"
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register.
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
usque ad Ann.
mcccvii.
, p.
5.
71 He was born at
about the year 1035. Sec M. Le Dr. raade.
Opslo, nowChristiania,
75 He was of Harald-IIard- grandson
~
2
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 49 t
having obtained possession of the Orkneys and also of the Isle of Man. Landing in the latter, at St. Patrick's Isle, he surveyed a field of battle where the Manks had lately encountered, and where many dead bodies still lay unburied. The prospect of Man pleased him exceedingly, and there he resolvedtoreside. Heconstructedsomefortresses,also,whichsubsequently bore his name. He effectually humbled the men of Galloway, so that he obliged them to cut down timber, and to carry it to the shore. He obliged them,
to fix this on his entrenchments. ? 6 his ambition and love for But,
likewise,
conquest brought him to Ireland, A. D. 1103, where in a predatory excursion he was slain by the Ulidians. 7?
To who flourished in the twelfth 8 has Archbishop Eysten, century,?
been attributed the completion of that magnificent cathedral of Dron- theim, commenced by King Olave Kyrre. The shrine of St. Olaf was then regarded as one of the richest treasures preserved in that city; and, doubtless, the zealous prelate took care, that it should occupy the most conspicuous place therein, for reverence of his flock. In due course, itwashonourablyplacedinthatgrandcathedralchurchofDrontheim. It was adorned with gold and jewels of immense value, the result of rich offer- ings. Great miracles are recorded, as having taken place at the tomb of St. 01aus,79 while numbers of devout pilgrims flocked thither, to experience the benefits of his intercession. The church of Drontheim, in after times, was regarded as one of the noblest in the North.
Owing to a traditional reverence, St. Olaf was acknowledged as the
8°
Its mediaeval kings were crowned, also, under his patronage. Before the Protestant Reformation invaded Norway, its noble cathedral of Drontheim was considered to be one ofthegloriesofChristendomforextent,style,andelaborateconstruction. A fire had damaged the foundations, near the altar; but, in the year 1530, that
81
damage had been repaired at considerable expense.
cent cathedral, it had an invaluable library attached, with a sacristy containing sacred books, chalices, vestments and other objects of great value. The fanatical Reformers proceeded, at the time when their sway extended over
the North, to despoil churches and monasteries, tearing down sacred images, pictures and shrines. To such lengths did they proceed, at Drontheim, that one Otto Stigius removed the books and manuscripts contained in the library, when, like a true Vandal, he took care to have them burned in the public
82
special patron of the kingdom of Norway, in ri64.
cemetery. Moreover, a large silver crucifix,
which required the strength
76 See the Rev. James Johnstone's "Anti- the Emperor Charles V. , Munster writes :
qnitates Celto-Normannicse," Chronicon "impensa —imputantur ad seplem millia
Mannioe, pp. io, 1 1.
? 7 See a more detailed account of him, at
the 16th of April, the Feast of St. Magnus,
Earl of the Orkney Islands, and Martyr, in Scotland, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
78 According to Undalin, he presided as Archbishop over Drontheim, from A. D. 1161 to A. D. 1 184.
79 Thus, Eynar Skuldesen, a scald of the twelfth century, has composed a Poem in honour of St. Olaf, in which he mentions his miracles and visions. This poem is inserted in the work of Snorro Sturleson, published at Copenhagen.
jBiographie Generate, tome xxxviii. , col. rum multitudinem prostravit. Inopinata 584. Art. Olaf II. , saint. autem potitus victoria, cum lcetitia ac multis V In his " Cosmographia," dedicated to spoliis reversus, crucem fecit argenteam
80 See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle "
vir genere prseclarus et armis potens. " He had entered upon an alliance with the Norse
man King of Dublin, to engage on a pirati- cal expedition against the shores of Britain. They. obtained muchbooty, and in the matter of division, the regal robber refused his share to the other thief. Whereupon, Guttornin invoked the aid of St. Olave, and with a greatly inferior force, he attacked the King
of Dublin, obtaining a complete victory over him. Then we read: "Ope Christi et Gloriosi Martyris intervenlu totum barbaro-
Besides the magnifi-
aureorum. " Lib. iv.
