Vincentio, Confessore, alias Catholicse
Iberniae
Compendium," tomus i.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
i.
29 He is venerated, in the town which
bears his name, on the River Hayne, on the 9th of October.
found, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ii.
33 Her feast is on the 7th of September.
34 She afterwards retired to a place, in
Latin called Castrilocus, also known as Cas-
triloo, subsequently designated Mons.
35 His feast occurs, on the 13th of Decem-
ber. He died about A. D. 670.
July 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 231
now taken, to withdraw from their attractions, and make a perfect sacrifice to the Almighty, whose servant alone he desired to become for the rest of his life. Soon afterwards, the Count visited St. Aubert of Cambrai. 3 * From him, Madelgariusreceivedthereligioushabit. Thenhecommencedtheerection ofamonastery,atHautmont,nearMaubege,ontheRiverSambre. Ithas
d
been stated, that about 642,3 the Almighty chose to send a vision, in which
an angel appeared to him one night, and with a reed that heavenly messenger traced out the plan of a church to be built in honour of St. Peter, chief of the Apostles. This was to be erected at Hautmont. Thus was Vincent the more encouraged to proceed in his resolution. On going to the place designated, he found it covered with dew, white as the drifting snow, except in that particular spot, where the foundations were to be laid. When the monastery had been completed, a number of pious monks were drawn together to dwell in it, under the patronage of this powerful protector. There can hardly be a doubt, but that Madelgarius' inclinations, directed by the inspirations of Divine grace, had been long maturing for his final resolution, to embrace a life of continence and to retire with them from the cares and distractions of this world. When the project was communicated to his wife, who also desired to spend the rest of h-er days in religion, they voluntarily separated about the year 653. At this time, King Dagobert was dead, and the state of France had been greatly disturbed by factions, during the troubled reignsofhisposterity. TheCountnowsoughtforretirement,inthatmonas- tery he had founded. It has been said, that he received the name of Vincent, to signify the victory obtained over himself and the world. 37 So elevated in rank was he, that all in Austrasia and throughout France admired his spirit of self-sacrifice, and that generosity of soul, which caused him to renounce all earthly dignities and advantages, for the sake of Christ. Soon, the monas- tery in which he dwelt became one of the most celebrated in that age and kingdom. Numbers of his friends, and several nobles, moved by his example, hastened to enrol themselves as members of that community, and hoping to spend the remainder of their days in pious seclusion. In fact, St. Vincent was already regarded as a master of the spiritual life, and as a centre to whom
all
resortforcounselandcomfort. several and — might Especially holy apos-
tolic men were his — visitors.
frequent Among
these were St. Ghislain a special friend of Vincent St. Wasnolfe or Wasnou, St. Etto, St. Humbert, St. Usmar, St. Amand, and St. Aubert. In his society, they loved to consult on the spiritual necessities of the people entrusted to their care, and to devise the best methods to effect their sanctification. There, also, they exchanged sentiments and opinions on those eternal truths, which are best studied in
solitude and in quiet conference.
Soon after his religious retirement, however, the fame and lovable
character of the holy Abbot brought too many of his former friends and the nobles to disturb his peaceful retreat. This caused Vincent to resolve on
seeking greater obscurity, and he now desired to found a monastery, in some more remote spot. The old forest of Soignies, not far from where the Senne takes its rise, seemed to him most suitable for his purpose. It was then a deserted spot, among the solitudes of Hainaut. There, he began the erection of another monastery, and soon was he in a position to assume its direction, underthesameformofrulethathadbeenestablishedatHautmont. This
place,
John Baptist Soller.
37 According to other accounts, he ob-
tained this surname, because of his victories
change
as is thought, about the year 670. 38 Soon generally
of life took
36 This is the date, supposed by Father obtained in worldly warfare over all his
opponents.
38 According to the computation of Father
John Baptist Soller.
232 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July
again, he had a crowd of postulants seeking admission to serve God under his direction. Their lives were spent in devout prayer and praise, in announc- ing the great maxims of the Gospel, in charitable acts towards the poor and afflicted ; while a part of their time was devoted to reclaim an inhospitable soil, and to prosecute agricultural operations, which they effected with con- tinuous industry and perseverance. This spectacle of charity, devotedness and labour made a great and lasting impression on the minds of those rude
peasants, who lived in that region of country.
While St. Vincent presided over his community, and directed the
course of their lives, his humility was most remarkable, and his religious fervour was communicated by example to his monks. He taught them to repress every worldly desire, and to desire only the treasures which endure for ever ; he showed them how fleeting were the ambitions and pleasures of men, and what miseries awaited those, whose lives were not in accord with God's commandments ; he exhorted to preserve always the spirit of charity towards one another; while he often referred to the ascetic practices of the old monks, their holy conversation, and the regularity of their morals. These exhorta- tions, coming as they did from one who had furnished so sublime an exam- ple in his own person, sunk deep into their souls, and they were received with the most profound respect. This once powerful Leude,39 formerly covered with temporal honours and dignities, while he had been the com- panion of kings, and the most admired of courtiers, now chose to live in a remote desert, among a rude people, covered with the coarsest habits, and having for nourishment only a morsel of bread, with water for his drink. Often- times, he slept on the bare ground, to accustom himself in the ways of penitence,practisedbytheancientreligious. Agenowbegantocomeupon him,andwithittheusualinfirmitiesofbody. Hewastroubledwithgout.
