IS These are the
churches
of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
Two remarkable Irish crosses are near it : one cross stands in the middle of the road, just outside the cemetery
100
494
built thereon, were granted by James I. to Sir Christopher Byshe. 9
wall, and it has been left on an elevated pedestal,
since the road had been
Ancient Cross and Ruined Church at Tully, or Tulach n-Easpog, County of Dublin.
levelled, while the other remains in an adjoining field, and it is of consider-
able Abeautiful height.
of church,101 Tullagh
from a
and of the old cemetery Celtic crosses, is to be found engraved in Grose's
"
view,
102
Antiquities of Ireland. "
In the Shetland Islands, as in other parts of Scotland, St. Olave was held in
drawing by Bigari
great veneration. The Irish Christian priests worked indefatigably in those Islands ; and their memory lives in the names of Papa Stour (great) and
I03 The
close of the tenth century, to introduce Christianity throuj ;hout the Shet- lands.
Papa (little).
Norwegian King,
Olaf was able, at the Tryggveson,
W See " Calendar of the State Papers, re-
to of the of
lating Ireland, Reign Elizabeth,
1588, August— 1592, September. " Edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. State Tapers,
vol. cxliv, May 6th, 15S9, pp. 160, 161.
9i So late as the beginning of last century,
County of Dublin," pp. 930, 931.
103 A view of its of the ruined position,
church, and of the cemetery, has been drawn by William F, YVakeman on the spot. This illustration he has transferred to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
"
St. Toolog's, situate in Fishamble-street, Dublin.
102
were leased to Alice Macdermot, for ^8 per
annum, she being bound to erect two new 103 In old Norse, "Paper" means
The
priest's
chamber of St. Olave's altos
I ' This lies near
Loughlinstown, County
houses thereon. "
99 See John DAlton's "History of the II These arc mentioned by Theodric, in
"priests. "
See vol. i. , p. 15.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 495
Besides the body of St. Olaf, various other relics belonging to him were kept in the cathedral church of Drontheim, such as his standard and battle-
10*—Where these are now to be found—if
not been altogether lost is not at present known. When the Swedes possessed Drontheim in 1564, King Eric XIV. of Sweden took from the cathedral the helmet and shoes of St. Olaf, which were brought to Stock-
10* as also his
axe, spear.
they
have
holm, and these were deposited in a chapel belonging to the church of St.
Nicholas, where they are still kept.
106
In the Abbey of St. Victor, at Paris,
ashirtbelongingtoSt. Olafwasveneratedasarelic. 10? InthecityofRouen,
in France, there was a relic of St. Olaf preserved, but what it was does not
108
clearly appear.
Dublin, was preserved, moreover, a portion of the clothes belonging to St. Olaf, King and national saint of Norway. 100
This martyr-king was greatly venerated, and soon after his death, not alone in Norway, but in all the Scandinavian countries, as also in Russia, on the 29th of July. This is certified by Adam of Bremen ll ° and by Saxo Gramma- ticus. 111 Also, at the 2nd or 3rd of August, a Festival far the Translation of his relics was observed. However, more generally, at the 29th of July, and on this present day, the feast of St. Olaus, King and Martyr, was cele-
Among the relics of the convent of the Holy Trinity,
112 as we find recorded in the ancient Scandinavian Breviaries and Missals. In England, Ireland "3 and Scotland, "4 as also in France "3 and
brated;
116 his festival was
ologies and Histories. The feast of St. Ole, king of swadine and mart, vnder
Belgium,
observed,
as we find recorded in various
Martyr-
Conradus,
noted a. d.
1028,
is to be found in Adam Kalendar. 11 ? At King's
this likewise, his name is entered in the Roman date,
118
This distinguished servant of God resolved to look forward, chiefly towards
that goal he desired to attain, and although his regal position was exalted,
yet was he poor in desire ; for even when busily engaged in affairs of state, he followed the Divine law, according to the light of his conscience, while he observedwithardouritssacredprecepts. However,hedidnotalwaysavoid what it prohibited, nor was his career free from imprudence and self-indul- gence. His pious cares were doubtless mingled with human desires and
ambition ; and especially, in the early years of his life, the training given him appears to have been defective and ill-directed. When he became a Chris- tian, however, he embraced the Faith with zeal and earnestness ; so that, when his soul became tarnished with passion cr frailty, more lasting and firm
II2 " his History of the Norwegian Kings, See
Circle of the Seasons," p. 211.
xxiv.
105 See Torfeus' " Historice Rerum Nor-
vegicarum," tomus iv. , lib. iv. , cap. xxvi. ,
p. 213.
106 According to the note of Benzelius ad
Vastovii Vitem Aquiloniam, p. 23.
,07 See Les Petits Bollandistes, " Viesdes
Saints," tome ix. , xxixe Jour de Juillet, p. 121.
303 " See Franciscus Pomerayus, in
XI3 See "The Book of Obits and
Martyr-
cap.
Histo- ria Archiepiscoporum Rotomagensium," when treating about Robert I. , in Cap. ft,
ology of the Cathedral Church of the Holy
Trinity, commonly called Christ Church,
Dublin," edited by John Clarke Crosth-
waite and by Rev. James Ilenthorn Todd,
D. D. , p. 140.
It4 See Hector Boece's " Historic? Scoto-
rum," lib. xi.
II3 According to a Kalendar, printed at Paris in 1697.
II5 " According to the
num. 8, p. 245.
I1? See Bishop Forbes'
"
Kalendars of
109 See T. Gilbert's " John
of the Scottish Saints," 158. See, also, at p.
History City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 48.
pp.
110 In his " Historise Ecclesiastics Eccle-
siae Hamburgensis et Bremensis, vicinorum- Regis et Martyris. " "Martyrologium Ro-
que Locorum Septentrionalium," lib. ii. ,
manum," Gregorit XIII. Editio novissima,
cap. xliii. p. 109. Romce, 1878, fol,
111
In his "Historia Danica. "
Martyrology.