82 This was. the gift of an Irish Scandina-
vian chief named Guttorninus orGuthorinus,
"
natione Noricus, scilicet beati Olavi nepos,
4<p LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
of three men to carry in procession, and which stood before St. Olafs shrine, was carried off, and destroyed. The rich silver loailus, within which his remains lay—then resting in a wooden coffin enclosed—and all the jewels,
8
gold and silver ornaments 3 attached, were taken away, so that the grand
cathedral of Drontheim was robbed of its priceless ornaments, and left a sad wreck. In the year 1541, the Lutherans thus plundered St. Olafs rich shrine, but they treated the sacred remains with respect, leaving the body in the same place where the shrine had stood, in the inner wooden case. However, when that ship, which sailed with the greatest part of those shrine treasures, reached the Denmark road, it perished at sea, and what remained of the booty was sequestered on land, so that nothing came into the king's possession.
Drontheim cathedral was burned by lightning; and, except the choir portion, muchofthenavewasthrowndownandgreatlydamaged. Thegrandcathe- dral lasted after Lutheranism had prevailed in Norway ; and, in it, a Lutheran
8
Bishop, with twenty-four Canons, officiated. * After the middle of the six-
teenth century, when war broke out between the Danes and Swedes, the latter
got possession of Drontheim, in 1564. Then the body and coffin of St. Olaf were buried in the ground. At this time, Norway and Denmark were under the government of the same monarch, Frederick II. His army succeeded in routingtheSwedes,andinrecoveringDrontheim. Then,itwasresolvedto remove St. Olafs remains from that grave in which they had been deposited. This translation took place with great public solemnities ; the ecclesiastics of every grade, the nobles, the military, and the people of that city, attended in great numbers. We are informed, that in 1568, the body of our saint was decently buried in Drontheim cathedral, where a cenotaph had been prepared foritsreception. Atthistime,too,wasseenthewell-preservedbodywhole, and in a dry condition ; the stature of the corpse being large and becoming a chief ; the beard was red ; the nose appeared to be contracted with dry- ness, and on it was noticed a wound, which seemed like a hard and dried-up portion of wood. At that date, nearly five hundred and forty years had elapsed, since his first interment ; yet, it was noticed, that St. Olafs body had not become the prey of worms, nor was it at all corrupt. This had been attested by a Lutheran, to the Lutheran minister Undalin, who relates all the foregoing circumstances, and doubtless, many Protestants as well as Catholics, who must have been then living there, were witnesses of this preternatural spectacle. Various great miracles are recorded, as having been wrought through the intercession of St. Olaf, when the people began to hold his
in and those continued 8*
memory
mirse magnituclinis, longe humani corporis molem excedentem, et posuit earn in eccle-
sia Beati Martyris ad corpus ejus, in divini
et victoriae, — triumphi inopinatce quam per
mcrita ejus obtinuerat, monumentum. " " Acta Brevia," auctore anonymo, ex Pas* sionali pergamento Ms. ccenobii Bodecensis,
during many succeeding ages.
the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Julii
xxix. De S. Olavo, Rege et Martyre, Nidro-
sice in Norvegia. Acta Brevia, cap. ii. , pp.
as also in the
115, 116, Appendix, pp. 117
to 120.
86 See "A Memorial of British Piety,"
by Bishop Challenor, p. no.
veneration,
cap. ii. , sect. 14, 15.
83 According to Undalin
See Rev. Dr. Oliver's "Collections. " There, too, many of the old French Huguenot refugees were buried within its walls. See Isacke's "Memorials of the City of Exeter," published at first in 1677, and afterwards another edition appeared in
1 723.