Finding his end approaching, he desired his son Landry, then Bishop of Meaux, to visit him. The monks were assembled around his death-bed,
:
u Dearly beloved son, the Divine bounty
when the holy Abbot Vincent said
hath called you to direct the religious, and hath placed you at the head of a flock. Take on yourself this work confidently, and the Lord shall be with you. Govern with goodness of heart and wisdom, those whom God hath given you to rule, and thus you shall deserve to enjoy the glory of His pre- sence, and to receive that magnificent reward He has ever destined for His true servants. " Whereupon, Landry promised his venerable father to fulfil those wishes, and to have a care over the communities of Hautmont and ot Soignies. Then, his aged and holy parent felt, that his monks should be amply provided for after his departure. His thoughts were now wholly con- centrated on the joys of Paradise, and the presence of his Creator, for whom he had lived and desired to die. «° The last breath of St. Vincent is said to have been drawn, in the arms of his devoted and holy son Landry, Bishop of Meaux. St. Vincent is thought to have departed this life, about the year 677.
He is venerated, at the 14th of July, and this seems to have been the date for his death. The body of St. Vincent was interred in his monastery at Soignies,andarounditincourseoftimegrewthetownofthatname. The cures afterwards wrought through his intercession caused successive Bishops ofCambraiandothers,tocarefortherespectduetohismemory. Hisrelics were translated on more than one occasion. Handsome shrines had been prepared for their reception by Marguerite, daughter to the Emperor Bau- douin, and Countess of Hainaut, who designed to honour the relics of this saint. The different persons, composing the family of St. Vincent, are to
39 A term applied to the former governors 4 ° See 1'AbW Pestombes' "Vies des of provinces, by the French. Saints de Cambrai et d'Arras. "
July 14. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
233
be seen figured on his shrine. When the Normans invaded that part of the country, it was deemed necessary to remove the relics of St. Vincent, with other precious depositories, to the strong city of Metz. The Count of
Hainaut, denominated'Regnier au Long Col, had been vanquished by those hordes, at the battle of Walcheren. He wished to remove from them, on his own shoulders, the shrine of St. Vincent, which was most likely to be desecrated by those invaders. About the middle of the thirteenth century, Margaret, Countess of Hannonia, had a magnificent silver-gilt shrine pre- pared, and then in 1250, the sacred head was removed from the other remains of St. Vincent, and placed in it, by Peter, Bishop of Albano, Legate to Pope Innocent IV. , other local bishops and clergy assisting. When the Black Pestilence 4I in 1349 produced frightful ravages, in that part of the country, an enormous concourse of the inhabitants of Mons and of Soignies, with those of the country around, went in solemn procession, carrying the shrinesofSt. VincentandofhispiouswifeSt. Vaudru. 42 Ithasbeenstated, that a hundred thousand persons were joined in that ceremony. It pleased the Almighty, to regard and to spare his suppliant people; for soon after- wards, the plague entirely disappeared from that part of the country. Our saint has been venerated, as the special patron of Soignies and of Mons. His relics, in two beautiful mediaeval shrines of rare execution,^ are still pre- served in the monastery at Soignies ; while these are not only described, but illustrated, in separate copperplate engravings in the work of the Bollandists. 44 In one of these, presented by Margaret, Countess of Hannonia, and daughter
to the Emperor Baldwin, the head of St. Vincent is kept. The larger Lipsa- notheca contains the body, and it is of that size and weight, that eight strong men scarcely can raise it.
In the best known copies of the Martyrologies of Ado, of Usuard, and ot other writers, belonging to the ninth century, and especially in those of earlier date, there is no entry to be found, regarding Vincentius or Madelgarius. But, in later copies of Ado 45 are to be met with notices of him, as also in the Florarius Sanctorum, on the 14th of July, that being the day of his depar- ture from this world. Various Belgian Calendars contain the record, and especiallytheseintheCodicesofUsuardenlarged. IntheCodexofTournay,46
and in other Manuscripts of Bruxelles,4? his feast is entered. In certain additions to the Martyrology of Venerable Bede, this feast of St. Vincent's
T
xiv. De S.
is set down for the of 8 other
14th July/ Among Martyrologists,
Deposition
Greven,49 Molanus,s° and Wion,s celebrate this festival. Again, Dorgan,
41 This is thought to have had its origin confessoris et conjugis beatae Waldetrudis in Tartary about the year 1346. Soon it Castrilocensis, neptis beatae Gudilae. Qui
spread through Asia, Europe and Africa.
42 Le Fort has given an account of this, in
his French Life of St. Vincent, at p. 262.
43 See Rev ; S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of
the Saints, vol. vii. , July 14, p. 322.
44 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus hi. , Julii
sect. ii. , p. 663.
45 In a Codex Lobiensis, in the margin, but
sanctorum Autberti et Gisleni abbatis exhor- tatione, factus ex Comite monachus Christo in omnibus suis actibus servire studebat. " The inaccuracyof statement, that Waldetrude had been niece to St. Gudule, may be dis- missed without further comment.
48 Thus " villa dicitur : Ipso die, quae
Somnias depositio B. Vincentii ; qui moni-
tis B. Autberti pontificis mundum relinquens, in factis bonae conversationis sese exer- cuit. "
4? Thus : "Vincentii Comitis Hanoniae confessoris. "
s° Thus : "Apud Sonegias, depositio B. Vincentii confessoris Christi ; qui in monas-
terio, quod Altus Mons dicitur, tonso capite vixit plurimis annis sub sancta regula, ser- vata caritate, separatus a S. Waldetrude con.
alias Madelgario, &c. Commentarius Praevius,
Vincentio, Confessore,
also in a handwriting coeval, is this entry :
"
AltumMontemconstruxit. " Thereisastill
Sonegias, sancti Vincenti confessoris, qui
fuller entry regarding him, in a Codex S. Laurentii Leodii.
46 Thus: "Vincentii confessoris Hao- niae. "
"7 Thus : "Apud Senogias sancti Vincentii
i 3 4 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 14.
