigned his spirit to heaven, was 605, according to the Annals of the Four
Masters. 6 At this date of August 22nd, in the Martyrology of Donegal,? we
likewise find a festival recorded, in honour of Beoghna, Abbot of Bennchor,
after Comhgall. In that carefully compiled Calendar, referring to the
Diocese of Down, Connor, and Dromore, his feast has been registered for
8
this day.
Coolbanagher Old Church, Queen's County
Article IV. —St. Sinche, Daughter or Annudh, of Cuil-bennchuir
probably Coolbanagher, Queen's County. At the 22nd of August, in 1
the published Martyrology of Tallagh, appears a festival in honor of Sae Sinche. We read this entry somewhat differently, in that copy contained in the BookofLeinster,2andatthissamedate. TheMartyrologyofDonegal,3 on
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- feast is set down at the 12th, instead of the nian," Februarii xxviii. De S. Sillano sive 22nd, ofAugust.
3 See
Silvano Abbate Benchorensi, nn. 6, 7, p.
424.
4 See his Life in the Fifth Volume of this
work, at the 10th of May, Art. i.
s
See
Rev. Dr.
"
Ecclesiastical
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix ll. , p. 379.
Colgan's
Lanigan's
— Kelly, p. xxxii.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap x. , sect.
xii. , p. 63, and n. 207, p. 69.
6
pp. 230, 231. An oversight or a misprint occurs in the English translation, where his
Article iv.
l
Edited
by Rev. Dr.
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
2 Thus CumetuA^uffeeSinchi.
:
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
226, 227.
8 See Rev. William Reeve's " Ecclesias-
330 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
this day, records the name as Sinche, daughter of Annudh, of Cuil-benchuir.
This place may probably be identical with Coolbanagher, or Coolbenger, a parish in the barony of Portnahinch, in the northern part of the Queen's County. '* The old church of Coolbanaghers yet remains in a ruinous state, and its surrounding graveyard is now used as a place of burial. Tradition
date of erection. There are two divisions in this church yet visible most probably the nave and choir. A wall appears to have separated both, but a large pointed doorway afforded a communi- cation. The nave, on the outside, measures thirty-two feet in length by twenty-two feet in breadth. The outside wall of the choir measures twenty- eight feet, in length, by sixteen feet, in breadth. The inside of the building is filled with loose stones and rubbish. A narrow low door, now stopped up
with masonry, appears beneath an overshadowing mass of ivy, on the west- ern gable ; and a door seems to have been subsequently opened, on the southern side wall, probably, when the former one had been closed. A splayed window opened on either side of the nave. A splayed and ruinous east window formerly lighted the choir, the side walls of which are now nearlylevelwiththeground. Therearenotombs,atpresent,inthegrave- yard or church, but such as bear modern inscriptions. The old building is
6 seems to be
Nothing known, however,
to the —an assigns building early
of
regarding the period at which this holy virgin flourished.
apparently
very great antiquity.
Article V. —St. Cummene or Cummein. In that copy of the
Martyrology of Tallagh, found in the Book of Leinster, the entry of
Curamen's name is united with that of Sinche. 1 In the
published Martyr-
of 2 at this same date, the is Cummene ocus Sae Sinche. ology Tallagh, entry
According to the Martyrology of Marianus 0'Gorman,3 as also of an Irish Kalendar in the Koyal Irish Academy,* veneration was given to a St. Cummene or Cuimein, at the 22nd of August. There is a Killcummin, near Killala, and in the churchyard of that place is shown Saint Commyn's tomb. * Anciently there was a chapel, at a place called Glennahania, in the Deanery ofKells,andCountyofMeath. Perhapsalsotherewasamonastery. The place called Tempull Cummain, and the holy well near it, still known as
6
and when funeralsarepassingby,theDeProfundi'sis yetentonedbytheprocession-
Tobar Cummain, remain. Pilgrimages used to be made thither,
*"
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary illustration,
— 5 It adjoins the ruins of Coolbanagher ^gup rce Sinchi.
of Ireland," vol. i.
Gould. 13 Among the list of lives unpublished by Colgan, as we find from
Charles MacDonnell's paper, is the name of St. Gunifort, and entered for the
August.
