Stokes adds a note: "The
scholiast
regards senotii as = synodi and slehtai as a verb meaning occisi sunt.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
In the anonymous Calendar of Irish
1
Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, a St. Boetius is named, at the 7th of
September.
Article IX. —Reputed Festival of St. Modocus. It is stated by
Ferarius, that on the 7th of September in Scotia, the Bishop, St. Modocus, who lived about the year 534, had been venerated. ' He is supposed by the Bollandists to have been identical with St. Aidanus, Bishop of 2 and whose festival is held on the of 3
Article X. - St. Grellan of Craobh-Grellain. Under the head
tyrology of Tallagh.
the ii. of the Nones, there is a similar
entry.
Ferns, 31st January.
ofCraebhGrellain,DualdMacFirbisrecords,
Greallan,1 atthe
Bishop
that this
place GreUain, may be probably Creeve, in the Barony of Ballymoe, County Roscommon. There are two Cill Greallans, in Tir Fichra of the Moy. 4
This territory is comprised within the present barony of Tireragh, in the County of Sligo.
Article XI. —Reputed Feast of St. Adamnan, or Eunan, Abbot
of Iona. Sir Harris Nicholas places the festival of St. Eunan, whom he
makes of at the of 1 He was identical with Bishop Raphoe, 7th September.
St. Adamnan, Abbot of Iona. At the 23rd of this month, the date for his chief festival, his acts may be seen, in the present volume.
Article XII. —Reputed Feast of St. Queranus, Abbot. On the
authority of Floratius and the English Martyrology, the name of St. Queranus, Abbot, is entered at the 7th of September, in the Calendar of Henry
Kieranus
place,
is entered, and by Henry Fitzsimon, he is thought to be the same as Queranus. His proper festival is at the 9th of this month, where his Acts
of 2 Mr. William M. September.
Hennessy conjectures, 3
7th Craobh
Fitzsimon. 1 He was Abbot of Clonmacnoise. In another
may be found in the present volume.
Article vii. —"Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxiii.
2 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. .
pp. 102, 103.
3 It is in the of Oran, and de- parish
scribed on the "Ordnance Survey Town-
land for the of Roscommon " Maps County
2
Thus: UlcAti.
3 Edited
by
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp.
238,239.
Article viii. - ' See u Historise Catho-
licae Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. ,
Sheet 34.
* See
i. , — part pp. 96, 97.
Article xi. 'See "Chronology
Irish Article ix. 'See the Bollandists' Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. ,
lib. iv. ,
xi. , — cap. p. 51.
''Proceedings
Royal
"
Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xxxi.
arii. Vita S- Aidani. Prcemium, sect. 4,
of
p. IIII.
2
Janu-
History. " Alphabetical Calendar of Saints, See ibid. , tomus iii. , vii. Septembris. and other Festival—s, etc. , p. 147.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 2. Article XII. See O'Sullevan Beare's 3 See his Life, at that date, in the First " Historise Catholicae Ibernise Compen-
Volume of this work, Art. i.
Article x. —'" St. Greallan's festival is 2 Allusion is made to Jocelyn's Vita S.
dium," tomus i. , Iii). iv. , cap. xii. , p. 56.
set down in the Martyrology of Donegal, Patricii, cap. cxiii. , p- 55. See Colgan's
at Nov. 10th. " note.
—William M. "Trias Sexta Vita S. Hennessey's Thaumaturga,"
Patricii, cap. cxiii, pp. 90, 91.
of the
September 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. '93
Article XIII. —Festival of St. Summiva or Sunni fa, Patroness of Bergen, Norway. Already at the 8th day of July, 1 we have recorded what has been told regarding this holy Irish Virgin and Martyr, who is said to
2
have lived in the time of the Emperor Otho I. ,
and with other virgins
devoted to her, in the Island of Selja or Selia, Norway. She there suffered
martyrdom^ and probably before the period when Harold VI. * reigned in
Denmark. The translation of her body from the Island of Selja to the
Cathedral of Bergen took place, on the 7th of September, a. d. ii/o. s At the same day, the Bollandists enter her festival. 6
Article XIV. —Festival of St. Sinotus, Martyr.
the of there is a festival for Sinotus. 1 7th September,
In the Feiire, at To this, the
2 He
4
See an account of his reign in Joannis
has added a
which has a dubious
comment,
Article XV. —Festival of St. Anastasius, at Salona, Dalmatia, Martyr. In the Irish Church, at this day, the martyrdom of St. Anastasius
glossographer
is thought to have been Bishop of Capua, in Campania, Italy. Little is knownabouthim,orthetimewhenhesufferedmartyrdom; but,atthisdate, some entries from ancient calendars, and notices regarding him, are to be found in the Bollandist collection. 3
was
commemorated,
as we learn from the Feilire of St. 1 The iEngus.