Menard. Bucelin, Constantinus Ghinius, Ferrarius, and Castellanus, notice
him. This holy man is commemorated, likewise, in the Martyrologies of Saussay and of Mirseus. At the 14th of July, a festival is entered in the
2
Martyrology of Donegal,* in honour of Maelceadar,53 the Victorious, first
EarloftheHanoine. Hisnameanddesignationarefoundwithinbrackets, in this Calendar. This is probably the Irish form of his name ; but, on the Continent, it assumes a different denomination. In Father Henry Fitzsimon's Calendar of our saints, we meet with Vincentius, alias Waldegarius, for the same date. 54 Father Stephen White 55 commemorates this saint, at the pre- sent date. In C—onvseus' list, we find St. Vincentius—called the companion
of Maldeigarius in the Irish language identical with Mac Guer, and
his festival is placed at the 14th of July. In the anonymous list of our national saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, 56 the name Vincentius is entered, at the 14th of July. He was venerated at Cambray, a city of Hainault, on the River Scheld, in the Low Countries. Formerly, in the church of Cambrai, an office of St. Vincent had been celebrated with nine Lessons, and a Mass waslikewiseoffered. Thesearethoughttohavehadanancientorigin,and to date back probably to a period, soon after the invasion of the Normans, to which allusion has been already made. In Hautmont and Soignies, likewise, In a — to
reverence was special paid
to his
there is an office for St. Vincent, and various —
Count ofllannonia.
s* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
io4» *95-
pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , p. 15. Also, see
cap. v. , pp. 65, 66.
i6 See "Historiae Catholicse Iberniae'
memory. Manuscript belonging extracts from it such
Soignies,
as antiphons, hymns, capitulum and proper prayer in the Bollandists' work. 57
Devotions offered by religious communities, or any prayer said in common, especially with united fervour, must always be found very powerful with God.
"
If two of you," said our Lord, "shall consent upon earth concerning any- thing, whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven. " Therefore, we may infer, that the continuous prayers, labours and self-sacrifices of religious persons, who retire from high stations in this world, to serve God solely, are most acceptable in his sight ; and the more so, when in the monastic state, a holy violence is offered by a large association of pious inmates, urged by the example of a holy superior, and animated by
his exhortations.
Article II. —St. Id, Bishop of Ath-Fhadhat, now Ahade or Aghade, County of Carlow. [Said to have lived in the Fifth Century. '] If what is generally accepted in relation to this holy man be correct, he must have flourished at a very early period in the Irish Church. The present saint, called Id or Idus, is said to have been one of St. Patrick's disciples, and to have been invoked in the old Irish metrical prayer, which bears the nameofSt. Moling. ThereferencetoColgan'sManuscriptsisreliedonfor
juge sua. " 55 « Ad 14 Julii, S. Vincentium (ante die-
s' In his " Lignum Vitcc," where lie is re- turn Malitegaium) filium regis Iberniae et
presented as being King of Ireland and patronum muhis Belgis. '' See "Apologia
53 A note by Dr. Todd says, at Maelcea- Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
" :
M See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historiae xiv. De S.
Vincentio, Confessore, alias Catholicse Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. , Madelgario. Commentarius Praevius, sect. lib. iv. , cap. x. , xii. , pp. 49, 57. iii. , pp. 664 to 666.
dar
more recent hand. " 57 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Julii
This entry, within brackets, is in the p. 50.
July 14. LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1MS. 235
the
foregoing
statement. 1 Unless the name can be resolved into Aed or
Aedus, we do not find any such person in the published Acts of St. Patrick. 2
The Martyrology of Donegal 3 registers a festival to honour Id, Bishop of
Ath Fhadhat, in Leinster, at the 14th of July. That place to which he belonged is said to be situated in the barony of Forth, and it gives name to
the present parish of Aghade,* in the county of Carlow. However, if the traditional accounts regarding it, as found in the romantic literature of ancient Erinn, be founded on anything approaching truth, the denomination of his place ought rather be called Ahade. s There can hardly be a question,
Aghade Church, County of Carlow.
butthattheoriginalnameofAhadewasAthFadat,orFadat'sFord. 6 There is a legendary Dindscanchas or nomenclature history of its situation, in theBook
8
ofLeinster,7 the substance of which is given by Professor Eugene O'Curry.
Article II. —x See Rev. Alban Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other
or of the Red Head, with his household, fought Liath of Doire Leith, with his son Fadad and his two daughters Doe and Caichne, at Loch Lurcan, for the right of fishing in the Barrow. Liath was killed in this battle. Some time, afterwards, Fadad, the son of Liath, with his two sisters, Doe and Caichne, mustered their friends, and another battlewasfoughtinthesameplace. There,on the banks of the Slaney, Fadad waskilled. In commemoration of this event, the place was afterwards called Ath Fadad or the Fort of Fadad, a name which it retains to the present day, under the slightly Anglicized form of Ahade.
7 See the fine folio edition, edited by Dr.
Robert Atkinson, at pp. 195, 196.
8 See " On the Manners and Customs of
the Ancient Irish. " A series of Lectures. Edited with an Introduction, Appendices, etc. , by W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , &c, vol.
"
principal Saints," vol. vii. , July xiv.
2
See his Life, in the Third Volnme of this
work, at March 17th, Art. i. , chap, xxiv. , for an enumeration of his disciples and officials.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
194, 195.
4 It is marked on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," sheets 13, 17, 18. The townland proper is on sheet 13.
s The legendary accounts of this place may
be found in "Letters relating to the Antiqui-
ties of the County of Carlow, containing in- formation collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. " Letter of Eugene O'Curry, dated Tulach O'Faidhlim,
8th August, 1839, pp. 399 to 402.