With the history of the present holy man is associated that of a saintly
brother, named Guiniboldus, and two sisters, whose names are unknown ; but, all of these suffered death, for the sake of Christ. The period when these holy persons flourished has been contested by several writers. While
22ndof 1*
Article ii. —Chapter i. — We learn
from them, that they had been composed at a time, when the ancient Roman denomina- tion of Ticinum had been changed to the more modern one of Papia or Pavia,
' 2 We can infer, from a certain
those Acts, that they were composed as a
3 In that collection, known as M Sanctua- rium, sive Vitoe Sanctorum," which appeared in two folio volumes, at Milan, a. d. 1479, and it is a very rare work. The Acts of St. Guinefortius are contained in tomus i. , fol. cccxxxviii. , tt seq.
4 He was born, a. d. 1424, at Milan, and he belonged to a patrician family. He was
phie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne," tome xxviii. , pp. 590, 591.
5 He reigned from a. d, 147 i to 1484. See Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of His-
tory,"p. 211.
6 In his " Diarium Sacrum Ecclesise Me-
diolanensis," at the 22nd of August,
7 In his ' ' Generalis Sanctorum Catalogus
the author of
esteemed works. His
' 3 In " Actuum Sanctorum Catalogus
and delivered on the of feast-day
panegyric,
the glorious Martyr Guinifortus, from these added words, "cujus hodie festum cele- bramus. "
Italiae," at the 22nd of August, 8"
many
death is supposed to have occurred, about
"
the year 1482. See Michaud's Biogra-
quae Ms. habentur, Ordine Mensium et Die-
passage
in
In Sanctuarium Papise," lib. vi. ,
ix.
9 See tomus i. , lib. vii. , num. 575.
l0 "
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au-
gusti xxii. De S. Guniforto Martyre Ticini in Italia, pp. 524 to 530.
,x
They have been taken from Boninus Mombritius.
cap.
" See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , pp. 235, 236.
rum. "
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 22.
x* of
persecution
the tyrant Maximiam,1 * and allege good reasons for their opinion ; others l6 refer their martyrdom to the times of Honorius1 ' and of Theodosius II. l8 sur-
some assert their deaths must have taken the place during
,
namedtheYounger. Theselatter,however,wereChristianemperors. There are writers, such as Galesinius and Ferrarius, who consider their martyrdom to have occurred, at a time when the Arian heresy prevailed '9 but, it seems to
;
be sufficiently well established, that paganism was in the ascendant throughout the whole Roman Empire when they suffered for the Faith. It is strange that Castellan,20 who enters St. Gunifortus in his Martyrology, at the 22nd of August, as he found it in the Roman Martyrology, could have confounded the present holy man with St. Cucuphas," Latinized Cucufatus, whose festivaloccursonthe25thofJuly. " Moreover,hehasthoughtitestablished, thatatTicinum33 orPaviathelattersaint'srelicshadbeentranslated,and that the festival of Cucufas' translation thither had been kept there on the
22nd of August, but under the name of St. Gunifortus. 2* However, such a
very improbable statement leans upon no reasonable grounds, while it is
opposed to all written and oral traditions of the historians and people of
Pavia. Nor is there any resemblance in the names of St. Cucufatus and
Gunifortus, whereby they might be mistaken one for the other. Moreover,
such a rash opinion has been well refuted by the Bollandist Fathers Bosch a *
26
and Cuper.
According to Dempster, who has an account of him,2 ? the Martyr St.
Gunifort and his two sisters were natives of Scotland. However, only in a general way do the most ancient accounts term them Scoti, or Scots; and, it is now universally conceded, by the modern historians of Ireland and of
14 Such is the opinion of Tattus, in his Annals of Como, published a. d. 1663, lib. iii. , cap. xxxvii. , et seq.
15 This persecutor strangled himself in
acts of the saints.
February, A. D. 310. See M. Le Dr. xxve Jour de Juillet, pp. 33, 34.
" 32 " "
Hoeffer's Nouvelle Biographie Generate," tome xxxiv. , col. 484.
At that date, in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, tomus vi. , his Acts have been edited by Father Boschius, S. J.
23 A city in Insubria, Italy.
24 This opinion is set forth, at the 15th day of February, p. 656, in his Universal
16
ster.
x? He succeeded his father, Theodosius
the Great, with his brother Arcadius, A. D.