Article xiii. —'See at that date, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. iv.
2 Called the Great. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler. He was born a. d. 912, and he was crowned at Aix-la- Chapelle in 936. He engaged in several wars, and when victorious over the neigh- bouring barbarian states, he took every means to spread Christianity among the pagans. Especially the Danes were sub- jected to his laws, and he conquered the Bohemians in 950, after their obstinate re- sistance. He also established his authority in Italy, and marching to Rome, he was crowned Emperor by Pope John XXII. in 962. He died a. d. 973. See " Encyclo- pedic Catholique," par M. L'Abbe Glaire et de M. Le Vtc Walsh, tome xv. , pp.
194, 195-
3 The Acts and Office of this Virgin and
Martyr are to be found in the work of
Thormodus Torfaeus, " Historia Norvegica,'
pars ii. , lib. ix. , cap. 2 and 3.
to light, after Father Soller had briefly written about her at the 8th of July, their
:
in aliquo Supplemento ad diem Vlll Julii. "— "ActaSanctorum"tomusiii. , Septembris.
vii. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 2.
"
47 to 50. Amstelodami cId Iccxxxvm. a Thus: "
Historise Danicse," lib. Hi. , pp.
Mevrsi,
fol. nece
senotii . i. senad Niceae vel zenoti martir . i. in
5 The Bollandists notice this translation festival at September 7th, and advert to a statement found in a comment on a tract, " De Profectione Danorum in Terram Sanctum," edited by Joannes Kirchmann, of
toto corpore in ecclesia cathedrali exaltata
quiescit. "
'As the Acts and Office of this saint came
[leg. erusalem. "
— ? ] ibid, p-
the of City
Article xr. — ' See "
from a
Lubeck. It states: "Ibi Sancta Sunnif Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript
Bergen,
manuscript
of
Transactions of the
Vol. IX —No. 4.
N
notice thus concludes
u Poterunt Acta dari
[i]
cxliii.
'See "Acta Sanctorum. " tonuis iii. , Sep-
Article xiv. "
— 'In
the '*
Leabhar
Breac copywefind
— :
'
SLanchepvo Senocn -Acdruillre rlechcAi SLU415 Anachapf or\CA Comlun AfervcAi.
Thus rendered into English by Whitley
Stokes, LL. D. "Sinotus' pure suffering,
whose tracks are shining. Anastasius'
hosts wer—e slain with the multitude of their
"
virtues. " Transactionsofthe RoyalIrfsh
Academy. " Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
On the Calendar of Oengus, p. exxxvi. Dr.
Stokes adds a note: "The scholiast regards senotii as = synodi and slehtai as a verb meaning occisi sunt. "— ibid.
part i
glanchesad
tembris vii. De S. Sinoto Martyre, et verisimiliter Episcopo Caputs in Campania, Italia;, pp, 5, 6.
Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
meaning.
i94 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September8.
Bollandists» have given his Acts, edited by Father John Stilting, S. J. , who adds a Previous Commentary, in two sections, and in sixteen paragraphs, with notes. 2 As a Christian, he suffered in the persecution of Diocletian, and he was condemned by the judge to be drowned, with a stone suspended from his neck.
<g(gf)tl) 2Baj) of September
ARTICLE I. —FESTIVAL OF ST. DISIBOD, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, RHENISH BAVARIA.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. ]
most men are filled with the ambition of acquiring distinction,
;
end here, and hereafter a crown in Heaven.
St. Disibod, Bishop and Confessor, was one of the many Irish missionaries that laboured in the valley of the Rhine. His life has been already given, at the 8th day of July, which is his chief festival. But, in some Martyrologies, he has been assigned a feast, likewise, at the present date. The Bollandists, in their "Acta Sanctorum,"1 and the Petit Bollandistes2 have notices of this commemoration. As we have already seen, Disibod was a holy missionary from Ireland. He lived in or before the reign of the Emperor Mauricius,3 according to some accounts ; but, it is most probable, that he flourished after that Emperor's rule. In the legends into which his history has been transformed, through veneration accorded him by succeeding ages, Disibod wandered about for ten years without any fixed place of abode, before he settled at Disibodenberg. By some, he is said to have been here so early as a. d. 590 j thi. -, however, is not the prevailing opinion of most writers. He is commonly represented as the
first, who preached Christianity to the Frankish tribes of the Nahegau, and thepeopleofthisregionhaveaspecialregardforhismemory. Bydifferent writers, he is variedly called Disibod, Disibodus, or Disiboduus. He has been always regarded as the founder of that monastery, at Disibodenberg/ and which has been so named after him. This celebrated abbey in former times was within the diocese of Treves. The place is situated at the confluence of the Nahe and the Glan, near Kreuznach, and not far from the west bank of the Rhine. Elsewhere we have seen what vicissitudes the original religious
establishment underwent. Archbishop Willigis repaired the damage which
ease and wealth in this life WHILE
those true Christians, apostolic lives, seek for different enjoyments, and suffer neither undue elation nor depression during their mortal career. Their chief desire is to serve men, to save souls, and aspire only to secure the first prize of a happy
3c
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus Hi. , Sep- tembrisvii. , De Anastasio Martyre, Saloncc
in Dalmatia, — to pp. 19 24,
p. 204.