6 The stoiy goes, that Etan Cend Derg
236 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 14.
The Protestant church of the union of Ballon and Aghade stands on the site of one much older,9 and the foundations have been utilized for the erection of the more modern building, which is said to have been so old, that the date and cost of its erection are unascertainable. 10 The church is prettily situated, on a gently elevated ground, and in the midst of a highly cultivated district. A rivulet running close to the churchyard adds greatly to the beauty of this tranquil scene. Some interesting tombs and their inscriptions are to be found there. " It has been stated, that about the middle of the twelfth century, by Dermod Mac Murchad, King of Leinster, a nunnery had
13
been here founded, for nuns of the order of St. Augustine,
attached to the nunnery of St. Mary de Hogges, in the city of Dublin. * There is now no remembrance of the nunnery in this locality. A blessed well—but without a name—is there, while other antiquities exist, and numerous human remains have been turned up, between Ahade and the town of
Article III. —St. Onchu, or Onchuo, Priest, of Kildare, County
ofKildare. ThefeastofSt. Onchuo,apriest,ofKidare,waskeptonthe
of 1 In the of 2 at this same is entered 14th July. Martyrology Tallagh, date,
Onchon Mic Blaithmic. This shows a later entry in the Martyrology of Tallagh—at least in the published copy—than Colgan supposed ; for, he
thought St. Corpre, Abbot of Clonmacnoise, who died a. d. 899, was the
latest person inserted in that Calendar, whereas from what we find recorded,
the present holy priest flourished in the tenth century, He is called the
blessed Onchuo, presbyter of Kildare. 3 About him, little happens to be
known. In what particular capacity he figured, in that episcopal city, does
not appear from our Annals. It is probable, he had been attached to its
cathedral, in some official position. Veneration was given to Onchu,* son
of Blathmac, at the 14th of July, according to the Martyrology of Donegal. s
This patronymic seems to identify him with that St. Onchu, commemorated
Tullow. 14 Under the head of Ath
nameId, bishop of Ath-Fadat,16 in Leinster, for this day. At the 14th of July, St. Idus, Bishop of Ath-Fada, in Leinster, is set down by Rev. Alban Butler. 1 ? In the " Circle of the Seasons," 18 at this same date, he is simply called a bishop in Leinster. Little of a reliable character can be gleaned regarding him.
at the 9th of July.
6
In this sense, too, the present entry has been accepted
iii. , Lecture xxxviii. , p. 404.
9 The accompanying illustration is from a
sketch by the author on the spot in Septem- bcr, 1889. It was copied by William F. Wakeman and drawn on the wood, engraved by Mis. Millard.
part i. , pp. 88, 89.
l6 Ath Fadat, Aghade or Ahade, barony
of Forth, county of Carlow. William M.
Hennessy's note.
'? See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other principal Saints," vol. vii. , July xiv.
10" ,8 See Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 15.
"See " and of Ryan's History Antiquities
the County of Carlow," p. 326.
12 " 2
See Archdall's Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 35.
13 See also Rev. Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesi-
astical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap. xxviii. , pp. 185, 187.
14 Such is the account left us by Eugene O'Curry.
15 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
Brigidu. -, cap. ii. , p . 630.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxix.
Fadat,
"
4 Dr. Todd, in a note, says at Onchu :
Duald Mac Firbis j s enters the
See p. 196. — Article III.
See " Trias Colgan's
adActaS.
3 See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 327.
Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta
This is also added by the more recent hand, with the authorities Mar. , M. Tarn. "
s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
194. 195.
6
See the present volume of this work, at
but it was then 1
July 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 237
by the Bollandists,? on the authority of Father O'Sheerin, who remarks, that on the 9th of July, his feast had been celebrated in the Martyrologies of
Marianus O'Gorman, of Cathal Maguire and of Donegal. Still it is possible they had been different persons. The present saint is said to have died, in
the year 929. 8
Article IV. —St. Colman, Son of Aingen. In the Martyrology of
Tallagh,
1 the name of Colman Mac
Andgein appears,
at the
14th
of
July.
The patronymic furnishes little clue to his family or descent, much less to his
locality. He probably lived in or before the eighth century. In the Martyr-
2 we have entered, likewise, Colman, the son of
On the authority of Father O'Sheerin, the Bollandists 3 have inserted his festival at the present date.
Article V. —Feast of the Dormition or Rest of St. Cormac, of Ath-Truim, or Trim, County of Meath. According to Duald Mac
Truim,
Article VI. —Translation of two Heads of the Ursuline Virgins and Martyrs. In the edition of that Martyrology, published at Lubeck and Cologne, a feast for the Translation of two Heads of the Ursuline
of
ology Donegal,
Aingen.
1 the orRestof ofAth Dormitatio, Cormac, bishop
now 2 Trim,
Firbis,
occurs at the 14th of July. The year of his demise was 741, according to the Annals of the Four Masters. 3 The Annals of Ulster place his death, at a. d. 645.
Martyrs and Virgins from Cologne into Dacia is set down, at the 14th of July. 1
Notingthisfestival,atthissamedate,theBollandists referfurtherconsidera- tion of the circumstance to the 21st of October.
Article VII. —St. Faghna. In the anonymous Catalogue of Irish
1
Saints published by O'Sullevan Beare, a St. Faghna is mentioned, at the
14th
of
July.
date,
doubtingly
At this
the Bollandists 2
enter 3 Fagna.
In the early Irish Church was commemorated the festival of Bishop Jacob, with a devout
Series, vol. i. , parti. , pp. 88, 89.
2 Ath Truim, now Trim, in the county of
Article VIII. —Feast of the Bishop Jacob.
that particular day, Art. ii. "
7 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
xiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. Meath. See William M.
