"Comme Sainct Fiacre arriva a la mer et pria un
marinier
de le passer en France.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Several small Lives of St.
Fiacre have
been published in France for popular reading, as also for the use of pilgrims to his shrine. 35 Many of these contain prayers and hymns, in honour of the
holy hermit. The Abbe Godescard,36 as also Richard et Giraud,3? have notices of him in their respective works. l\\ more recent years, several writershaveaddedmuchtoourknowledgeofSt. Fiacre. Amongthesemay be mentioned Mons. Jubinal,38 Bishop Forbes,39 Les Petits Bollandistes,40
'2
M. le Or. Hoefer,4 Rev. S. Baring-Gould,* and Rev. Mr. Olden. o His
Eminence Cardinal Moran has given a very interesting biography of St. Fiacre. 44 An account of Saint Fiacre de la Brie, has been furnished by Joseph Casimir O'Meagher, in a paper read45 before the Royal Irish Academy,46 and from which several interesting memorials of him are to be related.
Nearly all hagiographical writers are agreed, that St. Fiacre or Fiachra was born in Ireland, and of illustrious parentage,4? in what particular locality
3° In this manuscript, some errors were Monsieur Saint Fiacre, which dates back to ''
around him in the desert. 3
corrected, and that portion of it published the fifteenth century, in his Alysteies
by the Bollandists had been compared with
that Life given by Surius, and found in the
other manuscripts.
31 It was not deemed necessary to publish
those manuscript lives in full, in order to
avoid repetitions, but the miracles which
did not appear in the fully published Life were added by the Bollandist editor.
33 See "Vies des Saints,'' tome ii. , pp.
inedits du xve Siecle. "
39 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints,'' pp.
338 to 341.
40 See "Vies des Saints," tome x. , xxxe
jour d'Aout, pp. 333 to 337.
4l See " Nouvelle Biographic Generale,"
tome xvii. , col. 614 to 616.
* 7 See " Lives of the Saints,'' vol. viii. ,
August 30, pp. 384 to 386.
493- 494- 33 "
43 In Leslie
" of Na- Dictionary
Stephens'
See Britannia Sancta," part ii. , Aug. tional Biography," vol. xviii. , pp. 396, 397.
30, pp. 102, 103, and "A Memorial of Briti. -h Piety," p. 122.
34 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints, vol. viii. , August 30.
Mois d'Aout 30.
** See " Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1876, pp. 361 to 368.
*'* Onthe9thofNovember,1891.
46 See " of the Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," Third Series, vol. ii. , No. 2,
Patron de Brie, nasquit en Hibernie, de parens nobles et riches, avec lesquels il demeura jusq'a ce qui inspire d'une lumiere d'en haut, il sortie commeun autre Abraham de s—on pays, et du millieu de ses parents," &c.
35 One of these, the
of the distin- guished Irish poet, Denis Florence Mac- Carthy, is in the writer's possession. It is intituled, "La Vie de Saint Fiacre, Con- fesseur, Pation de Brie, avec des Avertisse- mens aux Pelerins. " A Troyes, 1751, iSmo. 36 In his " Vies des Principeaux Saints. "
sect, xiii. , to pp. 173
37 In "
3* He has published a curious Mystcre. de
Gautier's " Fleurs Saints. " Traduction de
Vies
del des
Bibliotheque
Sacree. "
1'Espagnole du Livre de Pierre Ribadeneira, p. 829.
gift
176.
4 ? " Sainet Fiacre, l'illustre et miraculeux
August 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 425
or year is uncertain; for nothing authoritative has been recorded, in reference to these subjects, in his early Acts. The Breviarium Meldensis, which contains the proper Office of St. Fiacrius, states, that lie was from Hibernia,
called by the ancients Scotia. *
8
Nevertheless, a difference of statement
prevails regarding the question as to whether this holy missionary had been a native of Ireland or of Scotland. Among writers of the latter nation, Hector Boece relates4^ that St. Fiacrius was son of Eugenius, King of the Scots, who was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son, Ferquhard. Next tohimarementionedhisbrothersFiacrius5°andDonevaldus. JohnLesley has a similar statement 51 and, it seems to have been followed, by many
;
other Scottisti writers. But, nearly all the Irish and French authors52 who
have treated on the life and mission of St. Fiacre state, that he was born in
Hibern—ia. The Irish genealogist, Duald Mac Firbis, even gives his pedigree
thus: Fiachra, son of Colman, son of Eoghan, son of Biodan, son of
Oiloil, son of Suibhne, son of Maelduin, son of Fibnn, son of Inchada, son
of Colla-da-crioch who we know was fifth in descent from Corin of the ;
Hundred Battles. 53
Some of the modern French writers of St. Fiacre's Life, accepting the
statements of Boece, and mistaking the application of Scotia to Ireland in his
time, have confounded his origin and race in a manner, so as to render their
narrativeunintelligible. ^ Fromotherincidentswhicharementioned,itseems
probable, however, that St. Fiacre was born, either towards the close of the
sixth or the beginning of the seventh century. ss The proper name of this
saint in Irish is said to have been Fiachra, making Fiachrach in the genitive
case 6 and the most celebrated eponymous of the name known in Irish ;-
history is Fiachra, the son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin,s7 who was the progenitor of several distinctive tribes. 58
A very interesting window of the sixteenth century, at the Church of St. Maclou, in Pontoise, represents the legend of St. Fiacre, from his earlier to his later years, as popularly received at the time of its erection. Unfortu-
nately half the window is destroyed ;
48 "
Thus Fiacrius, qui et Fefrus, erat ex
but what is left purports to exhibit eight
Hibernia, quam veteres Scotiam appella-
there find such a passage.