Florarius Sancto- rum," and Greven's additions to Usuard.
426, 427.
2l8 Thus: "In N—oivegia sancti Olavi
49^
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 29.
principles of guidance saved him from yielding wholly to sin, because they broughthimsoontosincererepentanceandultimateperseverance. Although fruit and flowers be plucked from the tree or stem, while the roots are firm
and vigorous, yet will the product grow again to ripen and flourish ; such, too, is the efficacy of Faith in the soul, for it sustains the spiritual life, and it infuses a fresh spirit to correct human errors, and radically to remove them, before irregularities can bring the sinner to the fatal abyss of self- destruction.
Article II. —St. Kilian, Chelian or Coelan, Monk of Inish-
keltra, Lough Derg, County Clare. [Eighth Century. '] This highly
gifted, esteemed and worthy religious had laboured so earnestly and so well,
in his great and holy avocation to meet that God, whose service was the
sole absorbing object of his life, that his future rewards were secured, even
before they were fully realized. An elegant scholar, his mind was further-
moreenlightenedbythegiftsofgrace. Itismuchtoberegretted,however,
that his personal history has been so obscured, and that it has become so diffi-
cult of elucidation. The Natalis of St. Chelian or Coelan, a monk of Inis- 12
keltra, occurs on the 29th of July, according to the — of Martyrology Tallagh. '
The Irish names — and Cellen Cillin, Cillen, Cillean, Cellin,
the same are often confounded ; on account of verbal affinities, likewise, they have been classed with the names Coelan, Coelin and Coelen. These latter, however, are said to have a different derivation. The foregoing namesarevariouslyappliedtoourIrishSaints. Thewords,CillinandCillen, arediminutivesdeducedfromCillorCell. Hence,inLatin,theyareinterpreted,
origin and signification
bearing
the — Coelen and Coelin But, words, Coelan,
by
the
expression,
Cellanus.
are derived fr
—om the or Cail or to modern
scholars, Caol which signifies slender," or attenuated. " As there is no letter K in the Irish language, its place is supplied by the consonant C, which before and after slender vowels, receiving the same pronunciation, as in other languages, should be accorded to the former letter. Hence, the aforesaid names, when Latinized, are variously expressed by these words, Cillinus, Killinus, Cellenus, Kellenus, Kilianus, Kilienus, Chilianus, Chilienus, &c. , also by Coelanus, Caolanus, Coelinus, Coelenus, Coelianus, Caelanus, &c. Inthesewords,also,ot\aiandnoarcdiphthongs. 3 ThefeastofSt. Coelanus is entered in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at the 29th of July. * The Bollandistss have a brief notice of Coelanus, at this same date, but they doubt his title to be enrolled in the Catalogue of the Saints. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan thinks, that Kilian lived not before the latter part of the eighth cen-
6 he does not deem it worth his while, to enter a tury, although upon long
discussion, regarding this saint. We may conjecture his birth 'o have taken place before or a little after the year 700 ; but, on this supposition, we have little evidence to guide us in making such a statement. Some six miles above the town of Killaloe, the Shannon expands into a noble lake. Anciently, it was called Loch Deirgheirt. This fine sheet of water extends ten miles in length, and it is about three miles across, at its greatest breadth. Many pretty Islands stud its surface. 7
s Sec "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
Julii xxix. Among the pretermitted sains, p. 3.
1 See a
Article 11. —• His is
"St. Coc- lanus de Inis-Kelltra," in the Calendar.
2
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. XXK.
3 SeeColgan's "TriasThaumaturga. "
Sexta Vita S. Brigidre, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597. 4 See ibid.
monosyllables, Coel, according ""
styled
vii. ,
One of these, formerly called Keltra, also Inis-
"See"EcclesiasticalHistoryofIreland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ii. , n. 18, p. 381.
very interesting article,
" Jnish-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Cealtra, Inish-Caltra, and sometimes Inniskeltair, bears likewise the name of
July 29. I
497
Island. The to it as a " the Seven people frequently apply title,
Holy
Churches. "OnInishcaltra,Mr. Hills8 foundtheruins
The very ancient use of the term " Seven Churches/' in Ireland, has been questioned by that gentleman, who considers, that it had been used for the fust time by Sir William Petty. 9 From earlier books and Manuscripts, its sup- posed absence is taken as a proof, by Mr. Hills, that the name is modern, and conferred by popular usage, on places where a considerable number of eccle- siastical ruins are found. A very ingenious argument has been advanced, 10 that such an application to several places greatly venerated in Ireland has
11
which are mentioned in the Apocalypse, and which were so widely apart, but rath—er, as seems most likely, that the idea of Seven Churches and of Seven Altars as these also are some- times mentioned—came to Ireland from Rome itself. During the very earliest ages of Christianity, the faithful were wont to resort to the Basilicas
of the martyrs, at night, for prayer, consolation, etc. This was the beginning
of what were called stations. 12 At a later period, the stations were made
more regularly and publicly ; for, Christians assembled on certain days in the
year, at different churches, belonging to the city of Rome, to celebrate the
Divine Mysteries. The church, in which the stations were held, had been
regularly announced, so that the people might know where to assemble. St.
Gregory the Great, elected Pope in 590, reduced those stations to a regular
T
system. 3 StationsandIndulgencesattachingtothem,inoneformoranother,
have been continued to the present time. In a decree x * of Pope Pius VI L,
he confirms in perpetuity the Indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiffs, his predecessors, to the faithful, who visit the seven churches of Rome, which he names, 15 and who pray according to the intention of his Holiness. He further confirms those indulgences granted by his predecessors to the faithful, who visit the seven privileged altars of St. Peter's or of any of the other churches enumerated,shouldtheypossessthem. 16 ToSt. CaiminJ7 hasbeengenerally
been derived, not from the seven churches,
caltra and its Remains," by Richard R. Brash, Architect, M. R. I. A. , in "The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Re- view. " New series, vol. i. , January, 1 866, p. 7,
who piously visited the places where they were held.