29 He is venerated, in the town which
bears his name, on the River Hayne, on the 9th of October.
found, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ii.
33 Her feast is on the 7th of September.
34 She afterwards retired to a place, in
Latin called Castrilocus, also known as Cas-
triloo, subsequently designated Mons.
35 His feast occurs, on the 13th of Decem-
ber. He died about A. D. 670.
July 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 231
now taken, to withdraw from their attractions, and make a perfect sacrifice to the Almighty, whose servant alone he desired to become for the rest of his life. Soon afterwards, the Count visited St. Aubert of Cambrai. 3 * From him, Madelgariusreceivedthereligioushabit. Thenhecommencedtheerection ofamonastery,atHautmont,nearMaubege,ontheRiverSambre. Ithas
d
been stated, that about 642,3 the Almighty chose to send a vision, in which
an angel appeared to him one night, and with a reed that heavenly messenger traced out the plan of a church to be built in honour of St. Peter, chief of the Apostles. This was to be erected at Hautmont. Thus was Vincent the more encouraged to proceed in his resolution. On going to the place designated, he found it covered with dew, white as the drifting snow, except in that particular spot, where the foundations were to be laid. When the monastery had been completed, a number of pious monks were drawn together to dwell in it, under the patronage of this powerful protector. There can hardly be a doubt, but that Madelgarius' inclinations, directed by the inspirations of Divine grace, had been long maturing for his final resolution, to embrace a life of continence and to retire with them from the cares and distractions of this world. When the project was communicated to his wife, who also desired to spend the rest of h-er days in religion, they voluntarily separated about the year 653. At this time, King Dagobert was dead, and the state of France had been greatly disturbed by factions, during the troubled reignsofhisposterity. TheCountnowsoughtforretirement,inthatmonas- tery he had founded. It has been said, that he received the name of Vincent, to signify the victory obtained over himself and the world. 37 So elevated in rank was he, that all in Austrasia and throughout France admired his spirit of self-sacrifice, and that generosity of soul, which caused him to renounce all earthly dignities and advantages, for the sake of Christ. Soon, the monas- tery in which he dwelt became one of the most celebrated in that age and kingdom. Numbers of his friends, and several nobles, moved by his example, hastened to enrol themselves as members of that community, and hoping to spend the remainder of their days in pious seclusion. In fact, St. Vincent was already regarded as a master of the spiritual life, and as a centre to whom
all
resortforcounselandcomfort. several and — might Especially holy apos-
tolic men were his — visitors.
frequent Among
these were St. Ghislain a special friend of Vincent St. Wasnolfe or Wasnou, St. Etto, St. Humbert, St. Usmar, St. Amand, and St. Aubert. In his society, they loved to consult on the spiritual necessities of the people entrusted to their care, and to devise the best methods to effect their sanctification. There, also, they exchanged sentiments and opinions on those eternal truths, which are best studied in
solitude and in quiet conference.
Soon after his religious retirement, however, the fame and lovable
character of the holy Abbot brought too many of his former friends and the nobles to disturb his peaceful retreat. This caused Vincent to resolve on
seeking greater obscurity, and he now desired to found a monastery, in some more remote spot. The old forest of Soignies, not far from where the Senne takes its rise, seemed to him most suitable for his purpose. It was then a deserted spot, among the solitudes of Hainaut. There, he began the erection of another monastery, and soon was he in a position to assume its direction, underthesameformofrulethathadbeenestablishedatHautmont. This
place,
John Baptist Soller.
37 According to other accounts, he ob-
tained this surname, because of his victories
change
as is thought, about the year 670. 38 Soon generally
of life took
36 This is the date, supposed by Father obtained in worldly warfare over all his
opponents.
38 According to the computation of Father
John Baptist Soller.
232 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July
again, he had a crowd of postulants seeking admission to serve God under his direction. Their lives were spent in devout prayer and praise, in announc- ing the great maxims of the Gospel, in charitable acts towards the poor and afflicted ; while a part of their time was devoted to reclaim an inhospitable soil, and to prosecute agricultural operations, which they effected with con- tinuous industry and perseverance. This spectacle of charity, devotedness and labour made a great and lasting impression on the minds of those rude
peasants, who lived in that region of country.
While St. Vincent presided over his community, and directed the
course of their lives, his humility was most remarkable, and his religious fervour was communicated by example to his monks. He taught them to repress every worldly desire, and to desire only the treasures which endure for ever ; he showed them how fleeting were the ambitions and pleasures of men, and what miseries awaited those, whose lives were not in accord with God's commandments ; he exhorted to preserve always the spirit of charity towards one another; while he often referred to the ascetic practices of the old monks, their holy conversation, and the regularity of their morals. These exhorta- tions, coming as they did from one who had furnished so sublime an exam- ple in his own person, sunk deep into their souls, and they were received with the most profound respect. This once powerful Leude,39 formerly covered with temporal honours and dignities, while he had been the com- panion of kings, and the most admired of courtiers, now chose to live in a remote desert, among a rude people, covered with the coarsest habits, and having for nourishment only a morsel of bread, with water for his drink. Often- times, he slept on the bare ground, to accustom himself in the ways of penitence,practisedbytheancientreligious. Agenowbegantocomeupon him,andwithittheusualinfirmitiesofbody. Hewastroubledwithgout.