Such is the statement of Thomas Demp-
395. They divided the Empire between Martyrology.
them. Honorius fixed his seat of power at
Rome, and became the first Roman Emperor
of the West. Arcadius selected Constanti-
nople for his capital, and became first ruler
of the Eastern Roman Empire. Honorius suffered martyrdom, as also how diverse are died of a dropsy, in the thirty-ninth year of
his age, A. D. 423. See the "Popular Ency- clopaedia, or Conversations Lexicon," vol. iii. , pp. 787, 788.
the particulars set down in their respective Acts.
18 He was the son of
and
26
At the present date.
3? In the " Menologium Scotorum," at t—he
Knight's
phy," vol. v. , col. 1006.
19 This mistake seems to have occurred, because in the saint's panegyric his perse- cutors have been called heretics. However, even Ferrarius himself, in the Acts of St. Daniel the Martyr, at this same day, seems to consider that the terms hceretici and idolatri are sometimes confounded in ancient
Bishop Forbes'
Saints," p. 209.
33
•*
Ka'lendars of Scottish
Arcadius,
grand-
22nd of
{August,
is the notice: following
son to Theodosius the Great. He was born " Mediolani Gunifortis martyris qui cum
on the 10th of April, A. D. 401. He died on duas sorores in Germaniabarbarorum gladio
the 28th of July, a. d. 450. See Charles interemptas amisisset, et frater ipsius Comi
"
English Cyclopaedia of Biogra-
occubuisset caesus pro Christo, ipse sagittis confixus a paganis, inde Ticinum abiit, et in paupertina vetulae domo animam beatam coelo reddidit, et tugurium illud in templum versum est, et ille civitatis patronus colitur, actaque in sanctuario Papiae extant. M. "—
20 21
The French Martyrologist.
See a brief account of him in Les Petits
Bollandistes, " Vies des Saints," tome ix. ,
35 At the 25th day of July, in a previous commentary to the Acts of St. Cucufatus, he shows how different are the countries and the places, where he and St. Gunifortus
Not undertaking to settle the question,
August 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 325
Scotland, that long after the introduction of Christianity to both countries, the terms Scotus and Scoti applied in use, only to a native or natives of Ireland.
However, those pious brothers and sisters were Scots28 by race, and of a noble family, as declared in their ancient panegyric. Whether their parents had been Christians is not distinctly stated. Still, it is related, that inspired with a desire to gain over souls to Christ in Pagan lands, and if necessary in this endeavour to encounter martyrdom ; the two brothers and their two sisters resolved on leaving their parents, friends, and native country to make that heroic sacrifice. Their parents and friends remonstrated in vain, offering various inducements and persuasions, to divert their minds from such a purpose.
Having borne with this opposition for a long time, in the kingdom of Scotia ; at length, they were resolved to seek escape from such importunities, and all four left their native country to journey afar in strange and distant lands. After enduring much fatigue in their travels and many hardships, through the ProvidenceofGoddirecting,theycametotheterritoryofthePaganTeutons. 3? There the fury of persecution beset the most holy brothers, Guinefortus and Guiniboldus, with their two devoted sisters. These latter were remarkable, not alone for beautiful features, but for their purity of heart and strength of mind. BytheferociousTeutons,thisnoblebandofbrothersandsistershad been subjected to every species of insult and injury. At length, both of the holy sisters were martyred in the territory of the Teutons ; yet, that particular kind of death they endured has not been recorded. However, they thus escaped all temporal townents, and passed to the embraces of their Divine spouse, Jesus Christ. Their sacred remains appear to have rested in the place of their martyrdom, although no knowledge of the exact spot has been preserved.
The two surviving brothers grieved that their beloved sisters had been thus
deprived of life, or rather that these had preceded them, in obtaining the glorious crown of martyrdom. The brothers even reproached the cruel Teutons, according to the Legend, that they were not offered up as sacrifices atthesametimeforthecauseofChrist. Forusingthesewords,althoughthreats and angry manifestations were returned, yet the Pagans could not but admire their wonderful fortitude and courage. They deigned, even, to ask for an ex- planation of the Faith that was in them ; and, the holy brothers gratified them in that respect, but apparently without making much impression on their obdurate and stony hearts. Nevertheless, the Teutons persisted in re- quiring that they should offer sacrifice to idols. The holy brothers then declared their resolution to die, rather than do so.