2"
See Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
de
3 Who reigned from 582 to 610.
4 An account of this saint and interesting
Article
I. 'See tomus
bris viii. Among the pretermitted saints,
of his has been the writer of
hi. , Septem-
place givenby
Letters from Kreuznach," No. vi. , in
•« " TheGlasgowHerald ofThursday,Sep-
tember 2nd, 1875.
viii . Jour
Septembre, p. 564.
"
leading
September 8. ] LIVES QF THE IRISH SAINTS. *95
had been done by the wars of centuries; while, in n12, Ruthard of
Mayence entirely rebuilt the church and cloister. However, there was to be
no lasting peace for the pious inmates ; for Siegfried III. , of Mayence, and
the Wildgrave of Kirburg, again "destroyed the restored monastery and drove outthemonks. Afterthis,theCisterciansoncemorerestoredthebuildings,
and took up their abode in the year 1470 ; but again, the monastery was very harshly treated, and in 1504, it was plundered by the Prince Palatine, Philip V. The Cistercians again returned, and remained, until Gustavus
drove them 5 It is not that away. surprising, therefore,
Adolphus finally
but ruins6 now remain to mark the site. It is stated, in the Martyrology of
Ruins of Disenbodenburg Monastery.
Raban,7 that the holy Irish missionary, Disibod, ended his pilgrimage in the eighty-first year of his age on the festival of the birth of the Virgin. The dateforhisdeathisunknown; but,itoccurred,probably,towardstheclose of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. He was buried beneath the hut in which he had lived, on the slope of the hill. The names of his companions, whose bones seem to have lain beside his own near the altar, tradition has preserved as Giswald, Clemens, and Sallust. They are M the men " mentioned in the inscription who fed with heavenly bread " the dwellers by the Glan. "8 Twelve years after the death of Disibod, the com-
5 See " The Rhine from its Source to the Sea," translated from the German, by G. C.
8 At the beginning of this century, under the ruins of the church, there was found a
T.
London, 1888, 4to.
stone —an
bearing inscription
commencing
in
verses,
Bartley, M. P. , chap, xx. , pp. 206, 207.
elegiac
6
These are shown in their present state, on the annexed illustration, copied from an engraving of the scene, drawn and engraved onwood,byGregorGrey.
fessoris celebrari vi. idus Septembris in suburbanis Magontiacensis ecclesise. "
" Hac Disibodi corpus tumulatur in urna : Propius hie extans ara dicata Deo Servat, ad seterni spent Judicis, ossa
virorum
Qui pavere sacris Glanicolas dapibus," &c, &c.
7 Thus " Natale Sancti Disibothi con- :
nothing
i96 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September8.
munity numbered fifty monks. After his departure, the memory of his life
and works wrought so powerfully, and for so long, that gentle and simple emulated each other to the extent of their powers in endowing the cloisters
of Disibodenberg with whole villages and farms, lands, forest rights, teinds, ground rents, and the like. It became, in course of time, far the wealthiest and best endowed religious establishment in the Rhineland country. The memory of Disibod and his companions has remained in quite a peculiar way, sweet and sacred, for more than iooo years in the valleys of the Nahe and the Glan. The day of his death—8th September, when he is said to have died at the age of eighty-one—is kept still as a holy day throughout that whole district.
Article II. —St. Fintan or Fionntan, of Ard-Caoin. At the 8th day or Nones of September, a festival is entered in the Martyrology of
2
1 to honour St. Fintann of Airdcain. There is a parish of Ardkecn, in the diocese and County of Down \ and its church was formerly styled the Church of Holy Mary of Ardkene,3 In addition to the Ardkeen already mentioned, there is another place bearing the same name in the parish of Kilmeena,4 barony of Burrishoole, and County of Mayo. Burrishoole Monastery, now in ruins, near Burrishoole lake, is a very picturesque object. There is an engraving and a description of it in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's M Ire- land : its Scenery, Character, &c," vol. iii. , pp. 389, 390. There is -likewise a townland so called, in the parish of Droom, barony of Eliogarty, and in the north Riding of Tipperary County. 5 Colgan also notices this saint, his
6
place, and his feast, but without throwing much light on his history. John
Capgrave notes this saint as a Bishop and Confessor, at the fifth of the
Tallagh,
Ides. ? In the of 8 at this same date, the Martyrology Donegal,
September
name is merely entered as Fionntain of Ardcaoin.