S4 Thus "one account has it :
" St. Fiacre
— Dominica ultima Augusti, in Festo S. Fiacrii, Brigensis Anachorctae Patroni. Ad
OfhciumNocturnum. Lect. iv
** See "Scotorum Hystorite," lib. ix. , p.
173-
s° The accidental agreement of his name
with that of our saint was probably the sole
bant, nobilibus ortus parentibus,*' &c.
etoit Ecoissois mais ne en d'origine,
Hy-
foundation for
one and the same person.
them to have been
Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran—since, His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Syd- ney, N. S. W. —he states: "St. Fiachra, better known by the name of Fiacre, by which he was designated on the Continent, was born about the
eldest son of Eugene IV. ,
"
Roi d'E. o>se. "
supposing
of a—
year 590, princely
51 See ''De Origine, Moribus et Rebus
gestis Scotorum," lib iv. , pp. 155, 156.
52 from the Scottish one Borrowing writers,
French account has it, that Fiacre was the
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1-876,
p. 361.
5J See "The Tribes and Genealogies,
Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowd's Country," with Translation and
Notes, and a map of Hy-Fiachrach, by John O'Donovan, pp. 2 et seq. , and Addenda F. , p. 409.
57 He was King of Connaught, and he was raised to the throne of Ireland in the
however, on what authority the
ology of Donegal" is cited for making St.
Fiacre, the son of Colman, son of Eogan, of he gave name— Hy-Amhalgaidh, the race of Colla-da-Crioch, as I cannot Hy-Ceara, and several other families.
53 See Joseph Casimir O'Meaghei's paper on Saint Fiacre de la Brie, read November 9th, 1 89 1, before the members of the Royal
"
Irish Academy. See Proceedings of the
Royal Irish Academy," Third Series, vol.
ii. , No. 2, sect, xiii. , p. 173. I know not, year 358. See Roderick O Flaherty's
"Martyr-
iii. , cap. — to "Ogygia," pars lxxix. ,pp. 373 378.
bernie," &c.
55 In the account of St. Fiacre, written by
family in the north of Connaught. "
s® Such as the Hy-Fiachrach
to whom the the
426 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 30.
scenes taken from his life, and explained by French inscriptions. 59 One of those pictures shows St. Fiacre, in his younger days, going to school, in
order to be instructed in the Catholic faith.
St. Fiacre or Fiachra is also
traditions,
as
6*
Fithoc, Futtach,
6*
Muffett,
66 from Mofutack6
and
Musset.
68
According
statements,?
by Conan,
the
holy
Fefrus
some
60 ami he is
under the different
by
appellations Fiacer, Feacar, Ficker,
recognised
styled
writers, 62
of Fiancorus,
by corruption
of Scottish
59 The inscriptions are as follows : —
1. "CommeSainctFiacreensonjeune
age alloit a l'escole pour appendre la foy
catholique. "
2. " Comme le pere de Sainct Fiacre, due
Hie duxit vitam, vitam finivit ibidem. Meldica nunc signis floret provincia Fefri. "
61 "
See Old Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," vol. vii. , pp. 211, 213.
62 See Stewart's " Metrical Chronicle of
la mer vint a Sainct
"Retours," Kincardine, pp. 95,
Pharon, evesque "
6. " Comme Sainct Pharon donna conge a Sainct Fiacre d'aller faire un hermitage au bois pour soy y tenir. "
7. Comme Sainct Fiacre abattit grand nombre de boys et a tant fache bequenaude qui le reprint et accusa a Sainct Pharon. "
8. '"Coinme Sainct Pharon consola Sainct Fiacre, et le reprint ue son decouragement. "
passe
de Meaux, et lui fit priere
—
10
Such as by the writer of the Vita S.
Hystoriie," lib. ix. , p. 173. *'
Faronis, attributed to Hildegard, Bishop of Meaux, and by Fulcoin, who thus cele-
—
" Heredem Fefrum dedit in quibus esse beatum.
Huic Broilum tribuit, qui templum condidit illic.
72 See Lives of the Saints ; enriched with Fifty-one full-page Miniatures, in Gold
brates our saint, in Latin verse
:
and the text within Colours,
2
61
63 and
It has been supposed, by Mabillon,60 that Fefrus, and not Fiacrius, had been the original name given to our Saint, and the one by which he was earliest known ; because he has been so named by the author of the Life of St. Faro, who is said to have been Hildegard, Bishop of Meaux, a writer of the ninth century, and by Fulcoin, a Latin poet, who lived in the eleventh century. However, these arguments have little weight, as the first writer lived two hundred years after the death of St. Fiacre, and the latter six hundred ; besides Fefre does not appear to have been a name known to the Irish,70 but rather it is likely to have been a Gallic corruption of the original Fiacre, the name by which our Saint is called by nearly all other writers.