Finding his end approaching, he desired his son Landry, then Bishop of Meaux, to visit him. The monks were assembled around his death-bed,
:
u Dearly beloved son, the Divine bounty
when the holy Abbot Vincent said
hath called you to direct the religious, and hath placed you at the head of a flock. Take on yourself this work confidently, and the Lord shall be with you. Govern with goodness of heart and wisdom, those whom God hath given you to rule, and thus you shall deserve to enjoy the glory of His pre- sence, and to receive that magnificent reward He has ever destined for His true servants. " Whereupon, Landry promised his venerable father to fulfil those wishes, and to have a care over the communities of Hautmont and ot Soignies. Then, his aged and holy parent felt, that his monks should be amply provided for after his departure. His thoughts were now wholly con- centrated on the joys of Paradise, and the presence of his Creator, for whom he had lived and desired to die. «° The last breath of St. Vincent is said to have been drawn, in the arms of his devoted and holy son Landry, Bishop of Meaux. St. Vincent is thought to have departed this life, about the year 677.
He is venerated, at the 14th of July, and this seems to have been the date for his death. The body of St. Vincent was interred in his monastery at Soignies,andarounditincourseoftimegrewthetownofthatname. The cures afterwards wrought through his intercession caused successive Bishops ofCambraiandothers,tocarefortherespectduetohismemory. Hisrelics were translated on more than one occasion. Handsome shrines had been prepared for their reception by Marguerite, daughter to the Emperor Bau- douin, and Countess of Hainaut, who designed to honour the relics of this saint. The different persons, composing the family of St. Vincent, are to
39 A term applied to the former governors 4 ° See 1'AbW Pestombes' "Vies des of provinces, by the French. Saints de Cambrai et d'Arras. "
July 14. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
233
be seen figured on his shrine. When the Normans invaded that part of the country, it was deemed necessary to remove the relics of St. Vincent, with other precious depositories, to the strong city of Metz. The Count of
Hainaut, denominated'Regnier au Long Col, had been vanquished by those hordes, at the battle of Walcheren. He wished to remove from them, on his own shoulders, the shrine of St. Vincent, which was most likely to be desecrated by those invaders. About the middle of the thirteenth century, Margaret, Countess of Hannonia, had a magnificent silver-gilt shrine pre- pared, and then in 1250, the sacred head was removed from the other remains of St. Vincent, and placed in it, by Peter, Bishop of Albano, Legate to Pope Innocent IV. , other local bishops and clergy assisting. When the Black Pestilence 4I in 1349 produced frightful ravages, in that part of the country, an enormous concourse of the inhabitants of Mons and of Soignies, with those of the country around, went in solemn procession, carrying the shrinesofSt. VincentandofhispiouswifeSt. Vaudru. 42 Ithasbeenstated, that a hundred thousand persons were joined in that ceremony. It pleased the Almighty, to regard and to spare his suppliant people; for soon after- wards, the plague entirely disappeared from that part of the country. Our saint has been venerated, as the special patron of Soignies and of Mons. His relics, in two beautiful mediaeval shrines of rare execution,^ are still pre- served in the monastery at Soignies ; while these are not only described, but illustrated, in separate copperplate engravings in the work of the Bollandists. 44 In one of these, presented by Margaret, Countess of Hannonia, and daughter
to the Emperor Baldwin, the head of St. Vincent is kept. The larger Lipsa- notheca contains the body, and it is of that size and weight, that eight strong men scarcely can raise it.
In the best known copies of the Martyrologies of Ado, of Usuard, and ot other writers, belonging to the ninth century, and especially in those of earlier date, there is no entry to be found, regarding Vincentius or Madelgarius. But, in later copies of Ado 45 are to be met with notices of him, as also in the Florarius Sanctorum, on the 14th of July, that being the day of his depar- ture from this world. Various Belgian Calendars contain the record, and especiallytheseintheCodicesofUsuardenlarged. IntheCodexofTournay,46
and in other Manuscripts of Bruxelles,4? his feast is entered. In certain additions to the Martyrology of Venerable Bede, this feast of St. Vincent's
T
xiv. De S.
is set down for the of 8 other
14th July/ Among Martyrologists,
Deposition
Greven,49 Molanus,s° and Wion,s celebrate this festival. Again, Dorgan,
41 This is thought to have had its origin confessoris et conjugis beatae Waldetrudis in Tartary about the year 1346. Soon it Castrilocensis, neptis beatae Gudilae. Qui
spread through Asia, Europe and Africa.
42 Le Fort has given an account of this, in
his French Life of St. Vincent, at p. 262.
43 See Rev ; S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of
the Saints, vol. vii. , July 14, p. 322.
44 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus hi. , Julii
sect. ii. , p. 663.
45 In a Codex Lobiensis, in the margin, but
sanctorum Autberti et Gisleni abbatis exhor- tatione, factus ex Comite monachus Christo in omnibus suis actibus servire studebat. " The inaccuracyof statement, that Waldetrude had been niece to St. Gudule, may be dis- missed without further comment.
48 Thus " villa dicitur : Ipso die, quae
Somnias depositio B. Vincentii ; qui moni-
tis B. Autberti pontificis mundum relinquens, in factis bonae conversationis sese exer- cuit. "
4? Thus : "Vincentii Comitis Hanoniae confessoris. "
s° Thus : "Apud Sonegias, depositio B. Vincentii confessoris Christi ; qui in monas-
terio, quod Altus Mons dicitur, tonso capite vixit plurimis annis sub sancta regula, ser- vata caritate, separatus a S. Waldetrude con.
alias Madelgario, &c. Commentarius Praevius,
Vincentio, Confessore,
also in a handwriting coeval, is this entry :
"
AltumMontemconstruxit. " Thereisastill
Sonegias, sancti Vincenti confessoris, qui
fuller entry regarding him, in a Codex S. Laurentii Leodii.
46 Thus: "Vincentii confessoris Hao- niae. "
"7 Thus : "Apud Senogias sancti Vincentii
i 3 4 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 14.