Article III. —St. Ferghus, the Pict. The Martyrology of Tallagh
records, that at the 8th of September, veneration was given to Ferghus Cruithneach,' or the Pict. We may refer to the notices of St. Fergus, pre- served in the Breviary of Aberdeen, in illustration of the witness sometimes borne to the traditionary accounts, by facts otherwise well established. According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, Fergus came on a mission, with
other clerics, from Ireland, to Alba.
—*
He settled near Strageath. 2 He and
6
Article ii.
" Acta Sanctorum xvii. Hiberni*,"
See
p. xxxiii. In that copy, found in the Book Februarii, Appendix, cap. i , p. 355.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
of Leinster, at this same date, we have pnean Airvocam.
2 See more concerning its history, in Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connorand Dromore," n. (n). p. 21.
3 Ardkeen and its Islands, in the Barony
7 See M Nova Legenda Anglice," fol. cxlviii. , cxlix.
8 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 238, 239. A similar entry is found in the copy of the Calendar among the Irish Ordnance Survey Records, " Common Place Book," F. , p. 76.
Article ml—' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxxiii. In the copy of this Mar-
tyrology, found in the Book of Leinster, we read, £eP5ur Cmichnech.
2
At this place, in the present parish of Upper Straihearn, in central Perthshire, there was a Roman road and camp, on the left bank of the Earn. See Francis H.
of Upper Ards, is shown on the
"
Ordnance
of
Townland for the Maps
County
Survey
Down," sheets 17, 18, 24, 25.
4 It is described on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Mayo," sheets 76, 77, 87, 88.
s See "General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland," p. 26.
September 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 197
his friends erected three churches in that district. Fergus afterwards went to Caithness, where he preached to the heathens. After a time, he crossed from Caithness to the opposite country of Buchan. 3 There he founded a church,atLungley. Lastly,hecametoGlammis,wherehemadeanother ecclesiastical settlement. This, at present, is a parish, in the southern part of the Strathmore and Sidlaw districts of Forfarshire. Glammis burn rises in the hill of Auchterhouse, at the extreme southern boundary, and traverses the whole length of Glen-Ogilvie. It cuts its way through the central hilly ridge, and joins the Dean river on the demesne of Glammis Castle, thus intersecting the parish over nearly six miles of its length, and cutting it lengthwise into two not very unequal parts. * In that place, he departed this Life. At Glammis, the memory of St. Fergus was held in such reverence, all through the middle ages, that his relics came to be coveted by the neigh- bouring people. One of the Abbots over Scone carried off the saint's head, and placed it in his church, for the veneration of the faithful. * We find, that the three neighbouring churches of Strageath, Blackford, and Dolpatrick, in Perthshire, were all dedicated to St. Patrick. This devotion, we might well expect, in the acts of a missionary, fresh from Ireland. The church of Wick, in Caithness, the church of Lungley, in Buchan, and the church of Glammis, all own St. Fergus as their patron. The festival of St. Fergus is
6
recorded" in the Martyrology of Donegal at this date.
Article IV. —St. Maelecasni or Maeloisne. The heroic saints of the Church have ever been foremost to vindicate the rights of oppressed men and women. These latter especially, as the weaker sex, should ever engage the Christian chivalry of men to assert their true dignity, and to free them
1
from every degrading law. -The Martyrology of Tallagh has a festival for a
St. Maelecasni, at this date. The Law of Adamnan states, that Maelcoisne was one of the sureties whom Adamnan found to free the women from every
slaveryandbondagethatwasonthem. BesidesthepresentSt. Maelecaisni, there is a Maelcoisne, at the 15th of October, and a Maelcoisne of Ros- Brennaibh, at the 28th of December. It is not known, however, which of all
these the Law speaks of, in reference to this matter. According to the 2
Martyrology of Donegal, also, veneration was given at the 8th of September, to Maelcoisne.
Article V. —St. Cruimther Catha, son of Aengus, of Cluain Eossain. Upontheheadsofmany,thisholypriestmusthavepouredthe cleansing waters of baptism, and afterwards he must have grounded them
well in sound doctrine and holiness.
Groome's " Ordnance Gazetteer of Scot- land," vol. v. , p. 90.
At the 8th of September, a festival is
treasurer of King James IV. , which shows, that, in October, 1503, that monarch made an " offerand of 13 shillings to Sanct. Fergus' heide in Scone. "
3 A district of Aberdeenshire, extending
along the coast, from the Ythan, nearly to
the Deveron, a distance of about 40 miles.