Donevakl. Theformer,whoimmediatelysucceededhisfather,EugeniusIV. , on the Scottish throne, is said to have been a great favourer of Pelagianism, and to have maintained friendly intercourse with the British priests, also infected with that heresy. After the unhappy death of Ferquhard, his brother Donevald 73 was saluted as king. In the year 637, he fought the battle of Roth, and devastated unjustly the province of Domnail, son of
tosome
1 hehadbeeneducated
Bishop of Soder,? together with his supposed brothers, Ferquhard and
de Ilybernie, le voulut marier, avec . . . . Scotland," vol. viii. , p. 513.
"
% St. Fiacre is represented departing Aberdeen.
Damoisellc, fille
(the rest is illegible).
63
St. Ficker's Bay, on the river Dee, near
from his parents, but the inscription is de- stroyed.
4.
"Comme Sainct Fiacre arriva a la mer et pria un marinier de le passer en France.
64 See Stewart's " Metrical Chronicle of
Scotland," vol. viii. , p. 513.
65 So named in the Dunkeld Litany. See
" View of the Diocese of Aberdeen," p.
252, and also Gordon's Map of Scotland, of
" Comme Sainct
5. Fiacre, apres
avoir
1652.
66 In the
162.
67 In Blaeu's Atlas the honorific ma
being a prefix.
68 See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 339.
69 See "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S.
Benedicti," sa:c. ii. , pp. 598 to 618.
70 This erroneous opinion has been enter-
tained by Du Plessis.
71 That of Hector Boece, in his "Scotorum
engraved Borders, from Ancient Books of Devotion,"
P- 259-
73 He is called " Domnallum Breccum
nepotem Aidan," by Adamnan, in his "Vita S. Columbae," lib. i. , cap. 10.
? ,
August 30. ] LIVES Of THE IRISH SAINTS. 427
Aedh. Havingreignedforfifteenyears,DonevaldorDomnallBreccfellin
a battle, fought at Sraithcair-maic, in the month of December, a. d. 642. t> The conqueror, on that occasion, was Hoan, King of the Britains. ? 5 More-
6
over, a St. Syra? is said to have been a sister of those brothers, while she
was also educated by St. Conan. But, we find quite a different account, regarding the education of St. Fiacre, who is stated to have been under the care of St. Cuanna, who was in his time famous for learning and sanctity, and who attracted numerous disciples to his monastery at Kilcoona, on the shore of Loch Orbsen.
The thoughts of Fiacre were turned to a religious life in solitude ; and he resolved on leaving the tumult of this world, when he was ordained a
7 ? At an
friends and familiars. 78 It is again stated, that he left his native district, and the school of St. Cuanna, to fix his first hermitage on the banks of the RiverNore,andinthepresentCountyofKilkenny. Asthememoryo—four Saint is honoured in Kill-Fiachra or Kilfera on the 30th of August the same day on which his fest—ival is marked in the Martyrologies of Marianus O'Gorman and of Donegal it has been conjectured, that it had been the spot hallowed by his virtues and penitential austerities during his lifetime. There, too, is to be seen the ruins of an old church, which had been dedicated to St. Fiachra, while a little to the south of it is the holy well of St. Fiachra. 79 There St. Fiacre became celebrated, and many disciples are said to have flocked around him, and disturbed the life of retreat he purposed to lead. 80 Our Saint even desired, more securely to enjoy the pleasures of a contem-
priest.
early age, likewise,
he desired to abandon the of his society
plative life. Hence, he resolved to leave his native Island.
81
According to
one account, which does not seem to rest on his earliest Acts, St. Fiacre
communicated that purpose to his sister, St. Syra, who approved of his
design, and who shared his desire to abandon the allurements of the court
of their father, Eugene IV. , King of Scotland. Keeping their secret from
him, they stole away towards the sea-coast, to find a vessel in which they
82
could embark.
traveller with her brother on this occasion ; it is thought to be more probable, she followed him to that place where he settled, at a subsequent time, and when he had established there a religious institute. However, the statement that St. Syra was a sister of St. Fiacre rests on no historic foundation, and it must be rejected as a fable. 83
But, it does not at all appear, that St. Syra was a fellow-
7*
According to the Ulster Annals.
75 See Ussher's " Brittanicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," cap. xv. , p. 372.
76 Some doubt exists as to whether she is
to be distinguished from a St. Syria, vene- ratedatTroyesonthe8thofJune. Seethe
for
date, the reputed Feast of St. Syra, or Syria, Virgin, at Meaux, or Tioyes, France, Art. iii. The Feast of St. Syra has also been
referred to the 23rd of October.
77 See the account of Most Rev. Patrick F.
Moran, D. D. , in " The Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1876, p. 361.
78 ir. "
Afterwards, is stated, S'en vint en
France, pour viure en solitude, incogneu des hommes. "—Gualtier's " Fleurs des Vies
ries Saints," Traduction de l'Espagnole du Livre de Pierre Ribadeneira, p. 829.