89
Every trace of it has long since dis- appeared, but human remains beneath the soil yet attest the place of an ancient ceme- tery surrounding it. The writer was in-
— ministerwhowrot—etowardsthecloseofthe
sixteenth century one of those ornaments
had been the gift of Archbishop Eric Val-
kendorp, and it is said, "butyri viginti ton- narum emerat. "
8*
Descriptio Europse," tomus iii. , p. 687. 85 Many of these arc recorded, and taken
"
According to Davicius, in his work,
from various sources, by the Bollandists, in
• 8?
a 88 Lutheran
/
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 493
Wherever the Northmen extended their sway, they did not forget to build churches in honour of St. Olave, or as sometimes called, St. Tooley. In England,IrelandandScotlandsucherectionswereknown. Thus,nearthe city of London, on the Southwark side of the River Thames, a street called after him still exists, and it indicates the site of a former church. No less than four parishes in London were dedicated to God in his name, while many other churches in honoured him as the 86 A church was
England patron.
dedicated to St. Olave in Exeter, England, and its foundation dates back to
an early period of the middle ages. It is sometimes asserted, that a burying- ground was attached to St. Olave's church, because human bones are frequently discovered near it. The fact is, the cemetery of St. Nicholas
8
extended in its direction to Fore-street. ? After the Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes, a number of French Huguenots settled in Exeter, and the Pro- testant bishop gave them St. Olave's for use. There service was performed
88
for them in the French language, down to about 1758.
To the early Danish inhabitants of Dublin, who were chiefly of
Norwegian extraction, has been ascribed the erection of a church to St. Olave.
In Fishamble-street, and on the west side, in Dublin city, a church had been
8
built and dedicated to him. The church of St. Olave, thus erected, ? stood at the
foot of that old street, the lower portion of which, leading to Essex-quay, used to be called St. Tulloch's-lane. s° A strange mistake has been made by
1 who
stood on the Castle steps, where Sir James Ware's mansion was afterwards
Archdall^
states,
that St. Olave's was a Bristolian and that it Abbey,
erected. ^2 A
with the old historic records and the
very slight acquaintance
topographical arrangements of Dublin should have dispelled that notion. ^ The site is now occupied by the city Corporation yard, and excavations near it disclose the fact of a cemetery having been there. During the time Dublin had been occupied by the earlier English settlers, St. Olave's or St. Tulloch's church lapsed into decay. The church of St. John the Evangelist, on the upper part of Fishamble-street,? 4 was erected at first under the invocation of St. John the Baptist, before the English came over here. It was united to St. Tulloch's or St. Olave's, in 1530. 9s Soon after, this church fell into com- plete decay, and afterwards St. John's represented the older church of St. Olave, or St. Tulloch. Moreover, Stanihurst, who wrote after the middle of the six-
6
teenth century, states, that it was then prophaned. ?
Queen Elizabeth, among other property belonging to Jaques Wingfold, Master of the Ordnance in Ireland, the old church with the appurtenances called St. Tulloch's in Fishamble-street, Dublin, were to be seized for the Queen's use to discharge his debts to her. 97 After the union of the parish
formed—now many years ago—by an old and accomplished citizen of Dublin, Dr. Willis,
senior, that in his young days during the last century the people were accustomed to call the site St. Tulloch's.
50 See John T. Gilbert's " History of the
City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,' pp. 48
John the Evangelist's church stood in Bove- street.
^ " It is the third church which has been
incorporated with the priory of the Holy Trinity (Christ Church Cathedral) since the Conquest, and in our own day Arnold Ussher has rebuilt it from the foundation? , Our mansion was within its precincts, as is
"
to
50.
recorded in new —
91 " In his
73> 174*
King is quoted, p. 140.
92 This is controverted by Walter Harris,
93 This mistake is noticed, in the Bishop of Ossory's new edition of Archdall's book.
H In the time of Archbishop Alan, St.
l
Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
F°r this statement, however, Alan's Repertorium Viride. "
in his "
of Dublin," chap, iv. , sect. hi. , p. 86.
s6 He adds : "In this church in old time the familie of the Fitzsimons was for tie more part buried. The paroch was meared from the Crane Castell to the fish shamble--, called the Cockhill, with Preston his innes. and the lane thereto adjoining, which seo^e is now united to St. John his paroch.
"
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register. " Archbishop
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. with St. John's, the former disestablished church, churchyard, and two houses
3
It is said, or supposed, that the Danes originally built that old church, now to be seen in the parish of Tully, barony of Rathdown, and county of Dublin, having dedicated it to St. Olave, King of Norway. ? ? It has the appearance
of being ancient, being of small proportions, and having a rounded chancel- arch. It is now in a ruinous condition. 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.