The reader will find a good account of this districtintheThirdVolumeof"Prize "Cruithneach,i—. e. ,thePict.
1
Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, a St. Boetius is named, at the 7th of
September.
Article IX. —Reputed Festival of St. Modocus. It is stated by
Ferarius, that on the 7th of September in Scotia, the Bishop, St. Modocus, who lived about the year 534, had been venerated. ' He is supposed by the Bollandists to have been identical with St. Aidanus, Bishop of 2 and whose festival is held on the of 3
Article X. - St. Grellan of Craobh-Grellain. Under the head
tyrology of Tallagh.
the ii. of the Nones, there is a similar
entry.
Ferns, 31st January.
ofCraebhGrellain,DualdMacFirbisrecords,
Greallan,1 atthe
Bishop
that this
place GreUain, may be probably Creeve, in the Barony of Ballymoe, County Roscommon. There are two Cill Greallans, in Tir Fichra of the Moy. 4
This territory is comprised within the present barony of Tireragh, in the County of Sligo.
Article XI. —Reputed Feast of St. Adamnan, or Eunan, Abbot
of Iona. Sir Harris Nicholas places the festival of St. Eunan, whom he
makes of at the of 1 He was identical with Bishop Raphoe, 7th September.
St. Adamnan, Abbot of Iona. At the 23rd of this month, the date for his chief festival, his acts may be seen, in the present volume.
Article XII. —Reputed Feast of St. Queranus, Abbot. On the
authority of Floratius and the English Martyrology, the name of St. Queranus, Abbot, is entered at the 7th of September, in the Calendar of Henry
Kieranus
place,
is entered, and by Henry Fitzsimon, he is thought to be the same as Queranus. His proper festival is at the 9th of this month, where his Acts
of 2 Mr. William M. September.
Hennessy conjectures, 3
7th Craobh
Fitzsimon. 1 He was Abbot of Clonmacnoise. In another
may be found in the present volume.
Article vii. —"Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxiii.
2 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. .
pp. 102, 103.
3 It is in the of Oran, and de- parish
scribed on the "Ordnance Survey Town-
land for the of Roscommon " Maps County
2
Thus: UlcAti.
3 Edited
by
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp.
238,239.
Article viii. - ' See u Historise Catho-
licae Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. ,
Sheet 34.
* See
i. , — part pp. 96, 97.
Article xi. 'See "Chronology
Irish Article ix. 'See the Bollandists' Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. ,
lib. iv. ,
xi. , — cap. p. 51.
''Proceedings
Royal
"
Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xxxi.
arii. Vita S- Aidani. Prcemium, sect. 4,
of
p. IIII.
2
Janu-
History. " Alphabetical Calendar of Saints, See ibid. , tomus iii. , vii. Septembris. and other Festival—s, etc. , p. 147.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 2. Article XII. See O'Sullevan Beare's 3 See his Life, at that date, in the First " Historise Catholicae Ibernise Compen-
Volume of this work, Art. i.
Article x. —'" St. Greallan's festival is 2 Allusion is made to Jocelyn's Vita S.
dium," tomus i. , Iii). iv. , cap. xii. , p. 56.
set down in the Martyrology of Donegal, Patricii, cap. cxiii. , p- 55. See Colgan's
at Nov. 10th. " note.
—William M. "Trias Sexta Vita S. Hennessey's Thaumaturga,"
Patricii, cap. cxiii, pp. 90, 91.
of the
September 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. '93
Article XIII. —Festival of St. Summiva or Sunni fa, Patroness of Bergen, Norway. Already at the 8th day of July, 1 we have recorded what has been told regarding this holy Irish Virgin and Martyr, who is said to
2
have lived in the time of the Emperor Otho I. ,
and with other virgins
devoted to her, in the Island of Selja or Selia, Norway. She there suffered
martyrdom^ and probably before the period when Harold VI. * reigned in
Denmark. The translation of her body from the Island of Selja to the
Cathedral of Bergen took place, on the 7th of September, a. d. ii/o. s At the same day, the Bollandists enter her festival. 6
Article XIV. —Festival of St. Sinotus, Martyr.
the of there is a festival for Sinotus. 1 7th September,
In the Feiire, at To this, the
2 He
4
See an account of his reign in Joannis
has added a
which has a dubious
comment,
Article XV. —Festival of St. Anastasius, at Salona, Dalmatia, Martyr. In the Irish Church, at this day, the martyrdom of St. Anastasius
glossographer
is thought to have been Bishop of Capua, in Campania, Italy. Little is knownabouthim,orthetimewhenhesufferedmartyrdom; but,atthisdate, some entries from ancient calendars, and notices regarding him, are to be found in the Bollandist collection. 3
was
commemorated,
as we learn from the Feilire of St. 1 The iEngus.
Article xiii. —'See at that date, in the Seventh Volume of this work, Art. iv.
