1143,51 the new monastery and its principal altar were solemnly dedicated, by Henry, Archbishop of Mentz, in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His glorious Mother, as also of the Blessed John the Evangelist, and of the Most Holy Father Disibod,
confessor
and pontiff.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
There are illustrations of Disibod, likewise, in which he is represented, as wearing
27 in a 28 of that Life of copy
Some years passed after the death of our saint, and according to his pre- diction during life, the calamities and rapine of war, fell upon those Rhenish
provinces around Dysenburg. Knowing the hill upon which it had been built to be a strong and steep defensive position, the chiefs and people of that district fled thither and occupied it, much to the discomfort and against the remonstrances of the monks. This seems to have happened, when Charles Martel, after the death of Chilperic II. 30 invaded Germany, and passed over the Rhine, in 725, with a large army. The hill was then forti- fied and garrisoned by warriors, who hoped, through the natural strength of their cantonments there, as also through the protection of Blessed Dysibod,
Saints,
with an
the saint written by St. Hildegarde. ^
a low very
mitre,
archiepiscopal pallium, 2
a6 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Disibodo Episc. et Confess, in
Dysenberg, Territorii Moguntini, in Ger- 16 He has it " S. Disibodi episcopi Trans- mania. Commentarius Praevius, sect, iii. ,
qui locus postea a suo nomine, Mons S. Disibodi dictus est, et miraculis clarus in
pace quievit. "
latio. "
17 Edition of Lubec and Cologne.
18 Thus : "Ipso die, beati Disibodi, epis- copi et confessoris. "
19 —
Thus: "cujus festum agitur VIII.
pp. 586, 587.
27 It is remarked, by the Bollandist writer,
that although he is believed to have come from Ireland in the seventh century, that
there were then no archbishops in Island.
28
This is assigned to the twelfth century, and the figures of this saint, repeated in six different places, are supposed to represent pretty accurately the episcopal habit of that
Junii. "
" De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S.
Benedicti,"lib. iii. , cap. 288. 20 "
Martyrologium Anglicanum. " Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. iv. ,
^
In Martyroloyium Gallicanum. " 21 "
In his
22 " See
p. 44.
23" 2
Thus
In Monte S. Disibodi,
The Bollandists
:
give copperplate
deposi- tio ejusdem Disibodi episcopi, qui relict© episcopatu, factus est monachorum Pater in
dicecesi Moguntina. "
24 See " Historic Catholicae Ibernise Com-
pendium," tomusi. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. SO, 53.
25 See tome iii. , Sept. viii. , pp. 67 to 69.
period.
* aen-
graving, representing St. Disibod, in three different attitudes. In one, he is laid in an ornamented coffin or tomb. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus viii. Propylaeum Maii. Conatus Chrono-Historicus ad Catalogum
Pontificum, pars i. , p. 209.
3° This crent occurred a. d. 720.