71 He was born at
about the year 1035. Sec M. Le Dr. raade.
Opslo, nowChristiania,
75 He was of Harald-IIard- grandson
~
2
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 49 t
having obtained possession of the Orkneys and also of the Isle of Man. Landing in the latter, at St. Patrick's Isle, he surveyed a field of battle where the Manks had lately encountered, and where many dead bodies still lay unburied. The prospect of Man pleased him exceedingly, and there he resolvedtoreside. Heconstructedsomefortresses,also,whichsubsequently bore his name. He effectually humbled the men of Galloway, so that he obliged them to cut down timber, and to carry it to the shore. He obliged them,
to fix this on his entrenchments. ? 6 his ambition and love for But,
likewise,
conquest brought him to Ireland, A. D. 1103, where in a predatory excursion he was slain by the Ulidians. 7?
To who flourished in the twelfth 8 has Archbishop Eysten, century,?
been attributed the completion of that magnificent cathedral of Dron- theim, commenced by King Olave Kyrre. The shrine of St. Olaf was then regarded as one of the richest treasures preserved in that city; and, doubtless, the zealous prelate took care, that it should occupy the most conspicuous place therein, for reverence of his flock. In due course, itwashonourablyplacedinthatgrandcathedralchurchofDrontheim. It was adorned with gold and jewels of immense value, the result of rich offer- ings. Great miracles are recorded, as having taken place at the tomb of St. 01aus,79 while numbers of devout pilgrims flocked thither, to experience the benefits of his intercession. The church of Drontheim, in after times, was regarded as one of the noblest in the North.
Owing to a traditional reverence, St. Olaf was acknowledged as the
8°
Its mediaeval kings were crowned, also, under his patronage. Before the Protestant Reformation invaded Norway, its noble cathedral of Drontheim was considered to be one ofthegloriesofChristendomforextent,style,andelaborateconstruction. A fire had damaged the foundations, near the altar; but, in the year 1530, that
81
damage had been repaired at considerable expense.
cent cathedral, it had an invaluable library attached, with a sacristy containing sacred books, chalices, vestments and other objects of great value. The fanatical Reformers proceeded, at the time when their sway extended over
the North, to despoil churches and monasteries, tearing down sacred images, pictures and shrines. To such lengths did they proceed, at Drontheim, that one Otto Stigius removed the books and manuscripts contained in the library, when, like a true Vandal, he took care to have them burned in the public
82
special patron of the kingdom of Norway, in ri64.
cemetery. Moreover, a large silver crucifix,
which required the strength
76 See the Rev. James Johnstone's "Anti- the Emperor Charles V. , Munster writes :
qnitates Celto-Normannicse," Chronicon "impensa —imputantur ad seplem millia
Mannioe, pp. io, 1 1.
? 7 See a more detailed account of him, at
the 16th of April, the Feast of St. Magnus,
Earl of the Orkney Islands, and Martyr, in Scotland, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
78 According to Undalin, he presided as Archbishop over Drontheim, from A. D. 1161 to A. D. 1 184.
79 Thus, Eynar Skuldesen, a scald of the twelfth century, has composed a Poem in honour of St. Olaf, in which he mentions his miracles and visions. This poem is inserted in the work of Snorro Sturleson, published at Copenhagen.
jBiographie Generate, tome xxxviii. , col. rum multitudinem prostravit. Inopinata 584. Art. Olaf II. , saint. autem potitus victoria, cum lcetitia ac multis V In his " Cosmographia," dedicated to spoliis reversus, crucem fecit argenteam
80 See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle "
vir genere prseclarus et armis potens. " He had entered upon an alliance with the Norse
man King of Dublin, to engage on a pirati- cal expedition against the shores of Britain. They. obtained muchbooty, and in the matter of division, the regal robber refused his share to the other thief. Whereupon, Guttornin invoked the aid of St. Olave, and with a greatly inferior force, he attacked the King
of Dublin, obtaining a complete victory over him. Then we read: "Ope Christi et Gloriosi Martyris intervenlu totum barbaro-
Besides the magnifi-
aureorum. " Lib. iv.