I4 It bears date September 7th, 181S.
IS These are the churches of St. Peter, of St. Paul, of St. Sebastian, outside the walls, 8" oftheof
See an article, Notes on the Architec-
of St. John Lateran, Holy Cross,
ture of Ireland, v. "The Gentleman's
St. Laurence, outside the walls, and of St.
Mary Major.
l6 " not some Might
Magazine,"parti. , 1864,p. 550.
In compiling his Down Survey, wards published.
Irish or prelate
9
after-
pious
monk, or missionary," enquires the Rev. Mr.
10 See an article, written by Rev. John
O'Roorke in the " Irish Ecclesiastical Re-
cord," vol. ii. , May, 1866, pp. 380 to 386. This Article is headed, "The Number Seven, and the name seven churches applied to several groups of Ruins in Ireland. "
11 This appears to be a favourite theory of
Dean Murray.
12 See Tolelus, lib. vi.
13 He divided Rome into seven parts, and
the stations were so appointed, that a regu- lated circuit, or rather several circuits, were made of those seven divisions during the year. Although the stations are not now in use, as St. Gregory left them, they are still given, in the Roman Missal, as they were
arranged by him. He granted great indul- gences to those who made the stations, or
O'Roorke, " think it a good thing to have
stations in Ireland such as they had in
Rome? and might not some holy pontiff, for
the sanctification of that distant mission of
Ireland, grant the request, and concede the
indulgences, provided the Seven Churches
or the Seven Altars, as the case might be,
were actually erected ? Concessions of this
kind are not uncommon. We have an
example in the stations of the cross erected
in our churches, by vi-iting which the faith-
ful gain the same indulgences as were for-
merly granted to those, who visited in person
the holy places in Jerusalem, and who made stations there. This solution would further
help to dispose of Mr. Hills' difficulty of finding nine, or ten, or twelve, or thirteen churches, in some of the places he explored,
only
offourchurches.
49S LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. ascribed the foundation of a monastery on Iiiiskeitair, early in the seventh
ofhis
l
andoverwhichhe tothe century, — presided
a. d. l8 A
period
flourishing monastery said to have been Benedictine in its form of rule
— was thus established at a very early period, 9 on the Island of Iniscaltra. Here, no doubt, a famous school had been conducted in after times. A succession of Abbots seems to have continued, until the place had been
a Danish commander from
It was afterwards restored, by the powerful and pious monarch of Ireland,
destroyed by Tomar,
Limerick,
Bryan Boroimhe,
1007.
Holy Island, Lough Derg,
is
21 The church on
a. d.
said to have been restored or remodelled by him in the eleventh century. A fine window in the southern wall is round-headed, and it has varied semi-
Principal Church and Round Tower on Iniscealtra.
cylindrical mouldings, very deeply cut. This style seems peculiar to Ireland, about that period, although its prototype, most probably, may be elsewhere found. The Island proper lies in that part which is known as Inniscaltra parish, in the barony of Tulla, and county of Clare. A Round Tower and some beautiful ruins are to be seen on this Island. 22 It lies close on the
instead of seven ; for, if the seven privileged churches were erected, no matter how many
wereafterwards
by excellence would still remain. Whetever my readers may think of this view of the case, there is one fact connected with it pleasant and consoling to us, Irish Catholics, which is, that it would have been no strange
' peculiarity in us to have our Seven
Churches and our Seven Altars,' since we find both in Rome, the mo—del and the mis-
tress of all the Churches. "
astical Record," vol.
** His festival is generally assigned to
March 24th, at which date some account of
this saint and of his island-home, with an
illustration, may be found in the Third Vo- at the 23rd of April, Art. i. Life of the lume of this work, Art. ii. He has a feast,
likewise, at the 25th of March. See ibid. , Art. iii.
18
According to the Abbe Ma-Geoghegan, ibis foundation belongs to a later period.
built,
the 'SevenChurches'
"Irish
—
Ecclesi- ii. , pp. 385, 386.
Cap. lviii. , p. 594. co "
death,
653.
See " Histoire de l'Irlande Ancienne et Moderne, "tome i. . Seconde Partie, chap. iii. , p. 298.
'9 See St. Brigid's Sixth Life, as pub-
lished by Colgan
* * * "Keltra est conventus rite virorum,
Prudentum, sacro Bcnedicti dogmatc florens. "
See Archdalls cum," p. 48.
Monasticon Hiberni-
— :
1 See an illustration of this church, now in ruins, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
Blessed Bryan Boroimna, King of Minister, Monarch of Ireland, and Martyr, chap. vi.
23 Sec an illustration and a in description,
Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its Scenery, Character,"' ecc, vol. iii. , pp. 429 to 431.
in the 2° year 834.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 499
bounds of Clonfert diocese, and on the southern confines of the Connaught
province. The former importance of this place is inferred, from the popular
designation of " the Seven Churches. "23 It has been considered as a well-
established fact, that the number seven had been connected with sacred
things in Ireland, and that it was not alone applied to churches, but even to
2
altars, * erected in groups at various places. It is supposed, that St. Coelan
had become a monk on the Island of Iniscaltra, and that he must have there lived for a considerable time. According to conjecture, he flourished about the end of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. ** At Inis- caltra,mostprobably,Kalianhadreceivedhiseducation; whichinaclassical sense must have been an accomplished one. To him is attributed a very
elegant 2
metrical Life of St. 26 It was written in Latin Hexameter Brigid.
verse. ? SeveralManuscriptcopiesofthisLifearesupposedtobeextant. As may be expected, in these there are various readings. Colgan has published
a
from the
28 from a Monte Cassino
collated with a
version,
Manuscript,
copy, procured
Vatican
Library,
and
compared
with
other
exemplars.