Whereupon, admiring their resolution, and knowing them to be good men, the Teutons would not
put them to death. 3°
as to whether these saints were natives of 3° The Acts then state : * Unde Christi Scotland or of Ireland, the editor Cuper martyres maxime turbati dicebant. Servi
refers in his commentary to what Father Bollandus had already written on such a sub- ject, in the earlier volumes of his great col-
Christi sumus, qui natus est de Virgine, et pro eo mortem subire cupimus. Deinde his verbis se vicissim alloquuntur : Nos infeli-
lection, when this matter had been more ciores mulieribus sumus : sorores namque
earnestly and ignorantly discussed than it is
at present.
2 » In the anonymous Acts of our saint they
are designated Theotonici, a term equivalent to Tutones, and a name applied by Latin writers to the people of Germany.
nostrae coronam martyrii a Deo sibi promis- "
sam accipere meruerunt. "— Acta Sancto- rum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. Acta S. Guniforti Martyris, auctore anonymo in- certa setatis, cap. i. , num. I to 9, pp. 527, 528 .
326
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
CHAPTER II.
THE BROTHER SAINTS GUINIPORT AND GUINIBOLD LEAVE GERMANY FOR NORTHERN ITALY—THEY ARE ARRESTED AT COMO, AND GUINIBOLD IS THERE MARTYRED— GUINIFORT ESCAPES TO MILAN, WHERE HE IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH—LEFT FOR DEAD, HE NEVERTHELESS SURVIVES AND ENTERS PAVIA, WHERE HE DIES OF HIS WOUNDS—HE IS BURIED IN THE CHURCH OF ST. ROMANUS—MIRACLES WROUGHT AT HIS TOMB—COMMEMORATION OF HIS FEAST—CONCLUSION.
After the death of their sisters, the two noble brothers, Guinifort and
1
Guinibold, filled with the heroic desire to gain like them the crown of
martyrdom, resolved on travelling to Italy, where persecution raged against the Christians at that period. This seems to have been during the time of the Pagan Emperors ; and before the Arians had attempted to spread their errors there, notwithstanding a doubtful observation contained in the Acts of our saints, which might lead the reader to suppose that their persecutors were heretics. 9
Their journey was made accordingly to the city of Como,3 where the Roman authority then prevailed, and where the followers of Christ were daily subjected to torments and death. However, they were not afraid to appear in the public places of the pagans, at Como,* and to announce themselves Christians, while reproaching the lictors for great cruelties towards their brethrenintheFaith. s Totheauthoritiestheywerethendenounced,andthe Praetororderedthemtobearrestedandbroughtbeforehim. Atthattime, Guinifort and Guinibold were found preaching the doctrines of Christ to a great multitude of willing listeners in the public streets. However, the brothers did not obey that first summons, and [the Praetor's emissaries returned to him with a report, that they disregarded his threats, and that
6
nearly all the inhabitants followed them.
VVhereupon, the chief magistrate at Como ordered a great number of armed men to proceed thither, and making them prisoners, to bring them into his presence. Being asked whence they came, and why they attempted to seduce the people, the brothers courageously replied: "We are Scots by race, and Christians by profession ; but, we seduce not your people, rather do we invite the sons of God to the country of eternal happiness. " Then the Prefect asked whom did they regard as the sons of God, when they immedi-
ately replied,
" Those whom He hath redeemed with His most
precious
Chapter il—* By some writers they are named Winifortis and Winibald. See Rev.
S. Baring-Gould's 'Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , p. 235.
4 The Latin writers usually style it Novo- comum.
s The narrative contained in the anony-
mous Acts indicates a period when idolatry
still prevailed in Northern Italy, and especi- ally in Como.
*
In the anonymous Acts of our saint, they are called Cumani, instead of their proper designation Comenses. The Cumani were a
3
These words are, "cum gravis infidelium
haereticorum oriretur persecutio ;
"
but the
context afterwards clearly shows, that their
persecutors were in the habit of sacrificing
extremity of the beautiful Lago di Como, and it is built around the semicircular termination of that lake. The Romans called it Comum or Novicomum. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of a small republic belonging to the Ghibelline party. It was taken and burnt
to idols.