2 Called the Great. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler. He was born a. d. 912, and he was crowned at Aix-la- Chapelle in 936. He engaged in several wars, and when victorious over the neigh- bouring barbarian states, he took every means to spread Christianity among the pagans. Especially the Danes were sub- jected to his laws, and he conquered the Bohemians in 950, after their obstinate re- sistance. He also established his authority in Italy, and marching to Rome, he was crowned Emperor by Pope John XXII. in 962. He died a. d. 973. See " Encyclo- pedic Catholique," par M. L'Abbe Glaire et de M. Le Vtc Walsh, tome xv. , pp.
194, 195-
3 The Acts and Office of this Virgin and
Martyr are to be found in the work of
Thormodus Torfaeus, " Historia Norvegica,'
pars ii. , lib. ix. , cap. 2 and 3.
to light, after Father Soller had briefly written about her at the 8th of July, their
:
in aliquo Supplemento ad diem Vlll Julii. "— "ActaSanctorum"tomusiii. , Septembris.
vii. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 2.
"
47 to 50. Amstelodami cId Iccxxxvm. a Thus: "
Historise Danicse," lib. Hi. , pp.
Mevrsi,
fol. nece
senotii . i. senad Niceae vel zenoti martir . i. in
5 The Bollandists notice this translation festival at September 7th, and advert to a statement found in a comment on a tract, " De Profectione Danorum in Terram Sanctum," edited by Joannes Kirchmann, of
toto corpore in ecclesia cathedrali exaltata
quiescit. "
'As the Acts and Office of this saint came
[leg. erusalem. "
— ? ] ibid, p-
the of City
Article xr. — ' See "
from a
Lubeck. It states: "Ibi Sancta Sunnif Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript
Bergen,
manuscript
of
Transactions of the
Vol. IX —No. 4.
N
notice thus concludes
u Poterunt Acta dari
[i]
cxliii.
'See "Acta Sanctorum. " tonuis iii. , Sep-
Article xiv. "
— 'In
the '*
Leabhar
Breac copywefind
— :
'
SLanchepvo Senocn -Acdruillre rlechcAi SLU415 Anachapf or\CA Comlun AfervcAi.
Thus rendered into English by Whitley
Stokes, LL. D. "Sinotus' pure suffering,
whose tracks are shining. Anastasius'
hosts wer—e slain with the multitude of their
"
virtues. " Transactionsofthe RoyalIrfsh
Academy. " Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
On the Calendar of Oengus, p. exxxvi. Dr.
Stokes adds a note: "The scholiast regards senotii as = synodi and slehtai as a verb meaning occisi sunt. "— ibid.
part i
glanchesad
tembris vii. De S. Sinoto Martyre, et verisimiliter Episcopo Caputs in Campania, Italia;, pp, 5, 6.
Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
meaning.
i94 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September8.
Bollandists» have given his Acts, edited by Father John Stilting, S. J. , who adds a Previous Commentary, in two sections, and in sixteen paragraphs, with notes. 2 As a Christian, he suffered in the persecution of Diocletian, and he was condemned by the judge to be drowned, with a stone suspended from his neck.
<g(gf)tl) 2Baj) of September
ARTICLE I. —FESTIVAL OF ST. DISIBOD, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, RHENISH BAVARIA.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. ]
most men are filled with the ambition of acquiring distinction,
;
end here, and hereafter a crown in Heaven.
St. Disibod, Bishop and Confessor, was one of the many Irish missionaries that laboured in the valley of the Rhine. His life has been already given, at the 8th day of July, which is his chief festival. But, in some Martyrologies, he has been assigned a feast, likewise, at the present date. The Bollandists, in their "Acta Sanctorum,"1 and the Petit Bollandistes2 have notices of this commemoration. As we have already seen, Disibod was a holy missionary from Ireland. He lived in or before the reign of the Emperor Mauricius,3 according to some accounts ; but, it is most probable, that he flourished after that Emperor's rule. In the legends into which his history has been transformed, through veneration accorded him by succeeding ages, Disibod wandered about for ten years without any fixed place of abode, before he settled at Disibodenberg. By some, he is said to have been here so early as a. d. 590 j thi. -, however, is not the prevailing opinion of most writers. He is commonly represented as the
first, who preached Christianity to the Frankish tribes of the Nahegau, and thepeopleofthisregionhaveaspecialregardforhismemory. Bydifferent writers, he is variedly called Disibod, Disibodus, or Disiboduus. He has been always regarded as the founder of that monastery, at Disibodenberg/ and which has been so named after him. This celebrated abbey in former times was within the diocese of Treves. The place is situated at the confluence of the Nahe and the Glan, near Kreuznach, and not far from the west bank of the Rhine. Elsewhere we have seen what vicissitudes the original religious
establishment underwent. Archbishop Willigis repaired the damage which
ease and wealth in this life WHILE
those true Christians, apostolic lives, seek for different enjoyments, and suffer neither undue elation nor depression during their mortal career. Their chief desire is to serve men, to save souls, and aspire only to secure the first prize of a happy
3c
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus Hi. , Sep- tembrisvii. , De Anastasio Martyre, Saloncc
in Dalmatia, — to pp. 19 24,
p. 204.