2 9
Various emendations were deemed to be necessary. When Colgan
had begun passing St. Brigid's Acts through the press, he received
from the Rev. Father Bernard Egan, a learned Benedictine Abbot, and an
Irishman, a certain fragment of that biography. 3° At first, Colgan thought that poem began with lines, he there found ; but, afterwards, he discovered
1
that idea to have been a mistake. 3
kept in the archives of Monte Cassino. 32 Three other counterpart copies of thosesameActswereprocuredbyColgan. OneofthemcamefromtheVatican Library, and another from the Library of His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Barberini, while a third was sent by the celebrated Franciscan Father, Luke Wadding. All of these copies were diligently collated by the editor, who found them severally mutilated and worn, abounding in false emendations of copyists, as also deformed with verbal transpositions and changes, to such a degree, that the sense of some verses could not be discovered, while the proper number of feet, and the required syllabic measure, were wanting in
23 Ofthese,however,fewtracesnowremain. The Round Tower there is still very per- feet, while the accompanying illustration taken on the spot, by William F. Wake- man—now many years ago—presents a pic- ture from a different point of view from that already presented, at the 24th of March. This has been transferred to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
24 Thus, " Seven Altars " are known to have been at St. Patrick's Purgatory. There were, also, according to a Cork tradition, "Seven Altars," at Gougane Barra,
25 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hibern-
cum," p. 48.
2C To this allusion has been made already,
in the Second Volume of this work, at the
1st of February, when giving the Life of St.
Brigid, Art. i.
- 7 This forms the Sixth Life of St. Brigid,
3° See the first note, postfixed to St. Brigid's Sixth Life.
3I See an account of this whole matter, in the Life of St. Brigid, vol. ii. , chap, i. , with marginal notes.
32 The great literary treasures, contained
in this celebrated and historic monastery
may be inferred from the admirable quarto
volumes, now being issued from the monas-
tic press, by the printing and artistic staff
there engaged, under the Benedictines' edi-
torial supervision. The partial result of
their labours in compiling the Catalogue of
their Manuscripts may be gleaned from
"
Bibliotheca Casinen. ds seu Codicum Manu- scriptorum qui in Tabulario Cassinensi as- servantur series cura et studio Monachorum Ordinis S. Benedicti Abbatire Montis Casini. " In the October of 1886, the writer had an opportunity for discovering several
That copy he edited was drawn from one
as published by Colgan, in his "Trias very curious codices, evidently traced by
Thaumaturga," pp. 582 to 596.
28 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Brigidre, pp. 582 to 596. Several expla- natory notes follow. See pp. 596 to 598.
29 Colgan has produced, what he considers a more correct text than had been found in his authorities.
Irish scribes, and the Opus Hioernicum in- terlacing ornaments—incorrectly called
Lombardic—by the e-iitors, are undoubtedly Irish in style and design. A short visit, however, scarcely allowed a sufficient inves-
tigation to be made of the vast Manuscript treasures there preserved,
5oo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
many other lines. But, to the collector's great industry, and by his observing closely the discrepancy of those copies, we are indebted for the publication of an old tract, which should have been very valuable, if it had not been
disfigured through such negligence or incompetency of commentators or copyists. The editor endeavoured to follow the authorities he considered
mostauthentic,inhisseveralcopies; for,heobserved,thatinmanyinstances, the just number and measure of the verse could be found in some particular
Manuscripts, while in others they were expressed, sometimes by abbrevia- tions, again by a transposition of words, and often by some closing and
arbitrary notation. The lines were frequently found so greatly mutilated, that theyboreaprosaicratherthanametricalappearance. Theeditordetected so many omissions and licences, on the part of copyists, that he felt obliged to affix various marginal annotations to this poem. Through their incautious- ness—a fruitful source of error in old documents—many transpositions of words were introduced, and certain synonymous terms were substituted for others j besides, many abbreviations of doubtful meaning were found, and these left the sense imperfect. Even unaccountable caprice and mutilations caused some of the chapters to be acephalous or truncated, while some were altogether omitted. 33 Certain lines are subjoined, from the Barbarini Manu- script, and which are wanting in that of Monte Cassino. Some breaks are discovered, likewise, in course of the narrative and structure of the poem. 3 *
33 This may be seen in the still imperfect
Life, as published by Colgan.
3-* This has been noted, by the editor, in a
Agmen pavit enorme viriim. Sedulius.
Lcgis in effigie scriptum per enigmata Christum. Prudentius. Cujus ad arbitrium sphera mobilis atque rotunda. Prudentius. Excidit ergo animus eremi sitis excidit illi. Prudentius. Nam tecum fere totus ero, quocumque recedam. Ausonius. Pignoribus spoliatque suos fames im- proba natos. Prudentius. Cuspis auaritios stupuit lues improba castis. Prudentius. Credite, vera fient, nee spe frustrabor inani. Arator. Quosque viros non ira frcmens, non idola bello. Prudentius. Suffragiis Christi et plausibus angc- licis. Prosper. Prostratus pedibus verccunda silentia rupi. Maximian. At po. -tquam tenerara rupit verecundia front em. Idem. Vestigiis calcare suis vencranter ado- rant. Sedulius. In qua per lauacrum fidsei viitute renatix. '. Prosper. Continuos gemitus agra sencctus ha- bet. Maximian. Ilaeretiei sensus, nullumque omnino
relictum. Aulanus. Quosque viros non ira fremens non idola bello. Prudentius. Pingere Philosophi victricem Laida
cepit.
Physica vel logico logicum, vel jungit
adethos. Sidonius.
Compar silicibus nunc hyacinthus erat. Eucheria.
of instances. 33 Colgan adds :
variety
"
Et quia ipsi vetusto authori videbantur posse attribui quaxlam quantitatis, vitia sajpe occurrentia, iila, at jacebant reliqui ; qualia sunt in adverbiis valde rite, publice, tarde et similibus ; in quibus ultimam syllabam passim corripit. Item in his ; frelum, prope, primam produ- cit : et in his iyai, eremi secundam corripit : Et mtapetibus primam producit, et secundam corripit : ultimam in salus, similibus contra- hit. Sed in his venia danda est antiquitati et usui, qui secundum tempora varius reperi- tur apud priscos optim cosque poetas.