3 It is situated at the south-west
of Cuma celebrated as the residence of the Cuman or Cumaean Sybil. There were various other Sybils in different places, and a curious account of them may be found in Dr.
Augustus Jessopp's edition of Very Rev. Dr. F. C. Hussenbeth's " Emblems of Saints.
"
Third edition, Appendix I. Iconography of the Sibyls, by W. Marsh, pp. 403 to 426.
7 The day and year of his martyrdom
by the Milanese in 1127 and again in 127 1. "
See Gazetteer of the World," vol. iv. , pp. *34> 635-
of their
being
people Campania
;
city
August 22. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 327
blood. " Filled with rage, on receiving such a reply, the tyrant commanded them to be led through the public streets of that city, and afterwards to be
decapitated. Thinking that by ordering one to be sacrificed in presence of the other, the survivor might be moved through fear of death to apostatize ; while the brothers were congratulating each other, that they were to suffer martyrdom together, Gunibold was beheaded,1 at the place of public execution, and Guinifort was released for that time. During the night, the Christians came stealthily and removed the remains of the martyr Gunibold for interment. From that to the present period, his sacred relics have remained at Como.
It does not seem likely, that Guinifort long survived. However, filled with zeal to preach the words of life, he went alone to Milan, where he con- verted many to the true Faith, for which he still desired to suffer, and to share the glorious crowns of his beloved sisters and brother. 8 Nor were his hopes long deferred, for having been apprehended once more, Gunifort was again brought before the judges, and ordered by them to sacrifice before their
idols. * He " I desire most replied :
to sacrifice
God. " u Whom do you call the living God ? " asked his persecutor. He then
earnestly
myself
to the
living
answered: "Jesus Christ is the living God and man, who created and redeemed me with His precious blood. " Then, the pagan judge commanded himtobeconductedwithoutthecity,andtobebeheaded. Moreover,while he was led to that place destined for his execution, the lictors were ordered to inflict severe stripes upon him, and to discharge arrows against his body. Thatcruelsentencetheystrictlyobeyed. Theystruckhimrepeatedlywith stones and until he was all covered with wounds. 10
arrows,
loss of blood, the glorious Martyr fell to the ground, before he arrived at the
place destined for his execution. Then he exclaimed
eternal glory, O clement Father, receive my body and soul, which I offer to Thee as a sacrifice. " He then lay prostrate on the earth, and apparently lifeless. Thinking he was dead, the persecutors left him there, and then
departed.
After remaining for some time in that state of helplessness, it pleased the
AlmightytogiveGuinefortstrengthtorise; yet,althoughthusseverelyinjured and acutely suffering, with arrows fixed in his body and which he could not ex- tract, he was enabled nevertheless to reach the noble city of Papia. In the Roman times, it was called Ticinum after the river Ticinus," now the Tesino, which flows by its walls ; but, between the sixth and eighth centuries, the ancient name disappeared, and it assumed the appellation of Papia, softened by Italian euphony into Pavia. " There a pious Christian woman, who
have not been recorded, nor is any date for his festival known.
8 In his poetic Martyrology, at this date, Brautius commemorates these four :—
" His panegyrist states, "hinc atque inde sanctissimum Martyrem sagittis repleverunt, ut quasi ericius videretur. "
" It is thus c—elebrated in the poem of C.
11
Germano passo, geminisque sorori-
Silius Italicus
:
*' CseruleasTicinusaquasetstagnavadoso Perspicuus servat turbari nescia fundo, Ac nitidum viridi lente trahit amne
liquorum. "
—" Punicorum," lib. iv. , vv. 82-84,
" See Rev. John Chetwode Eustace'- "Classical Tour through Italy, An. MDCCCII. ," vol. hi. , chap, xv. , pp. 507 to 509.
arsit
Martyrio, donee fossus et ustus obit. "
bus,
9 Thisstatementrevealsthecircumstance, that the martyrdom of our saint occurred when the people of Milan were for the most part idolaters, and not during the time of the Arians, as Jacobus Gualla relates, in his work, " Sanctuarium Papise," lib. vii. , cap. ix.