82 This was. the gift of an Irish Scandina-
vian chief named Guttorninus orGuthorinus,
"
natione Noricus, scilicet beati Olavi nepos,
4<p LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
of three men to carry in procession, and which stood before St. Olafs shrine, was carried off, and destroyed. The rich silver loailus, within which his remains lay—then resting in a wooden coffin enclosed—and all the jewels,
8
gold and silver ornaments 3 attached, were taken away, so that the grand
cathedral of Drontheim was robbed of its priceless ornaments, and left a sad wreck. In the year 1541, the Lutherans thus plundered St. Olafs rich shrine, but they treated the sacred remains with respect, leaving the body in the same place where the shrine had stood, in the inner wooden case. However, when that ship, which sailed with the greatest part of those shrine treasures, reached the Denmark road, it perished at sea, and what remained of the booty was sequestered on land, so that nothing came into the king's possession.
Drontheim cathedral was burned by lightning; and, except the choir portion, muchofthenavewasthrowndownandgreatlydamaged. Thegrandcathe- dral lasted after Lutheranism had prevailed in Norway ; and, in it, a Lutheran
8
Bishop, with twenty-four Canons, officiated. * After the middle of the six-
teenth century, when war broke out between the Danes and Swedes, the latter
got possession of Drontheim, in 1564. Then the body and coffin of St. Olaf were buried in the ground. At this time, Norway and Denmark were under the government of the same monarch, Frederick II. His army succeeded in routingtheSwedes,andinrecoveringDrontheim. Then,itwasresolvedto remove St. Olafs remains from that grave in which they had been deposited. This translation took place with great public solemnities ; the ecclesiastics of every grade, the nobles, the military, and the people of that city, attended in great numbers. We are informed, that in 1568, the body of our saint was decently buried in Drontheim cathedral, where a cenotaph had been prepared foritsreception. Atthistime,too,wasseenthewell-preservedbodywhole, and in a dry condition ; the stature of the corpse being large and becoming a chief ; the beard was red ; the nose appeared to be contracted with dry- ness, and on it was noticed a wound, which seemed like a hard and dried-up portion of wood. At that date, nearly five hundred and forty years had elapsed, since his first interment ; yet, it was noticed, that St. Olafs body had not become the prey of worms, nor was it at all corrupt. This had been attested by a Lutheran, to the Lutheran minister Undalin, who relates all the foregoing circumstances, and doubtless, many Protestants as well as Catholics, who must have been then living there, were witnesses of this preternatural spectacle. Various great miracles are recorded, as having been wrought through the intercession of St. Olaf, when the people began to hold his
in and those continued 8*
memory
mirse magnituclinis, longe humani corporis molem excedentem, et posuit earn in eccle-
sia Beati Martyris ad corpus ejus, in divini
et victoriae, — triumphi inopinatce quam per
mcrita ejus obtinuerat, monumentum. " " Acta Brevia," auctore anonymo, ex Pas* sionali pergamento Ms. ccenobii Bodecensis,
during many succeeding ages.
the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Julii
xxix. De S. Olavo, Rege et Martyre, Nidro-
sice in Norvegia. Acta Brevia, cap. ii. , pp.
as also in the
115, 116, Appendix, pp. 117
to 120.
86 See "A Memorial of British Piety,"
by Bishop Challenor, p. no.
veneration,
cap. ii. , sect. 14, 15.
83 According to Undalin
See Rev. Dr. Oliver's "Collections. " There, too, many of the old French Huguenot refugees were buried within its walls. See Isacke's "Memorials of the City of Exeter," published at first in 1677, and afterwards another edition appeared in
1 723.