100
494
built thereon, were granted by James I. to Sir Christopher Byshe. 9
wall, and it has been left on an elevated pedestal,
since the road had been
Ancient Cross and Ruined Church at Tully, or Tulach n-Easpog, County of Dublin.
levelled, while the other remains in an adjoining field, and it is of consider-
able Abeautiful height.
of church,101 Tullagh
from a
and of the old cemetery Celtic crosses, is to be found engraved in Grose's
"
view,
102
Antiquities of Ireland. "
In the Shetland Islands, as in other parts of Scotland, St. Olave was held in
drawing by Bigari
great veneration. The Irish Christian priests worked indefatigably in those Islands ; and their memory lives in the names of Papa Stour (great) and
I03 The
close of the tenth century, to introduce Christianity throuj ;hout the Shet- lands.
Papa (little).
Norwegian King,
Olaf was able, at the Tryggveson,
W See " Calendar of the State Papers, re-
to of the of
lating Ireland, Reign Elizabeth,
1588, August— 1592, September. " Edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. State Tapers,
vol. cxliv, May 6th, 15S9, pp. 160, 161.
9i So late as the beginning of last century,
County of Dublin," pp. 930, 931.
103 A view of its of the ruined position,
church, and of the cemetery, has been drawn by William F, YVakeman on the spot. This illustration he has transferred to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
"
St. Toolog's, situate in Fishamble-street, Dublin.
102
were leased to Alice Macdermot, for ^8 per
annum, she being bound to erect two new 103 In old Norse, "Paper" means
The
priest's
chamber of St. Olave's altos
I ' This lies near
Loughlinstown, County
houses thereon. "
99 See John DAlton's "History of the II These arc mentioned by Theodric, in
"priests. "
See vol. i. , p. 15.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 495
Besides the body of St. Olaf, various other relics belonging to him were kept in the cathedral church of Drontheim, such as his standard and battle-
10*—Where these are now to be found—if
not been altogether lost is not at present known. When the Swedes possessed Drontheim in 1564, King Eric XIV. of Sweden took from the cathedral the helmet and shoes of St. Olaf, which were brought to Stock-
10* as also his
axe, spear.
they
have
holm, and these were deposited in a chapel belonging to the church of St.
Nicholas, where they are still kept.
106
In the Abbey of St. Victor, at Paris,
ashirtbelongingtoSt. Olafwasveneratedasarelic. 10? InthecityofRouen,
in France, there was a relic of St. Olaf preserved, but what it was does not
108
clearly appear.
Dublin, was preserved, moreover, a portion of the clothes belonging to St. Olaf, King and national saint of Norway. 100
This martyr-king was greatly venerated, and soon after his death, not alone in Norway, but in all the Scandinavian countries, as also in Russia, on the 29th of July. This is certified by Adam of Bremen ll ° and by Saxo Gramma- ticus. 111 Also, at the 2nd or 3rd of August, a Festival far the Translation of his relics was observed. However, more generally, at the 29th of July, and on this present day, the feast of St. Olaus, King and Martyr, was cele-
Among the relics of the convent of the Holy Trinity,
112 as we find recorded in the ancient Scandinavian Breviaries and Missals. In England, Ireland "3 and Scotland, "4 as also in France "3 and
brated;
116 his festival was
ologies and Histories. The feast of St. Ole, king of swadine and mart, vnder
Belgium,
observed,
as we find recorded in various
Martyr-
Conradus,
noted a. d.
1028,
is to be found in Adam Kalendar. 11 ? At King's
this likewise, his name is entered in the Roman date,
118
This distinguished servant of God resolved to look forward, chiefly towards
that goal he desired to attain, and although his regal position was exalted,
yet was he poor in desire ; for even when busily engaged in affairs of state, he followed the Divine law, according to the light of his conscience, while he observedwithardouritssacredprecepts. However,hedidnotalwaysavoid what it prohibited, nor was his career free from imprudence and self-indul- gence. His pious cares were doubtless mingled with human desires and
ambition ; and especially, in the early years of his life, the training given him appears to have been defective and ill-directed. When he became a Chris- tian, however, he embraced the Faith with zeal and earnestness ; so that, when his soul became tarnished with passion cr frailty, more lasting and firm
II2 " his History of the Norwegian Kings, See
Circle of the Seasons," p. 211.
xxiv.
105 See Torfeus' " Historice Rerum Nor-
vegicarum," tomus iv. , lib. iv. , cap. xxvi. ,
p. 213.
106 According to the note of Benzelius ad
Vastovii Vitem Aquiloniam, p. 23.
,07 See Les Petits Bollandistes, " Viesdes
Saints," tome ix. , xxixe Jour de Juillet, p. 121.
303 " See Franciscus Pomerayus, in
XI3 See "The Book of Obits and
Martyr-
cap.
Histo- ria Archiepiscoporum Rotomagensium," when treating about Robert I. , in Cap. ft,
ology of the Cathedral Church of the Holy
Trinity, commonly called Christ Church,
Dublin," edited by John Clarke Crosth-
waite and by Rev. James Ilenthorn Todd,
D. D. , p. 140.
It4 See Hector Boece's " Historic? Scoto-
rum," lib. xi.
II3 According to a Kalendar, printed at Paris in 1697.
II5 " According to the
num. 8, p. 245.
I1? See Bishop Forbes'
"
Kalendars of
109 See T. Gilbert's " John
of the Scottish Saints," 158. See, also, at p.
History City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 48.
pp.
110 In his " Historise Ecclesiastics Eccle-
siae Hamburgensis et Bremensis, vicinorum- Regis et Martyris. " "Martyrologium Ro-
que Locorum Septentrionalium," lib. ii. ,
manum," Gregorit XIII. Editio novissima,
cap. xliii. p. 109. Romce, 1878, fol,
111
In his "Historia Danica. "
Martyrology.
Florarius Sancto- rum," and Greven's additions to Usuard.