2"
See Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
de
3 Who reigned from 582 to 610.
4 An account of this saint and interesting
Article
I. 'See tomus
bris viii. Among the pretermitted saints,
of his has been the writer of
hi. , Septem-
place givenby
Letters from Kreuznach," No. vi. , in
•« " TheGlasgowHerald ofThursday,Sep-
tember 2nd, 1875.
viii . Jour
Septembre, p. 564.
"
leading
September 8. ] LIVES QF THE IRISH SAINTS. *95
had been done by the wars of centuries; while, in n12, Ruthard of
Mayence entirely rebuilt the church and cloister. However, there was to be
no lasting peace for the pious inmates ; for Siegfried III. , of Mayence, and
the Wildgrave of Kirburg, again "destroyed the restored monastery and drove outthemonks. Afterthis,theCisterciansoncemorerestoredthebuildings,
and took up their abode in the year 1470 ; but again, the monastery was very harshly treated, and in 1504, it was plundered by the Prince Palatine, Philip V. The Cistercians again returned, and remained, until Gustavus
drove them 5 It is not that away. surprising, therefore,
Adolphus finally
but ruins6 now remain to mark the site. It is stated, in the Martyrology of
Ruins of Disenbodenburg Monastery.
Raban,7 that the holy Irish missionary, Disibod, ended his pilgrimage in the eighty-first year of his age on the festival of the birth of the Virgin. The dateforhisdeathisunknown; but,itoccurred,probably,towardstheclose of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. He was buried beneath the hut in which he had lived, on the slope of the hill. The names of his companions, whose bones seem to have lain beside his own near the altar, tradition has preserved as Giswald, Clemens, and Sallust. They are M the men " mentioned in the inscription who fed with heavenly bread " the dwellers by the Glan. "8 Twelve years after the death of Disibod, the com-
5 See " The Rhine from its Source to the Sea," translated from the German, by G. C.
8 At the beginning of this century, under the ruins of the church, there was found a
T.
London, 1888, 4to.
stone —an
bearing inscription
commencing
in
verses,
Bartley, M. P. , chap, xx. , pp. 206, 207.
elegiac
6
These are shown in their present state, on the annexed illustration, copied from an engraving of the scene, drawn and engraved onwood,byGregorGrey.
fessoris celebrari vi. idus Septembris in suburbanis Magontiacensis ecclesise. "
" Hac Disibodi corpus tumulatur in urna : Propius hie extans ara dicata Deo Servat, ad seterni spent Judicis, ossa
virorum
Qui pavere sacris Glanicolas dapibus," &c, &c.
7 Thus " Natale Sancti Disibothi con- :
nothing
i96 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September8.
munity numbered fifty monks. After his departure, the memory of his life
and works wrought so powerfully, and for so long, that gentle and simple emulated each other to the extent of their powers in endowing the cloisters
of Disibodenberg with whole villages and farms, lands, forest rights, teinds, ground rents, and the like. It became, in course of time, far the wealthiest and best endowed religious establishment in the Rhineland country. The memory of Disibod and his companions has remained in quite a peculiar way, sweet and sacred, for more than iooo years in the valleys of the Nahe and the Glan. The day of his death—8th September, when he is said to have died at the age of eighty-one—is kept still as a holy day throughout that whole district.
Article II. —St. Fintan or Fionntan, of Ard-Caoin. At the 8th day or Nones of September, a festival is entered in the Martyrology of
2
1 to honour St. Fintann of Airdcain. There is a parish of Ardkecn, in the diocese and County of Down \ and its church was formerly styled the Church of Holy Mary of Ardkene,3 In addition to the Ardkeen already mentioned, there is another place bearing the same name in the parish of Kilmeena,4 barony of Burrishoole, and County of Mayo. Burrishoole Monastery, now in ruins, near Burrishoole lake, is a very picturesque object. There is an engraving and a description of it in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's M Ire- land : its Scenery, Character, &c," vol. iii. , pp. 389, 390. There is -likewise a townland so called, in the parish of Droom, barony of Eliogarty, and in the north Riding of Tipperary County. 5 Colgan also notices this saint, his
6
place, and his feast, but without throwing much light on his history. John
Capgrave notes this saint as a Bishop and Confessor, at the fifth of the
Tallagh,
Ides. ? In the of 8 at this same date, the Martyrology Donegal,
September
name is merely entered as Fionntain of Ardcaoin.