:
Fainting through
" O Lord, King of
328 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
dwelt near the Church of St. Romanus, received him with great charity and
veneration, while she tended him with great care for the three days he survived
in her house. But then his time had arrived to receive the eternal crown,
and departing this life, his soul ascended to join his sisters and brother in
Paradise. At that moment, the wonders of the Almighty were manifested on
behalf of his devoted servant ; for the Angels of Heaven stood around the
sacred remains, filling the whole house with resplendent light, and with a
most fragrant odour. At the same time were heard these joyous words of
Divine " Blessed be the Lord, who is in His saints. " praise : always glorious
In the Panegyric of St. Guinefort, we are told, that he was interred on the eleventh of the September Kalends (August 22nd), in the Church of St. Mary, near the Church of the great St. Romanus, where afterwards the Almighty was pleased to work many miracles, in honour of His holy Martyr. Many blind persons visiting his tomb were restored to sight. Numbers of lepers and other infirm persons, on going there, were also restored to health, through the prayers of St. Guinifort. These miracles shed no slight lustre and renown on Pavia, the city in which his relics had been preserved. Without the walls of Pavia is a church dedicated to St. Gunifort but at
;
Milan, where he suffered for the Faith, although the common people usually called him Bonifort, little was known regarding him, and such was likewise the
case in respect to his brother the Martyr Guinibold at Como. ^
The present holy Martyr is commemorated in the Roman Martyr-
1
ology, * on the 22nd August. Besides, on this same day, various
ecclesiastical writers have noted his feast, which appears to have been celebrated, not on the day of his death, but on that of his interment at Pavia. AmongthesewritersaretheauthorofhisancientActs,PietroPaulo
Bosca, Joannes Baptista Carisius, Aloysius Tatti, Jacobus Gualla, Petrus
1* 16 —Ferarius, andFatherStephenWhite
Galesinus,andtheBollandists. Philip
alsocommemoratehim. Dempster whocla— Scot,together
ims him as a
with his brother St. Gunibald and his sisters agrees as to the date for his feast. ** Gunifort, also called Gunifortis and Gunifortus in ancient writings,
was regarded with special veneration in the city of Pavia.
Among the courageous and zealous Irish Martyrs who suffered for the
Faith, the holy brothers Guinefort and Gunibold, with their two nameless sisters, deserve to be held in especial veneration. From the society of family and of friends, and from the attractions of home, they resolved to take up their cross and to follow Christ. Faithful to Him in their lives and deaths, their sacrifice was accepted, and their final reward had been secured, when their sufferings were over in this world, and crowned with the laurel of martyrdom,
Article III. —St. Beoghna, Abbot of Bangor, County of Down. [Sixth and Seventh Centuries. '] Doubtless where he had so long, as student, priest, and high official, discharged his duties with honour to himself and with benefit to all who came within the sphere of his influence, the memory
of this holy abbot must have been held in benediction. In a misplaced 1
manner, the published Martyrology of Tallagh enters this saint, as Beogaes,
13 Such are the statements of Pietro Paulo ,<s "See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap.
"
Bosca, in his Martyrologium Mediola- iv. , p. 39.
nense. "
*7 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
14
Th—us: "Papiae sancti Guniforti Mar-
Scotorum," tomus
lib. vii. , num.
tyris. " "Martyrologium Romanum," p. 12a. Editio novissima Romse, 1878-fol.
309.
Article hi. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
*
21
Italise. " Thus beogAer nuc "OAig^e ab benn.
15 In "Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum Kelly, p. xxxii.
i. ,
575, p.
August 22. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
329
Abb. Bennchoir. Anotherentryisevidentlyallowedtointervene,between
thefirstandthelastofthesedenominations. Inthatcopycontainedinthe
Book of Leinster his name and that of his father are 3 The name of , given.
the latter, according to that record was Daigre. His record and feast are
set down by Marianus O'Gorman, at the 22nd of August. 3 The present
holymanwasborn,probablyintheearlyhalfofthesixthcentury. Itseems
quite likely, that his religious profession must have been made under St.