79 See the account of St. Fiacre, in " The
Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, launi Abbatissse. De ea omnino siletur 1876, pp. 361, 362. apud Gall. Christ. "
Sixth Volume of this work, at that
8l It is—
8o
Mabillon takes care to distinguish St. Fiacra, of Leinster, and who administered Holy Viaticum to St. Comgell, Abbot of Bangor, from our saint. See " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xii. , sect, vi. , p. 344. —
authority
that he remained for some time
stated but we know not on what
in Iona, attracted thither by the fame of
the miracles and virtues of its holy founder,
*2 "
See Les Petits Bollandistes, Vies des
Saints," tome x. , xxxe jour d'Aout, p. 333. S3 Among some Notulae Historico-criticae, attached to the Pars Estiva of the Meaux
"Ad ultimam Dom. Au%. in Festo S. Fiacrii. Quidquid aliter dixerit auctor Historiae Eccl. Meld. t. L, not. 30, non constat S. Fiacrio
extitisse sanctam sororem Syram nomine,
Breviary, ed. 1834, is the following :
quae fuerit monialis Faronis et deinde Catha-
4 a8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 30.
Almighty God, who had inspired St. Fiacre with this resolution of
expatriation, directed his way to France. He was associated with some
holy companions, it is stated, during the journey. Nor is it known with certainty from his earliest Acts, that he had been a monk before leaving Ireland. 8* At this time, St. Faron or Faro,85 who was of noble family, and who had previously been distinguished as one of the paladins in the army of King Clothaire, had retired from the ambitious pursuits of worldlings in camp and court, to embrace an ecclesiastical career. Those pious strangers
86
from Ireland, arrived in the diocese of Meaux, during the time of St. Faro's
Episcopal Rule. 8? It does not seem to be known for a certainty, that he
88
The latter event is generally referred to a. d. 628. 89 About that time, how-
ever, St. Faro had built a monastery in the environs of Meaux, desiring
much to have religious, who should give shining examples of virtue, and with
whom he could confer on heavenly subjects. ? This holy prelate entertained
an affection for those men of the Scottish nation,? 1 who then especial pious
began to invade France in such numbers, either to serve God in a missionary capacity, or in the monastic state.
CHAPTER II.
FAVOURABLE RECEPTION OF ST. FIACRE BY THE BISHOP OF MEAUX—THE IRISH SAINT OBTAINS POSSESSION OF BRIE TO FOUND HIS HERMITAGE—HE THERE ESTABLISHES A HOUSE OF HOSPITALITY—HIS TASTE AND SKILL IN GARDENING AND AGRICULTURE —ENLARGEMENT OF HIS FARM—MIRACULOUS CLEARANCE OF THE FOREST—ST. FIACRE IS SECURED IN THE LOVE AND RESPECT OF ST. FARO—RELIGIOUS RULE OF ST. FIACRE.
Other misleading and legendary accounts have it, that St. Syra, with three companions, set out from Meaux to visit her brother, from whom she learned many lessons of heavenly wisdom. Having lived some years with St. Fara,
1
it is stated, she afterwards proceeded to Troyes, where she ruled as abbess
over a community for a long time, and guided many souls to God. Her
was Bishop of Meaux, before the death of Clothaire II. , King of France.
virtues are highly extolled in an ancient hymn.
2
However, this holy Virgin
84 Mabillon writes " ex Hi- on the 8th of Before the French : Demigravit kept June.
bernia nondum Benedictinis institutis in- formata, an jam monachus, incertum. " -
85 The festival of this holy Bishop is held
Revolution, many convents in France honoured her as patroness.
— :
on the 28th of October. He died a. d.
2 Therein she is thus addressed
,
"! c
. VS
••
a"Um Meldc"sls
',. »«*:
I" ? n! See Mabillon s
«, /
A
£ rtmedmm. »
»
672. Vies des Saints," tome iii.
See Baillet's
The city of Meaux xs situated on a
. Qsy*
height over he river Maine, and it is still an episcopal see, with a noble cathedral.
See Murray's France sect. 1,
filia>
« ,x. ,
Handbook for Travellers in
route
»u »
1V Annales Orchms S. Benedicti, tomus 1. , lib. xn. , sect, v. , p. 343. 8' See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle
BiographirtGenerale,"tomex. ,col. 900.
90 See Les Petits Bollandistes " Vies des
Saints," tome xiii. , xxviiie jour d'Octobre, p. 90.
165, pp. 613, 614,
t
>
'
91 This is mentioned in the Life of St.
Faro, attributed to Hildegard, Bishop of des maximes de morale. " M. le
Meaux. ChapterII. —' St.
Syra's
festivalisthere
tome
xvii. ,
col. 616. 615,
R f Scoto um
Sa^cti Fiacrii
Tu es stdla exj mj a Pra,fulgens virginum gemma, Campania lauTet honor,
Ad sepulchrum confugiunt Tuum popPuli et sentiunt
Sanita
:
3 As for instance " Saint Fiacre l'ana-
choreteavaitunesceur,nomineeSyra. Elle mourut dans le diocese de Meaux, ou elle
est honoree comme vierge. Quelques auteurs font mention d'une lettre que cette sainte recut de son et — renfermait
frere, qui
Hoefer's " Nouvelle Biographie Generale,"
Dr.