Article III. —St. Ferghus, the Pict. The Martyrology of Tallagh
records, that at the 8th of September, veneration was given to Ferghus Cruithneach,' or the Pict. We may refer to the notices of St. Fergus, pre- served in the Breviary of Aberdeen, in illustration of the witness sometimes borne to the traditionary accounts, by facts otherwise well established. According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, Fergus came on a mission, with
other clerics, from Ireland, to Alba.
—*
He settled near Strageath. 2 He and
6
Article ii.
" Acta Sanctorum xvii. Hiberni*,"
See
p. xxxiii. In that copy, found in the Book Februarii, Appendix, cap. i , p. 355.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
of Leinster, at this same date, we have pnean Airvocam.
2 See more concerning its history, in Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connorand Dromore," n. (n). p. 21.
3 Ardkeen and its Islands, in the Barony
7 See M Nova Legenda Anglice," fol. cxlviii. , cxlix.
8 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 238, 239. A similar entry is found in the copy of the Calendar among the Irish Ordnance Survey Records, " Common Place Book," F. , p. 76.
Article ml—' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxxiii. In the copy of this Mar-
tyrology, found in the Book of Leinster, we read, £eP5ur Cmichnech.
2
At this place, in the present parish of Upper Straihearn, in central Perthshire, there was a Roman road and camp, on the left bank of the Earn. See Francis H.
of Upper Ards, is shown on the
"
Ordnance
of
Townland for the Maps
County
Survey
Down," sheets 17, 18, 24, 25.
4 It is described on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Mayo," sheets 76, 77, 87, 88.
s See "General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland," p. 26.
September 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 197
his friends erected three churches in that district. Fergus afterwards went to Caithness, where he preached to the heathens. After a time, he crossed from Caithness to the opposite country of Buchan. 3 There he founded a church,atLungley. Lastly,hecametoGlammis,wherehemadeanother ecclesiastical settlement. This, at present, is a parish, in the southern part of the Strathmore and Sidlaw districts of Forfarshire. Glammis burn rises in the hill of Auchterhouse, at the extreme southern boundary, and traverses the whole length of Glen-Ogilvie. It cuts its way through the central hilly ridge, and joins the Dean river on the demesne of Glammis Castle, thus intersecting the parish over nearly six miles of its length, and cutting it lengthwise into two not very unequal parts. * In that place, he departed this Life. At Glammis, the memory of St. Fergus was held in such reverence, all through the middle ages, that his relics came to be coveted by the neigh- bouring people. One of the Abbots over Scone carried off the saint's head, and placed it in his church, for the veneration of the faithful. * We find, that the three neighbouring churches of Strageath, Blackford, and Dolpatrick, in Perthshire, were all dedicated to St. Patrick. This devotion, we might well expect, in the acts of a missionary, fresh from Ireland. The church of Wick, in Caithness, the church of Lungley, in Buchan, and the church of Glammis, all own St. Fergus as their patron. The festival of St. Fergus is
6
recorded" in the Martyrology of Donegal at this date.
Article IV. —St. Maelecasni or Maeloisne. The heroic saints of the Church have ever been foremost to vindicate the rights of oppressed men and women. These latter especially, as the weaker sex, should ever engage the Christian chivalry of men to assert their true dignity, and to free them
1
from every degrading law. -The Martyrology of Tallagh has a festival for a
St. Maelecasni, at this date. The Law of Adamnan states, that Maelcoisne was one of the sureties whom Adamnan found to free the women from every
slaveryandbondagethatwasonthem. BesidesthepresentSt. Maelecaisni, there is a Maelcoisne, at the 15th of October, and a Maelcoisne of Ros- Brennaibh, at the 28th of December. It is not known, however, which of all
these the Law speaks of, in reference to this matter. According to the 2
Martyrology of Donegal, also, veneration was given at the 8th of September, to Maelcoisne.
Article V. —St. Cruimther Catha, son of Aengus, of Cluain Eossain. Upontheheadsofmany,thisholypriestmusthavepouredthe cleansing waters of baptism, and afterwards he must have grounded them
well in sound doctrine and holiness.
Groome's " Ordnance Gazetteer of Scot- land," vol. v. , p. 90.
At the 8th of September, a festival is
treasurer of King James IV. , which shows, that, in October, 1503, that monarch made an " offerand of 13 shillings to Sanct. Fergus' heide in Scone. "
3 A district of Aberdeenshire, extending
along the coast, from the Ythan, nearly to
the Deveron, a distance of about 40 miles.
The reader will find a good account of this districtintheThirdVolumeof"Prize "Cruithneach,i—. e. ,thePict.