426, 427.
2l8 Thus: "In N—oivegia sancti Olavi
49^
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 29.
principles of guidance saved him from yielding wholly to sin, because they broughthimsoontosincererepentanceandultimateperseverance. Although fruit and flowers be plucked from the tree or stem, while the roots are firm
and vigorous, yet will the product grow again to ripen and flourish ; such, too, is the efficacy of Faith in the soul, for it sustains the spiritual life, and it infuses a fresh spirit to correct human errors, and radically to remove them, before irregularities can bring the sinner to the fatal abyss of self- destruction.
Article II. —St. Kilian, Chelian or Coelan, Monk of Inish-
keltra, Lough Derg, County Clare. [Eighth Century. '] This highly
gifted, esteemed and worthy religious had laboured so earnestly and so well,
in his great and holy avocation to meet that God, whose service was the
sole absorbing object of his life, that his future rewards were secured, even
before they were fully realized. An elegant scholar, his mind was further-
moreenlightenedbythegiftsofgrace. Itismuchtoberegretted,however,
that his personal history has been so obscured, and that it has become so diffi-
cult of elucidation. The Natalis of St. Chelian or Coelan, a monk of Inis- 12
keltra, occurs on the 29th of July, according to the — of Martyrology Tallagh. '
The Irish names — and Cellen Cillin, Cillen, Cillean, Cellin,
the same are often confounded ; on account of verbal affinities, likewise, they have been classed with the names Coelan, Coelin and Coelen. These latter, however, are said to have a different derivation. The foregoing namesarevariouslyappliedtoourIrishSaints. Thewords,CillinandCillen, arediminutivesdeducedfromCillorCell. Hence,inLatin,theyareinterpreted,
origin and signification
bearing
the — Coelen and Coelin But, words, Coelan,
by
the
expression,
Cellanus.
are derived fr
—om the or Cail or to modern
scholars, Caol which signifies slender," or attenuated. " As there is no letter K in the Irish language, its place is supplied by the consonant C, which before and after slender vowels, receiving the same pronunciation, as in other languages, should be accorded to the former letter. Hence, the aforesaid names, when Latinized, are variously expressed by these words, Cillinus, Killinus, Cellenus, Kellenus, Kilianus, Kilienus, Chilianus, Chilienus, &c. , also by Coelanus, Caolanus, Coelinus, Coelenus, Coelianus, Caelanus, &c. Inthesewords,also,ot\aiandnoarcdiphthongs. 3 ThefeastofSt. Coelanus is entered in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at the 29th of July. * The Bollandistss have a brief notice of Coelanus, at this same date, but they doubt his title to be enrolled in the Catalogue of the Saints. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan thinks, that Kilian lived not before the latter part of the eighth cen-
6 he does not deem it worth his while, to enter a tury, although upon long
discussion, regarding this saint. We may conjecture his birth 'o have taken place before or a little after the year 700 ; but, on this supposition, we have little evidence to guide us in making such a statement. Some six miles above the town of Killaloe, the Shannon expands into a noble lake. Anciently, it was called Loch Deirgheirt. This fine sheet of water extends ten miles in length, and it is about three miles across, at its greatest breadth. Many pretty Islands stud its surface. 7
s Sec "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
Julii xxix. Among the pretermitted sains, p. 3.
1 See a
Article 11. —• His is
"St. Coc- lanus de Inis-Kelltra," in the Calendar.
2
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. XXK.
3 SeeColgan's "TriasThaumaturga. "
Sexta Vita S. Brigidre, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597. 4 See ibid.
monosyllables, Coel, according ""
styled
vii. ,
One of these, formerly called Keltra, also Inis-
"See"EcclesiasticalHistoryofIreland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ii. , n. 18, p. 381.
very interesting article,
" Jnish-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Cealtra, Inish-Caltra, and sometimes Inniskeltair, bears likewise the name of
July 29. I
497
Island. The to it as a " the Seven people frequently apply title,
Holy
Churches. "OnInishcaltra,Mr. Hills8 foundtheruins
The very ancient use of the term " Seven Churches/' in Ireland, has been questioned by that gentleman, who considers, that it had been used for the fust time by Sir William Petty. 9 From earlier books and Manuscripts, its sup- posed absence is taken as a proof, by Mr. Hills, that the name is modern, and conferred by popular usage, on places where a considerable number of eccle- siastical ruins are found. A very ingenious argument has been advanced, 10 that such an application to several places greatly venerated in Ireland has
11
which are mentioned in the Apocalypse, and which were so widely apart, but rath—er, as seems most likely, that the idea of Seven Churches and of Seven Altars as these also are some- times mentioned—came to Ireland from Rome itself. During the very earliest ages of Christianity, the faithful were wont to resort to the Basilicas
of the martyrs, at night, for prayer, consolation, etc. This was the beginning
of what were called stations. 12 At a later period, the stations were made
more regularly and publicly ; for, Christians assembled on certain days in the
year, at different churches, belonging to the city of Rome, to celebrate the
Divine Mysteries. The church, in which the stations were held, had been
regularly announced, so that the people might know where to assemble. St.
Gregory the Great, elected Pope in 590, reduced those stations to a regular
T
system. 3 StationsandIndulgencesattachingtothem,inoneformoranother,
have been continued to the present time. In a decree x * of Pope Pius VI L,
he confirms in perpetuity the Indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiffs, his predecessors, to the faithful, who visit the seven churches of Rome, which he names, 15 and who pray according to the intention of his Holiness. He further confirms those indulgences granted by his predecessors to the faithful, who visit the seven privileged altars of St. Peter's or of any of the other churches enumerated,shouldtheypossessthem. 16 ToSt. CaiminJ7 hasbeengenerally
been derived, not from the seven churches,
caltra and its Remains," by Richard R. Brash, Architect, M. R. I. A. , in "The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Re- view. " New series, vol. i. , January, 1 866, p. 7,
who piously visited the places where they were held.
I4 It bears date September 7th, 181S.