August 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 429
is not to be regarded as the sister of our Saint, notwithstanding the assertions of French writers, and which are very commonly received. 3
Having thus resolved to settle in France, St. Fiacre and his sister Syra— so runs the legend—sought St.
been published in France for popular reading, as also for the use of pilgrims to his shrine. 35 Many of these contain prayers and hymns, in honour of the
holy hermit. The Abbe Godescard,36 as also Richard et Giraud,3? have notices of him in their respective works. l\\ more recent years, several writershaveaddedmuchtoourknowledgeofSt. Fiacre. Amongthesemay be mentioned Mons. Jubinal,38 Bishop Forbes,39 Les Petits Bollandistes,40
'2
M. le Or. Hoefer,4 Rev. S. Baring-Gould,* and Rev. Mr. Olden. o His
Eminence Cardinal Moran has given a very interesting biography of St. Fiacre. 44 An account of Saint Fiacre de la Brie, has been furnished by Joseph Casimir O'Meagher, in a paper read45 before the Royal Irish Academy,46 and from which several interesting memorials of him are to be related.
Nearly all hagiographical writers are agreed, that St. Fiacre or Fiachra was born in Ireland, and of illustrious parentage,4? in what particular locality
3° In this manuscript, some errors were Monsieur Saint Fiacre, which dates back to ''
around him in the desert. 3
corrected, and that portion of it published the fifteenth century, in his Alysteies
by the Bollandists had been compared with
that Life given by Surius, and found in the
other manuscripts.
31 It was not deemed necessary to publish
those manuscript lives in full, in order to
avoid repetitions, but the miracles which
did not appear in the fully published Life were added by the Bollandist editor.
33 See "Vies des Saints,'' tome ii. , pp.
inedits du xve Siecle. "
39 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints,'' pp.
338 to 341.
40 See "Vies des Saints," tome x. , xxxe
jour d'Aout, pp. 333 to 337.
4l See " Nouvelle Biographic Generale,"
tome xvii. , col. 614 to 616.
* 7 See " Lives of the Saints,'' vol. viii. ,
August 30, pp. 384 to 386.
493- 494- 33 "
43 In Leslie
" of Na- Dictionary
Stephens'
See Britannia Sancta," part ii. , Aug. tional Biography," vol. xviii. , pp. 396, 397.
30, pp. 102, 103, and "A Memorial of Briti. -h Piety," p. 122.
34 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints, vol. viii. , August 30.
Mois d'Aout 30.
** See " Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1876, pp. 361 to 368.
*'* Onthe9thofNovember,1891.
46 See " of the Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," Third Series, vol. ii. , No. 2,
Patron de Brie, nasquit en Hibernie, de parens nobles et riches, avec lesquels il demeura jusq'a ce qui inspire d'une lumiere d'en haut, il sortie commeun autre Abraham de s—on pays, et du millieu de ses parents," &c.
35 One of these, the
of the distin- guished Irish poet, Denis Florence Mac- Carthy, is in the writer's possession. It is intituled, "La Vie de Saint Fiacre, Con- fesseur, Pation de Brie, avec des Avertisse- mens aux Pelerins. " A Troyes, 1751, iSmo. 36 In his " Vies des Principeaux Saints. "
sect, xiii. , to pp. 173
37 In "
3* He has published a curious Mystcre. de
Gautier's " Fleurs Saints. " Traduction de
Vies
del des
Bibliotheque
Sacree. "
1'Espagnole du Livre de Pierre Ribadeneira, p. 829.
gift
176.
4 ? " Sainet Fiacre, l'illustre et miraculeux
August 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 425
or year is uncertain; for nothing authoritative has been recorded, in reference to these subjects, in his early Acts. The Breviarium Meldensis, which contains the proper Office of St. Fiacrius, states, that lie was from Hibernia,
called by the ancients Scotia. *
8
Nevertheless, a difference of statement
prevails regarding the question as to whether this holy missionary had been a native of Ireland or of Scotland. Among writers of the latter nation, Hector Boece relates4^ that St. Fiacrius was son of Eugenius, King of the Scots, who was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son, Ferquhard. Next tohimarementionedhisbrothersFiacrius5°andDonevaldus. JohnLesley has a similar statement 51 and, it seems to have been followed, by many
;
other Scottisti writers. But, nearly all the Irish and French authors52 who
have treated on the life and mission of St. Fiacre state, that he was born in
Hibern—ia. The Irish genealogist, Duald Mac Firbis, even gives his pedigree
thus: Fiachra, son of Colman, son of Eoghan, son of Biodan, son of
Oiloil, son of Suibhne, son of Maelduin, son of Fibnn, son of Inchada, son
of Colla-da-crioch who we know was fifth in descent from Corin of the ;
Hundred Battles. 53
Some of the modern French writers of St. Fiacre's Life, accepting the
statements of Boece, and mistaking the application of Scotia to Ireland in his
time, have confounded his origin and race in a manner, so as to render their
narrativeunintelligible. ^ Fromotherincidentswhicharementioned,itseems
probable, however, that St. Fiacre was born, either towards the close of the
sixth or the beginning of the seventh century. ss The proper name of this
saint in Irish is said to have been Fiachra, making Fiachrach in the genitive
case 6 and the most celebrated eponymous of the name known in Irish ;-
history is Fiachra, the son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin,s7 who was the progenitor of several distinctive tribes. 58
A very interesting window of the sixteenth century, at the Church of St. Maclou, in Pontoise, represents the legend of St. Fiacre, from his earlier to his later years, as popularly received at the time of its erection. Unfortu-
nately half the window is destroyed ;
48 "
Thus Fiacrius, qui et Fefrus, erat ex
but what is left purports to exhibit eight
Hibernia, quam veteres Scotiam appella-
there find such a passage.