Menard. Bucelin, Constantinus Ghinius, Ferrarius, and Castellanus, notice
him. This holy man is commemorated, likewise, in the Martyrologies of Saussay and of Mirseus. At the 14th of July, a festival is entered in the
2
Martyrology of Donegal,* in honour of Maelceadar,53 the Victorious, first
EarloftheHanoine. Hisnameanddesignationarefoundwithinbrackets, in this Calendar. This is probably the Irish form of his name ; but, on the Continent, it assumes a different denomination. In Father Henry Fitzsimon's Calendar of our saints, we meet with Vincentius, alias Waldegarius, for the same date. 54 Father Stephen White 55 commemorates this saint, at the pre- sent date. In C—onvseus' list, we find St. Vincentius—called the companion
of Maldeigarius in the Irish language identical with Mac Guer, and
his festival is placed at the 14th of July. In the anonymous list of our national saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, 56 the name Vincentius is entered, at the 14th of July. He was venerated at Cambray, a city of Hainault, on the River Scheld, in the Low Countries. Formerly, in the church of Cambrai, an office of St. Vincent had been celebrated with nine Lessons, and a Mass waslikewiseoffered. Thesearethoughttohavehadanancientorigin,and to date back probably to a period, soon after the invasion of the Normans, to which allusion has been already made. In Hautmont and Soignies, likewise, In a — to
reverence was special paid
to his
there is an office for St. Vincent, and various —
Count ofllannonia.
s* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
io4» *95-
pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , p. 15. Also, see
cap. v. , pp. 65, 66.
i6 See "Historiae Catholicse Iberniae'
memory. Manuscript belonging extracts from it such
Soignies,
as antiphons, hymns, capitulum and proper prayer in the Bollandists' work. 57
Devotions offered by religious communities, or any prayer said in common, especially with united fervour, must always be found very powerful with God.
"
If two of you," said our Lord, "shall consent upon earth concerning any- thing, whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven. " Therefore, we may infer, that the continuous prayers, labours and self-sacrifices of religious persons, who retire from high stations in this world, to serve God solely, are most acceptable in his sight ; and the more so, when in the monastic state, a holy violence is offered by a large association of pious inmates, urged by the example of a holy superior, and animated by
his exhortations.
Article II. —St. Id, Bishop of Ath-Fhadhat, now Ahade or Aghade, County of Carlow. [Said to have lived in the Fifth Century. '] If what is generally accepted in relation to this holy man be correct, he must have flourished at a very early period in the Irish Church. The present saint, called Id or Idus, is said to have been one of St. Patrick's disciples, and to have been invoked in the old Irish metrical prayer, which bears the nameofSt. Moling. ThereferencetoColgan'sManuscriptsisreliedonfor
juge sua. " 55 « Ad 14 Julii, S. Vincentium (ante die-
s' In his " Lignum Vitcc," where lie is re- turn Malitegaium) filium regis Iberniae et
presented as being King of Ireland and patronum muhis Belgis. '' See "Apologia
53 A note by Dr. Todd says, at Maelcea- Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
" :
M See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historiae xiv. De S.
Vincentio, Confessore, alias Catholicse Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. , Madelgario. Commentarius Praevius, sect. lib. iv. , cap. x. , xii. , pp. 49, 57. iii. , pp. 664 to 666.
dar
more recent hand. " 57 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Julii
This entry, within brackets, is in the p. 50.
July 14. LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1MS. 235
the
foregoing
statement. 1 Unless the name can be resolved into Aed or
Aedus, we do not find any such person in the published Acts of St. Patrick. 2
The Martyrology of Donegal 3 registers a festival to honour Id, Bishop of
Ath Fhadhat, in Leinster, at the 14th of July. That place to which he belonged is said to be situated in the barony of Forth, and it gives name to
the present parish of Aghade,* in the county of Carlow. However, if the traditional accounts regarding it, as found in the romantic literature of ancient Erinn, be founded on anything approaching truth, the denomination of his place ought rather be called Ahade. s There can hardly be a question,
Aghade Church, County of Carlow.
butthattheoriginalnameofAhadewasAthFadat,orFadat'sFord. 6 There is a legendary Dindscanchas or nomenclature history of its situation, in theBook
8
ofLeinster,7 the substance of which is given by Professor Eugene O'Curry.
Article II. —x See Rev. Alban Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other
or of the Red Head, with his household, fought Liath of Doire Leith, with his son Fadad and his two daughters Doe and Caichne, at Loch Lurcan, for the right of fishing in the Barrow. Liath was killed in this battle. Some time, afterwards, Fadad, the son of Liath, with his two sisters, Doe and Caichne, mustered their friends, and another battlewasfoughtinthesameplace. There,on the banks of the Slaney, Fadad waskilled. In commemoration of this event, the place was afterwards called Ath Fadad or the Fort of Fadad, a name which it retains to the present day, under the slightly Anglicized form of Ahade.
7 See the fine folio edition, edited by Dr.
Robert Atkinson, at pp. 195, 196.
8 See " On the Manners and Customs of
the Ancient Irish. " A series of Lectures. Edited with an Introduction, Appendices, etc. , by W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , &c, vol.
"
principal Saints," vol. vii. , July xiv.
2
See his Life, in the Third Volnme of this
work, at March 17th, Art. i. , chap, xxiv. , for an enumeration of his disciples and officials.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
194, 195.
4 It is marked on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," sheets 13, 17, 18. The townland proper is on sheet 13.
s The legendary accounts of this place may
be found in "Letters relating to the Antiqui-
ties of the County of Carlow, containing in- formation collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. " Letter of Eugene O'Curry, dated Tulach O'Faidhlim,
8th August, 1839, pp. 399 to 402.