IS These are the churches of St. Peter, of St. Paul, of St. Sebastian, outside the walls, 8" oftheof
See an article, Notes on the Architec-
of St. John Lateran, Holy Cross,
ture of Ireland, v. "The Gentleman's
St. Laurence, outside the walls, and of St.
Mary Major.
l6 " not some Might
Magazine,"parti. , 1864,p. 550.
In compiling his Down Survey, wards published.
Irish or prelate
9
after-
pious
monk, or missionary," enquires the Rev. Mr.
10 See an article, written by Rev. John
O'Roorke in the " Irish Ecclesiastical Re-
cord," vol. ii. , May, 1866, pp. 380 to 386. This Article is headed, "The Number Seven, and the name seven churches applied to several groups of Ruins in Ireland. "
11 This appears to be a favourite theory of
Dean Murray.
12 See Tolelus, lib. vi.
13 He divided Rome into seven parts, and
the stations were so appointed, that a regu- lated circuit, or rather several circuits, were made of those seven divisions during the year. Although the stations are not now in use, as St. Gregory left them, they are still given, in the Roman Missal, as they were
arranged by him. He granted great indul- gences to those who made the stations, or
O'Roorke, " think it a good thing to have
stations in Ireland such as they had in
Rome? and might not some holy pontiff, for
the sanctification of that distant mission of
Ireland, grant the request, and concede the
indulgences, provided the Seven Churches
or the Seven Altars, as the case might be,
were actually erected ? Concessions of this
kind are not uncommon. We have an
example in the stations of the cross erected
in our churches, by vi-iting which the faith-
ful gain the same indulgences as were for-
merly granted to those, who visited in person
the holy places in Jerusalem, and who made stations there. This solution would further
help to dispose of Mr. Hills' difficulty of finding nine, or ten, or twelve, or thirteen churches, in some of the places he explored,
only
offourchurches.
49S LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. ascribed the foundation of a monastery on Iiiiskeitair, early in the seventh
ofhis
l
andoverwhichhe tothe century, — presided
a. d. l8 A
period
flourishing monastery said to have been Benedictine in its form of rule
— was thus established at a very early period, 9 on the Island of Iniscaltra. Here, no doubt, a famous school had been conducted in after times. A succession of Abbots seems to have continued, until the place had been
a Danish commander from
It was afterwards restored, by the powerful and pious monarch of Ireland,
destroyed by Tomar,
Limerick,
Bryan Boroimhe,
1007.
Holy Island, Lough Derg,
is
21 The church on
a. d.
said to have been restored or remodelled by him in the eleventh century. A fine window in the southern wall is round-headed, and it has varied semi-
Principal Church and Round Tower on Iniscealtra.
cylindrical mouldings, very deeply cut. This style seems peculiar to Ireland, about that period, although its prototype, most probably, may be elsewhere found. The Island proper lies in that part which is known as Inniscaltra parish, in the barony of Tulla, and county of Clare. A Round Tower and some beautiful ruins are to be seen on this Island. 22 It lies close on the
instead of seven ; for, if the seven privileged churches were erected, no matter how many
wereafterwards
by excellence would still remain. Whetever my readers may think of this view of the case, there is one fact connected with it pleasant and consoling to us, Irish Catholics, which is, that it would have been no strange
' peculiarity in us to have our Seven
Churches and our Seven Altars,' since we find both in Rome, the mo—del and the mis-
tress of all the Churches. "
astical Record," vol.
** His festival is generally assigned to
March 24th, at which date some account of
this saint and of his island-home, with an
illustration, may be found in the Third Vo- at the 23rd of April, Art. i. Life of the lume of this work, Art. ii. He has a feast,
likewise, at the 25th of March. See ibid. , Art. iii.
18
According to the Abbe Ma-Geoghegan, ibis foundation belongs to a later period.
built,
the 'SevenChurches'
"Irish
—
Ecclesi- ii. , pp. 385, 386.
Cap. lviii. , p. 594. co "
death,
653.
See " Histoire de l'Irlande Ancienne et Moderne, "tome i. . Seconde Partie, chap. iii. , p. 298.
'9 See St. Brigid's Sixth Life, as pub-
lished by Colgan
* * * "Keltra est conventus rite virorum,
Prudentum, sacro Bcnedicti dogmatc florens. "
See Archdalls cum," p. 48.
Monasticon Hiberni-
— :
1 See an illustration of this church, now in ruins, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
Blessed Bryan Boroimna, King of Minister, Monarch of Ireland, and Martyr, chap. vi.
23 Sec an illustration and a in description,
Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its Scenery, Character,"' ecc, vol. iii. , pp. 429 to 431.
in the 2° year 834.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 499
bounds of Clonfert diocese, and on the southern confines of the Connaught
province. The former importance of this place is inferred, from the popular
designation of " the Seven Churches. "23 It has been considered as a well-
established fact, that the number seven had been connected with sacred
things in Ireland, and that it was not alone applied to churches, but even to
2
altars, * erected in groups at various places. It is supposed, that St. Coelan
had become a monk on the Island of Iniscaltra, and that he must have there lived for a considerable time. According to conjecture, he flourished about the end of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. ** At Inis- caltra,mostprobably,Kalianhadreceivedhiseducation; whichinaclassical sense must have been an accomplished one. To him is attributed a very
elegant 2
metrical Life of St. 26 It was written in Latin Hexameter Brigid.
verse. ? SeveralManuscriptcopiesofthisLifearesupposedtobeextant. As may be expected, in these there are various readings. Colgan has published
a
from the
28 from a Monte Cassino
collated with a
version,
Manuscript,
copy, procured
Vatican
Library,
and
compared
with
other
exemplars.