S4 Thus "one account has it :
" St. Fiacre
— Dominica ultima Augusti, in Festo S. Fiacrii, Brigensis Anachorctae Patroni. Ad
OfhciumNocturnum. Lect. iv
** See "Scotorum Hystorite," lib. ix. , p.
173-
s° The accidental agreement of his name
with that of our saint was probably the sole
bant, nobilibus ortus parentibus,*' &c.
etoit Ecoissois mais ne en d'origine,
Hy-
foundation for
one and the same person.
them to have been
Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran—since, His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Syd- ney, N. S. W. —he states: "St. Fiachra, better known by the name of Fiacre, by which he was designated on the Continent, was born about the
eldest son of Eugene IV. ,
"
Roi d'E. o>se. "
supposing
of a—
year 590, princely
51 See ''De Origine, Moribus et Rebus
gestis Scotorum," lib iv. , pp. 155, 156.
52 from the Scottish one Borrowing writers,
French account has it, that Fiacre was the
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1-876,
p. 361.
5J See "The Tribes and Genealogies,
Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowd's Country," with Translation and
Notes, and a map of Hy-Fiachrach, by John O'Donovan, pp. 2 et seq. , and Addenda F. , p. 409.
57 He was King of Connaught, and he was raised to the throne of Ireland in the
however, on what authority the
ology of Donegal" is cited for making St.
Fiacre, the son of Colman, son of Eogan, of he gave name— Hy-Amhalgaidh, the race of Colla-da-Crioch, as I cannot Hy-Ceara, and several other families.
53 See Joseph Casimir O'Meaghei's paper on Saint Fiacre de la Brie, read November 9th, 1 89 1, before the members of the Royal
"
Irish Academy. See Proceedings of the
Royal Irish Academy," Third Series, vol.
ii. , No. 2, sect, xiii. , p. 173. I know not, year 358. See Roderick O Flaherty's
"Martyr-
iii. , cap. — to "Ogygia," pars lxxix. ,pp. 373 378.
bernie," &c.
55 In the account of St. Fiacre, written by
family in the north of Connaught. "
s® Such as the Hy-Fiachrach
to whom the the
426 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 30.
scenes taken from his life, and explained by French inscriptions. 59 One of those pictures shows St. Fiacre, in his younger days, going to school, in
order to be instructed in the Catholic faith.
St. Fiacre or Fiachra is also
traditions,
as
6*
Fithoc, Futtach,
6*
Muffett,
66 from Mofutack6
and
Musset.
68
According
statements,?
by Conan,
the
holy
Fefrus
some
60 ami he is
under the different
by
appellations Fiacer, Feacar, Ficker,
recognised
styled
writers, 62
of Fiancorus,
by corruption
of Scottish
59 The inscriptions are as follows : —
1. "CommeSainctFiacreensonjeune
age alloit a l'escole pour appendre la foy
catholique. "
2. " Comme le pere de Sainct Fiacre, due
Hie duxit vitam, vitam finivit ibidem. Meldica nunc signis floret provincia Fefri. "
61 "
See Old Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," vol. vii. , pp. 211, 213.
62 See Stewart's " Metrical Chronicle of
la mer vint a Sainct
"Retours," Kincardine, pp. 95,
Pharon, evesque "
6. " Comme Sainct Pharon donna conge a Sainct Fiacre d'aller faire un hermitage au bois pour soy y tenir. "
7. Comme Sainct Fiacre abattit grand nombre de boys et a tant fache bequenaude qui le reprint et accusa a Sainct Pharon. "
8. '"Coinme Sainct Pharon consola Sainct Fiacre, et le reprint ue son decouragement. "
passe
de Meaux, et lui fit priere
—
10
Such as by the writer of the Vita S.
Hystoriie," lib. ix. , p. 173. *'
Faronis, attributed to Hildegard, Bishop of Meaux, and by Fulcoin, who thus cele-
—
" Heredem Fefrum dedit in quibus esse beatum.
Huic Broilum tribuit, qui templum condidit illic.
72 See Lives of the Saints ; enriched with Fifty-one full-page Miniatures, in Gold
brates our saint, in Latin verse
:
and the text within Colours,
2
61
63 and
It has been supposed, by Mabillon,60 that Fefrus, and not Fiacrius, had been the original name given to our Saint, and the one by which he was earliest known ; because he has been so named by the author of the Life of St. Faro, who is said to have been Hildegard, Bishop of Meaux, a writer of the ninth century, and by Fulcoin, a Latin poet, who lived in the eleventh century. However, these arguments have little weight, as the first writer lived two hundred years after the death of St. Fiacre, and the latter six hundred ; besides Fefre does not appear to have been a name known to the Irish,70 but rather it is likely to have been a Gallic corruption of the original Fiacre, the name by which our Saint is called by nearly all other writers.