Comgall,4 the first founder of Bangor, and who was called away from this
life, on the 10th of May, a. d. 6oi. s Soon after his decease, it would ap-
pear, that St. Beoghna was elected to succeed him. However, he did not long
survive his illustrious predecessor. The age of Christ, when the holy man
resigned his spirit to heaven, was 605, according to the Annals of the Four
Masters. 6 At this date of August 22nd, in the Martyrology of Donegal,? we
likewise find a festival recorded, in honour of Beoghna, Abbot of Bennchor,
after Comhgall. In that carefully compiled Calendar, referring to the
Diocese of Down, Connor, and Dromore, his feast has been registered for
8
this day.
Coolbanagher Old Church, Queen's County
Article IV. —St. Sinche, Daughter or Annudh, of Cuil-bennchuir
probably Coolbanagher, Queen's County. At the 22nd of August, in 1
the published Martyrology of Tallagh, appears a festival in honor of Sae Sinche. We read this entry somewhat differently, in that copy contained in the BookofLeinster,2andatthissamedate. TheMartyrologyofDonegal,3 on
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- feast is set down at the 12th, instead of the nian," Februarii xxviii. De S. Sillano sive 22nd, ofAugust.
3 See
Silvano Abbate Benchorensi, nn. 6, 7, p.
424.
4 See his Life in the Fifth Volume of this
work, at the 10th of May, Art. i.
s
See
Rev. Dr.
"
Ecclesiastical
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix ll. , p. 379.
Colgan's
Lanigan's
— Kelly, p. xxxii.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap x. , sect.
xii. , p. 63, and n. 207, p. 69.
6
pp. 230, 231. An oversight or a misprint occurs in the English translation, where his
Article iv.
l
Edited
by Rev. Dr.
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
2 Thus CumetuA^uffeeSinchi.
:
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
226, 227.
8 See Rev. William Reeve's " Ecclesias-
330 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
this day, records the name as Sinche, daughter of Annudh, of Cuil-benchuir.
This place may probably be identical with Coolbanagher, or Coolbenger, a parish in the barony of Portnahinch, in the northern part of the Queen's County. '* The old church of Coolbanaghers yet remains in a ruinous state, and its surrounding graveyard is now used as a place of burial. Tradition
date of erection. There are two divisions in this church yet visible most probably the nave and choir. A wall appears to have separated both, but a large pointed doorway afforded a communi- cation. The nave, on the outside, measures thirty-two feet in length by twenty-two feet in breadth. The outside wall of the choir measures twenty- eight feet, in length, by sixteen feet, in breadth. The inside of the building is filled with loose stones and rubbish. A narrow low door, now stopped up
with masonry, appears beneath an overshadowing mass of ivy, on the west- ern gable ; and a door seems to have been subsequently opened, on the southern side wall, probably, when the former one had been closed. A splayed window opened on either side of the nave. A splayed and ruinous east window formerly lighted the choir, the side walls of which are now nearlylevelwiththeground. Therearenotombs,atpresent,inthegrave- yard or church, but such as bear modern inscriptions. The old building is
6 seems to be
Nothing known, however,
to the —an assigns building early
of
regarding the period at which this holy virgin flourished.
apparently
very great antiquity.
Article V. —St. Cummene or Cummein. In that copy of the
Martyrology of Tallagh, found in the Book of Leinster, the entry of
Curamen's name is united with that of Sinche. 1 In the
published Martyr-
of 2 at this same date, the is Cummene ocus Sae Sinche. ology Tallagh, entry
According to the Martyrology of Marianus 0'Gorman,3 as also of an Irish Kalendar in the Koyal Irish Academy,* veneration was given to a St. Cummene or Cuimein, at the 22nd of August. There is a Killcummin, near Killala, and in the churchyard of that place is shown Saint Commyn's tomb. * Anciently there was a chapel, at a place called Glennahania, in the Deanery ofKells,andCountyofMeath. Perhapsalsotherewasamonastery. The place called Tempull Cummain, and the holy well near it, still known as
6
and when funeralsarepassingby,theDeProfundi'sis yetentonedbytheprocession-
Tobar Cummain, remain. Pilgrimages used to be made thither,
*"
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary illustration,
— 5 It adjoins the ruins of Coolbanagher ^gup rce Sinchi.
of Ireland," vol. i.