2 9
Various emendations were deemed to be necessary. When Colgan
had begun passing St. Brigid's Acts through the press, he received
from the Rev. Father Bernard Egan, a learned Benedictine Abbot, and an
Irishman, a certain fragment of that biography. 3° At first, Colgan thought that poem began with lines, he there found ; but, afterwards, he discovered
1
that idea to have been a mistake. 3
kept in the archives of Monte Cassino. 32 Three other counterpart copies of thosesameActswereprocuredbyColgan. OneofthemcamefromtheVatican Library, and another from the Library of His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Barberini, while a third was sent by the celebrated Franciscan Father, Luke Wadding. All of these copies were diligently collated by the editor, who found them severally mutilated and worn, abounding in false emendations of copyists, as also deformed with verbal transpositions and changes, to such a degree, that the sense of some verses could not be discovered, while the proper number of feet, and the required syllabic measure, were wanting in
23 Ofthese,however,fewtracesnowremain. The Round Tower there is still very per- feet, while the accompanying illustration taken on the spot, by William F. Wake- man—now many years ago—presents a pic- ture from a different point of view from that already presented, at the 24th of March. This has been transferred to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
24 Thus, " Seven Altars " are known to have been at St. Patrick's Purgatory. There were, also, according to a Cork tradition, "Seven Altars," at Gougane Barra,
25 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hibern-
cum," p. 48.
2C To this allusion has been made already,
in the Second Volume of this work, at the
1st of February, when giving the Life of St.
Brigid, Art. i.
- 7 This forms the Sixth Life of St. Brigid,
3° See the first note, postfixed to St. Brigid's Sixth Life.
3I See an account of this whole matter, in the Life of St. Brigid, vol. ii. , chap, i. , with marginal notes.
32 The great literary treasures, contained
in this celebrated and historic monastery
may be inferred from the admirable quarto
volumes, now being issued from the monas-
tic press, by the printing and artistic staff
there engaged, under the Benedictines' edi-
torial supervision. The partial result of
their labours in compiling the Catalogue of
their Manuscripts may be gleaned from
"
Bibliotheca Casinen. ds seu Codicum Manu- scriptorum qui in Tabulario Cassinensi as- servantur series cura et studio Monachorum Ordinis S. Benedicti Abbatire Montis Casini. " In the October of 1886, the writer had an opportunity for discovering several
That copy he edited was drawn from one
as published by Colgan, in his "Trias very curious codices, evidently traced by
Thaumaturga," pp. 582 to 596.
28 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Brigidre, pp. 582 to 596. Several expla- natory notes follow. See pp. 596 to 598.
29 Colgan has produced, what he considers a more correct text than had been found in his authorities.
Irish scribes, and the Opus Hioernicum in- terlacing ornaments—incorrectly called
Lombardic—by the e-iitors, are undoubtedly Irish in style and design. A short visit, however, scarcely allowed a sufficient inves-
tigation to be made of the vast Manuscript treasures there preserved,
5oo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
many other lines. But, to the collector's great industry, and by his observing closely the discrepancy of those copies, we are indebted for the publication of an old tract, which should have been very valuable, if it had not been
disfigured through such negligence or incompetency of commentators or copyists. The editor endeavoured to follow the authorities he considered
mostauthentic,inhisseveralcopies; for,heobserved,thatinmanyinstances, the just number and measure of the verse could be found in some particular
Manuscripts, while in others they were expressed, sometimes by abbrevia- tions, again by a transposition of words, and often by some closing and
arbitrary notation. The lines were frequently found so greatly mutilated, that theyboreaprosaicratherthanametricalappearance. Theeditordetected so many omissions and licences, on the part of copyists, that he felt obliged to affix various marginal annotations to this poem. Through their incautious- ness—a fruitful source of error in old documents—many transpositions of words were introduced, and certain synonymous terms were substituted for others j besides, many abbreviations of doubtful meaning were found, and these left the sense imperfect. Even unaccountable caprice and mutilations caused some of the chapters to be acephalous or truncated, while some were altogether omitted. 33 Certain lines are subjoined, from the Barbarini Manu- script, and which are wanting in that of Monte Cassino. Some breaks are discovered, likewise, in course of the narrative and structure of the poem. 3 *
33 This may be seen in the still imperfect
Life, as published by Colgan.
3-* This has been noted, by the editor, in a
Agmen pavit enorme viriim. Sedulius.
Lcgis in effigie scriptum per enigmata Christum. Prudentius. Cujus ad arbitrium sphera mobilis atque rotunda. Prudentius. Excidit ergo animus eremi sitis excidit illi. Prudentius. Nam tecum fere totus ero, quocumque recedam. Ausonius. Pignoribus spoliatque suos fames im- proba natos. Prudentius. Cuspis auaritios stupuit lues improba castis. Prudentius. Credite, vera fient, nee spe frustrabor inani. Arator. Quosque viros non ira frcmens, non idola bello. Prudentius. Suffragiis Christi et plausibus angc- licis. Prosper. Prostratus pedibus verccunda silentia rupi. Maximian. At po. -tquam tenerara rupit verecundia front em. Idem. Vestigiis calcare suis vencranter ado- rant. Sedulius. In qua per lauacrum fidsei viitute renatix. '. Prosper. Continuos gemitus agra sencctus ha- bet. Maximian. Ilaeretiei sensus, nullumque omnino
relictum. Aulanus. Quosque viros non ira fremens non idola bello. Prudentius. Pingere Philosophi victricem Laida
cepit.
Physica vel logico logicum, vel jungit
adethos. Sidonius.
Compar silicibus nunc hyacinthus erat. Eucheria.
of instances. 33 Colgan adds :
variety
"
Et quia ipsi vetusto authori videbantur posse attribui quaxlam quantitatis, vitia sajpe occurrentia, iila, at jacebant reliqui ; qualia sunt in adverbiis valde rite, publice, tarde et similibus ; in quibus ultimam syllabam passim corripit. Item in his ; frelum, prope, primam produ- cit : et in his iyai, eremi secundam corripit : Et mtapetibus primam producit, et secundam corripit : ultimam in salus, similibus contra- hit. Sed in his venia danda est antiquitati et usui, qui secundum tempora varius reperi- tur apud priscos optim cosque poetas.