Donevakl. Theformer,whoimmediatelysucceededhisfather,EugeniusIV. , on the Scottish throne, is said to have been a great favourer of Pelagianism, and to have maintained friendly intercourse with the British priests, also infected with that heresy. After the unhappy death of Ferquhard, his brother Donevald 73 was saluted as king. In the year 637, he fought the battle of Roth, and devastated unjustly the province of Domnail, son of
tosome
1 hehadbeeneducated
Bishop of Soder,? together with his supposed brothers, Ferquhard and
de Ilybernie, le voulut marier, avec . . . . Scotland," vol. viii. , p. 513.
"
% St. Fiacre is represented departing Aberdeen.
Damoisellc, fille
(the rest is illegible).
63
St. Ficker's Bay, on the river Dee, near
from his parents, but the inscription is de- stroyed.
4.
"Comme Sainct Fiacre arriva a la mer et pria un marinier de le passer en France.
64 See Stewart's " Metrical Chronicle of
Scotland," vol. viii. , p. 513.
65 So named in the Dunkeld Litany. See
" View of the Diocese of Aberdeen," p.
252, and also Gordon's Map of Scotland, of
" Comme Sainct
5. Fiacre, apres
avoir
1652.
66 In the
162.
67 In Blaeu's Atlas the honorific ma
being a prefix.
68 See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 339.
69 See "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S.
Benedicti," sa:c. ii. , pp. 598 to 618.
70 This erroneous opinion has been enter-
tained by Du Plessis.
71 That of Hector Boece, in his "Scotorum
engraved Borders, from Ancient Books of Devotion,"
P- 259-
73 He is called " Domnallum Breccum
nepotem Aidan," by Adamnan, in his "Vita S. Columbae," lib. i. , cap. 10.
? ,
August 30. ] LIVES Of THE IRISH SAINTS. 427
Aedh. Havingreignedforfifteenyears,DonevaldorDomnallBreccfellin
a battle, fought at Sraithcair-maic, in the month of December, a. d. 642. t> The conqueror, on that occasion, was Hoan, King of the Britains. ? 5 More-
6
over, a St. Syra? is said to have been a sister of those brothers, while she
was also educated by St. Conan. But, we find quite a different account, regarding the education of St. Fiacre, who is stated to have been under the care of St. Cuanna, who was in his time famous for learning and sanctity, and who attracted numerous disciples to his monastery at Kilcoona, on the shore of Loch Orbsen.
The thoughts of Fiacre were turned to a religious life in solitude ; and he resolved on leaving the tumult of this world, when he was ordained a
7 ? At an
friends and familiars. 78 It is again stated, that he left his native district, and the school of St. Cuanna, to fix his first hermitage on the banks of the RiverNore,andinthepresentCountyofKilkenny. Asthememoryo—four Saint is honoured in Kill-Fiachra or Kilfera on the 30th of August the same day on which his fest—ival is marked in the Martyrologies of Marianus O'Gorman and of Donegal it has been conjectured, that it had been the spot hallowed by his virtues and penitential austerities during his lifetime. There, too, is to be seen the ruins of an old church, which had been dedicated to St. Fiachra, while a little to the south of it is the holy well of St. Fiachra. 79 There St. Fiacre became celebrated, and many disciples are said to have flocked around him, and disturbed the life of retreat he purposed to lead. 80 Our Saint even desired, more securely to enjoy the pleasures of a contem-
priest.
early age, likewise,
he desired to abandon the of his society
plative life. Hence, he resolved to leave his native Island.
81
According to
one account, which does not seem to rest on his earliest Acts, St. Fiacre
communicated that purpose to his sister, St. Syra, who approved of his
design, and who shared his desire to abandon the allurements of the court
of their father, Eugene IV. , King of Scotland. Keeping their secret from
him, they stole away towards the sea-coast, to find a vessel in which they
82
could embark.
traveller with her brother on this occasion ; it is thought to be more probable, she followed him to that place where he settled, at a subsequent time, and when he had established there a religious institute. However, the statement that St. Syra was a sister of St. Fiacre rests on no historic foundation, and it must be rejected as a fable. 83
But, it does not at all appear, that St. Syra was a fellow-
7*
According to the Ulster Annals.
75 See Ussher's " Brittanicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," cap. xv. , p. 372.
76 Some doubt exists as to whether she is
to be distinguished from a St. Syria, vene- ratedatTroyesonthe8thofJune. Seethe
for
date, the reputed Feast of St. Syra, or Syria, Virgin, at Meaux, or Tioyes, France, Art. iii. The Feast of St. Syra has also been
referred to the 23rd of October.
77 See the account of Most Rev. Patrick F.
Moran, D. D. , in " The Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, 1876, p. 361.
78 ir. "
Afterwards, is stated, S'en vint en
France, pour viure en solitude, incogneu des hommes. "—Gualtier's " Fleurs des Vies
ries Saints," Traduction de l'Espagnole du Livre de Pierre Ribadeneira, p. 829.