6 The stoiy goes, that Etan Cend Derg
236 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 14.
The Protestant church of the union of Ballon and Aghade stands on the site of one much older,9 and the foundations have been utilized for the erection of the more modern building, which is said to have been so old, that the date and cost of its erection are unascertainable. 10 The church is prettily situated, on a gently elevated ground, and in the midst of a highly cultivated district. A rivulet running close to the churchyard adds greatly to the beauty of this tranquil scene. Some interesting tombs and their inscriptions are to be found there. " It has been stated, that about the middle of the twelfth century, by Dermod Mac Murchad, King of Leinster, a nunnery had
13
been here founded, for nuns of the order of St. Augustine,
attached to the nunnery of St. Mary de Hogges, in the city of Dublin. * There is now no remembrance of the nunnery in this locality. A blessed well—but without a name—is there, while other antiquities exist, and numerous human remains have been turned up, between Ahade and the town of
Article III. —St. Onchu, or Onchuo, Priest, of Kildare, County
ofKildare. ThefeastofSt. Onchuo,apriest,ofKidare,waskeptonthe
of 1 In the of 2 at this same is entered 14th July. Martyrology Tallagh, date,
Onchon Mic Blaithmic. This shows a later entry in the Martyrology of Tallagh—at least in the published copy—than Colgan supposed ; for, he
thought St. Corpre, Abbot of Clonmacnoise, who died a. d. 899, was the
latest person inserted in that Calendar, whereas from what we find recorded,
the present holy priest flourished in the tenth century, He is called the
blessed Onchuo, presbyter of Kildare. 3 About him, little happens to be
known. In what particular capacity he figured, in that episcopal city, does
not appear from our Annals. It is probable, he had been attached to its
cathedral, in some official position. Veneration was given to Onchu,* son
of Blathmac, at the 14th of July, according to the Martyrology of Donegal. s
This patronymic seems to identify him with that St. Onchu, commemorated
Tullow. 14 Under the head of Ath
nameId, bishop of Ath-Fadat,16 in Leinster, for this day. At the 14th of July, St. Idus, Bishop of Ath-Fada, in Leinster, is set down by Rev. Alban Butler. 1 ? In the " Circle of the Seasons," 18 at this same date, he is simply called a bishop in Leinster. Little of a reliable character can be gleaned regarding him.
at the 9th of July.
6
In this sense, too, the present entry has been accepted
iii. , Lecture xxxviii. , p. 404.
9 The accompanying illustration is from a
sketch by the author on the spot in Septem- bcr, 1889. It was copied by William F. Wakeman and drawn on the wood, engraved by Mis. Millard.
part i. , pp. 88, 89.
l6 Ath Fadat, Aghade or Ahade, barony
of Forth, county of Carlow. William M.
Hennessy's note.
'? See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other principal Saints," vol. vii. , July xiv.
10" ,8 See Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 15.
"See " and of Ryan's History Antiquities
the County of Carlow," p. 326.
12 " 2
See Archdall's Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 35.
13 See also Rev. Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesi-
astical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap. xxviii. , pp. 185, 187.
14 Such is the account left us by Eugene O'Curry.
15 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
Brigidu. -, cap. ii. , p . 630.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxix.
Fadat,
"
4 Dr. Todd, in a note, says at Onchu :
Duald Mac Firbis j s enters the
See p. 196. — Article III.
See " Trias Colgan's
adActaS.
3 See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 327.
Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta
This is also added by the more recent hand, with the authorities Mar. , M. Tarn. "
s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
194. 195.
6
See the present volume of this work, at
but it was then 1
July 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 237
by the Bollandists,? on the authority of Father O'Sheerin, who remarks, that on the 9th of July, his feast had been celebrated in the Martyrologies of
Marianus O'Gorman, of Cathal Maguire and of Donegal. Still it is possible they had been different persons. The present saint is said to have died, in
the year 929. 8
Article IV. —St. Colman, Son of Aingen. In the Martyrology of
Tallagh,
1 the name of Colman Mac
Andgein appears,
at the
14th
of
July.
The patronymic furnishes little clue to his family or descent, much less to his
locality. He probably lived in or before the eighth century. In the Martyr-
2 we have entered, likewise, Colman, the son of
On the authority of Father O'Sheerin, the Bollandists 3 have inserted his festival at the present date.
Article V. —Feast of the Dormition or Rest of St. Cormac, of Ath-Truim, or Trim, County of Meath. According to Duald Mac
Truim,
Article VI. —Translation of two Heads of the Ursuline Virgins and Martyrs. In the edition of that Martyrology, published at Lubeck and Cologne, a feast for the Translation of two Heads of the Ursuline
of
ology Donegal,
Aingen.
1 the orRestof ofAth Dormitatio, Cormac, bishop
now 2 Trim,
Firbis,
occurs at the 14th of July. The year of his demise was 741, according to the Annals of the Four Masters. 3 The Annals of Ulster place his death, at a. d. 645.
Martyrs and Virgins from Cologne into Dacia is set down, at the 14th of July. 1
Notingthisfestival,atthissamedate,theBollandists referfurtherconsidera- tion of the circumstance to the 21st of October.
Article VII. —St. Faghna. In the anonymous Catalogue of Irish
1
Saints published by O'Sullevan Beare, a St. Faghna is mentioned, at the
14th
of
July.
date,
doubtingly
At this
the Bollandists 2
enter 3 Fagna.
In the early Irish Church was commemorated the festival of Bishop Jacob, with a devout
Series, vol. i. , parti. , pp. 88, 89.
2 Ath Truim, now Trim, in the county of
Article VIII. —Feast of the Bishop Jacob.
that particular day, Art. ii. "
7 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
xiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. Meath. See William M.