89
Every trace of it has long since dis- appeared, but human remains beneath the soil yet attest the place of an ancient ceme- tery surrounding it. The writer was in-
— ministerwhowrot—etowardsthecloseofthe
sixteenth century one of those ornaments
had been the gift of Archbishop Eric Val-
kendorp, and it is said, "butyri viginti ton- narum emerat. "
8*
Descriptio Europse," tomus iii. , p. 687. 85 Many of these arc recorded, and taken
"
According to Davicius, in his work,
from various sources, by the Bollandists, in
• 8?
a 88 Lutheran
/
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 493
Wherever the Northmen extended their sway, they did not forget to build churches in honour of St. Olave, or as sometimes called, St. Tooley. In England,IrelandandScotlandsucherectionswereknown. Thus,nearthe city of London, on the Southwark side of the River Thames, a street called after him still exists, and it indicates the site of a former church. No less than four parishes in London were dedicated to God in his name, while many other churches in honoured him as the 86 A church was
England patron.
dedicated to St. Olave in Exeter, England, and its foundation dates back to
an early period of the middle ages. It is sometimes asserted, that a burying- ground was attached to St. Olave's church, because human bones are frequently discovered near it. The fact is, the cemetery of St. Nicholas
8
extended in its direction to Fore-street. ? After the Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes, a number of French Huguenots settled in Exeter, and the Pro- testant bishop gave them St. Olave's for use. There service was performed
88
for them in the French language, down to about 1758.
To the early Danish inhabitants of Dublin, who were chiefly of
Norwegian extraction, has been ascribed the erection of a church to St. Olave.
In Fishamble-street, and on the west side, in Dublin city, a church had been
8
built and dedicated to him. The church of St. Olave, thus erected, ? stood at the
foot of that old street, the lower portion of which, leading to Essex-quay, used to be called St. Tulloch's-lane. s° A strange mistake has been made by
1 who
stood on the Castle steps, where Sir James Ware's mansion was afterwards
Archdall^
states,
that St. Olave's was a Bristolian and that it Abbey,
erected. ^2 A
with the old historic records and the
very slight acquaintance
topographical arrangements of Dublin should have dispelled that notion. ^ The site is now occupied by the city Corporation yard, and excavations near it disclose the fact of a cemetery having been there. During the time Dublin had been occupied by the earlier English settlers, St. Olave's or St. Tulloch's church lapsed into decay. The church of St. John the Evangelist, on the upper part of Fishamble-street,? 4 was erected at first under the invocation of St. John the Baptist, before the English came over here. It was united to St. Tulloch's or St. Olave's, in 1530. 9s Soon after, this church fell into com- plete decay, and afterwards St. John's represented the older church of St. Olave, or St. Tulloch. Moreover, Stanihurst, who wrote after the middle of the six-
6
teenth century, states, that it was then prophaned. ?
Queen Elizabeth, among other property belonging to Jaques Wingfold, Master of the Ordnance in Ireland, the old church with the appurtenances called St. Tulloch's in Fishamble-street, Dublin, were to be seized for the Queen's use to discharge his debts to her. 97 After the union of the parish
formed—now many years ago—by an old and accomplished citizen of Dublin, Dr. Willis,
senior, that in his young days during the last century the people were accustomed to call the site St. Tulloch's.
50 See John T. Gilbert's " History of the
City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,' pp. 48
John the Evangelist's church stood in Bove- street.
^ " It is the third church which has been
incorporated with the priory of the Holy Trinity (Christ Church Cathedral) since the Conquest, and in our own day Arnold Ussher has rebuilt it from the foundation? , Our mansion was within its precincts, as is
"
to
50.
recorded in new —
91 " In his
73> 174*
King is quoted, p. 140.
92 This is controverted by Walter Harris,
93 This mistake is noticed, in the Bishop of Ossory's new edition of Archdall's book.
H In the time of Archbishop Alan, St.
l
Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
F°r this statement, however, Alan's Repertorium Viride. "
in his "
of Dublin," chap, iv. , sect. hi. , p. 86.
s6 He adds : "In this church in old time the familie of the Fitzsimons was for tie more part buried. The paroch was meared from the Crane Castell to the fish shamble--, called the Cockhill, with Preston his innes. and the lane thereto adjoining, which seo^e is now united to St. John his paroch.
"
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register. " Archbishop
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. with St. John's, the former disestablished church, churchyard, and two houses
3
It is said, or supposed, that the Danes originally built that old church, now to be seen in the parish of Tully, barony of Rathdown, and county of Dublin, having dedicated it to St. Olave, King of Norway. ? ? It has the appearance
of being ancient, being of small proportions, and having a rounded chancel- arch. It is now in a ruinous condition. 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.