79 See the account of St. Fiacre, in " The
Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. xii. , June, launi Abbatissse. De ea omnino siletur 1876, pp. 361, 362. apud Gall. Christ. "
Sixth Volume of this work, at that
8l It is—
8o
Mabillon takes care to distinguish St. Fiacra, of Leinster, and who administered Holy Viaticum to St. Comgell, Abbot of Bangor, from our saint. See " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xii. , sect, vi. , p. 344. —
authority
that he remained for some time
stated but we know not on what
in Iona, attracted thither by the fame of
the miracles and virtues of its holy founder,
*2 "
See Les Petits Bollandistes, Vies des
Saints," tome x. , xxxe jour d'Aout, p. 333. S3 Among some Notulae Historico-criticae, attached to the Pars Estiva of the Meaux
"Ad ultimam Dom. Au%. in Festo S. Fiacrii. Quidquid aliter dixerit auctor Historiae Eccl. Meld. t. L, not. 30, non constat S. Fiacrio
extitisse sanctam sororem Syram nomine,
Breviary, ed. 1834, is the following :
quae fuerit monialis Faronis et deinde Catha-
4 a8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 30.
Almighty God, who had inspired St. Fiacre with this resolution of
expatriation, directed his way to France. He was associated with some
holy companions, it is stated, during the journey. Nor is it known with certainty from his earliest Acts, that he had been a monk before leaving Ireland. 8* At this time, St. Faron or Faro,85 who was of noble family, and who had previously been distinguished as one of the paladins in the army of King Clothaire, had retired from the ambitious pursuits of worldlings in camp and court, to embrace an ecclesiastical career. Those pious strangers
86
from Ireland, arrived in the diocese of Meaux, during the time of St. Faro's
Episcopal Rule. 8? It does not seem to be known for a certainty, that he
88
The latter event is generally referred to a. d. 628. 89 About that time, how-
ever, St. Faro had built a monastery in the environs of Meaux, desiring
much to have religious, who should give shining examples of virtue, and with
whom he could confer on heavenly subjects. ? This holy prelate entertained
an affection for those men of the Scottish nation,? 1 who then especial pious
began to invade France in such numbers, either to serve God in a missionary capacity, or in the monastic state.
CHAPTER II.
FAVOURABLE RECEPTION OF ST. FIACRE BY THE BISHOP OF MEAUX—THE IRISH SAINT OBTAINS POSSESSION OF BRIE TO FOUND HIS HERMITAGE—HE THERE ESTABLISHES A HOUSE OF HOSPITALITY—HIS TASTE AND SKILL IN GARDENING AND AGRICULTURE —ENLARGEMENT OF HIS FARM—MIRACULOUS CLEARANCE OF THE FOREST—ST. FIACRE IS SECURED IN THE LOVE AND RESPECT OF ST. FARO—RELIGIOUS RULE OF ST. FIACRE.
Other misleading and legendary accounts have it, that St. Syra, with three companions, set out from Meaux to visit her brother, from whom she learned many lessons of heavenly wisdom. Having lived some years with St. Fara,
1
it is stated, she afterwards proceeded to Troyes, where she ruled as abbess
over a community for a long time, and guided many souls to God. Her
was Bishop of Meaux, before the death of Clothaire II. , King of France.
virtues are highly extolled in an ancient hymn.
2
However, this holy Virgin
84 Mabillon writes " ex Hi- on the 8th of Before the French : Demigravit kept June.
bernia nondum Benedictinis institutis in- formata, an jam monachus, incertum. " -
85 The festival of this holy Bishop is held
Revolution, many convents in France honoured her as patroness.
— :
on the 28th of October. He died a. d.
2 Therein she is thus addressed
,
"! c
. VS
••
a"Um Meldc"sls
',. »«*:
I" ? n! See Mabillon s
«, /
A
£ rtmedmm. »
»
672. Vies des Saints," tome iii.
See Baillet's
The city of Meaux xs situated on a
. Qsy*
height over he river Maine, and it is still an episcopal see, with a noble cathedral.
See Murray's France sect. 1,
filia>
« ,x. ,
Handbook for Travellers in
route
»u »
1V Annales Orchms S. Benedicti, tomus 1. , lib. xn. , sect, v. , p. 343. 8' See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle
BiographirtGenerale,"tomex. ,col. 900.
90 See Les Petits Bollandistes " Vies des
Saints," tome xiii. , xxviiie jour d'Octobre, p. 90.
165, pp. 613, 614,
t
>
'
91 This is mentioned in the Life of St.
Faro, attributed to Hildegard, Bishop of des maximes de morale. " M. le
Meaux. ChapterII. —' St.
Syra's
festivalisthere
tome
xvii. ,
col. 616. 615,
R f Scoto um
Sa^cti Fiacrii
Tu es stdla exj mj a Pra,fulgens virginum gemma, Campania lauTet honor,
Ad sepulchrum confugiunt Tuum popPuli et sentiunt
Sanita
:
3 As for instance " Saint Fiacre l'ana-
choreteavaitunesceur,nomineeSyra. Elle mourut dans le diocese de Meaux, ou elle
est honoree comme vierge. Quelques auteurs font mention d'une lettre que cette sainte recut de son et — renfermait
frere, qui
Hoefer's " Nouvelle Biographie Generale,"
Dr.
August 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 429
is not to be regarded as the sister of our Saint, notwithstanding the assertions of French writers, and which are very commonly received. 3
Having thus resolved to settle in France, St. Fiacre and his sister Syra— so runs the legend—sought St.