our
158 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
that they might be saved from the fury of a cruel tyrant. Not over scrupulous in his greed for spoil, Charles Martel plundered the monastery, and divided a good portion of its accumulated lands among some of his adherents. How- ever, it was not possible for the congregation of monks to remain there in the peaceful and unfettered practice of their religious services. It was resolved, with the advice of the chiefs and people, that, with the exception of a few perfect and self-sacrificing men, who should remain at the tomb of their holy Patron, the rest ought to divide themselves and seek places of residence in more distant places. It pleased God, that those evils of war did not endure for a long time, and the province was again freed from its former enemies and
oppressors. Accordingly, the exiled monks were brought back, when all that had been built on the mountain was restored to them ; and, in addition, they obtained more ample endowments in land, than they had at first. Thus seemedliterallytobefulfilledtheprophecypronouncedbySt. Dvsibod. To the wickedness and barbarous habits of men at this time is ascribed the decline of miracles at the saint's tomb. Only occasionally were these wonders wrought. Wherefore,thechiefpersonsofthatdistrict,layandecclesiastic, took counsel together, and requested St. Boniface, then Bishop of Mayence, thatasolemnTranslationofSt. Dysibod'srelicsshouldtakeplace. Hiscon- sent having been obtained, and a day being named for that ceremony, a great conflux of people came to meet St. Boniface, who solemnly officiated on the occasion. To prevent those precious relics from passing out of their hands, with those portions of their territory that were not consecrated directly to God, the monks approached the tomb and reverently lifted the bones of Disibod from their first resting place in the oratory, and then laid them in the Kloster Kerche, on the top of the hill, and looking westwardly. The lifting and re-interment took place in 754. These ceremonies were conducted
1
with extraordinary ecclesiastical magnificence, in presence of St. Boniface^ allpresentsingingPsalmsandHymns. Thebodywasdepositedinasuita- ble shrine. On this occasion, likewise, great miracles were wrought, and
again the supernatural fragrance was experienced by all those who were pre- sent. Wherefore, the annual return of that day was regarded as one of great devotion throughout the whole province, and crowds of people visited the tomb of St. Dysibod, bringing with them oblations, while they engaged in prayer. The monks afterwards lived for many years in peace, preserving a great reverence for their patron and serving God. They were greatly loved by the people, and as a result, large presents and endowments were made to the monastery, so that the inmates were enriched with worldly goods and possessions.
This state of affairs continued for a long lapse of years, but disturbances once more took place, in that part of the country. The chiefs and princes there began to hanker for some of the monastic lands, and began to question
the monks' validity of title, while they represented to Charlemagne, then wielding supreme power, that oppressed as the nobility had been in bearing the brunt of war and the heavy charges thereon, they had neither money nor means to serve the kingdom nor to render themselves useful as his subjects. They insinuated, likewise, that as the monks should serve God and not the
world, they had a superfluity of riches, which might better be distributed. Accurately divining their motives for this complaint, the politic and just king, with hardly dissembled sarcasm, replied, that what the faithful had span-
s'HehadbeenalreadyappointedbyPope Zachary to the See of Mainz, as its first
Archbishop, A. d. 751.
32ThiswasOthoI. , whosereigndates from A. D. 961.
3 t This was Hatto II. —at first abbot of
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 159
taneously given to those monks, in the shape of lands or other goods, he had no right to take from them. This pronouncement from so powerful a monarch
was a reproof they well understood, and accordingly, if their covetous desires were not repressed, their action to give them effect altogether failed.
The Norman Invasion followed, about 880. Then, Kreuznach and the
palace of the Frankish kings, as also Mainz, Worms, Odernheim, and all the surrounding country, were taken and laid in ashes. About the year 900, still more ferocious hordes of Hungarians broke into the Empire. These laid waste Alsace, Neustria, and more particularly the Rheinland, with a horrid cruelty, the monkish chronicles can hardly find words to depict, in sufficiently lurid colours.
and under another German 2 descen- Emperor,3
After a of long lapse
time,
dants of the aforesaid chiefs, who had importuned Charlemagne, addressed
their complaints to the sovereign, and asserted, that the monks of Disenberg
possessed the lands and properties of their ancestors, and they knew not
by what right. He lent a ready ear to their assertions, and appointed a
commission of enquiry. Understanding what should please the Emperor and the chiefs, the commissioners soon managed to obtain much false and con-
cocted testimony ; while, as might be expected, their interests and prejudices urged them to frame a report, which pronounced, that the monks held lands without Imperial charter or concession. It is stated, that the Bishop of Maintz33 was an accomplice in this proceeding. Accordingly, the courtier
judges unjustly deciding, and the imperial decree having gone forth, the monks of Disenburg were deprived of their lands and finely cultivated farms. 34 Borne down with the weight of this cruel and wicked persecution, as also having their possessions ravaged through the devastation caused by the past and impending wars, while bemoaning their destitute condition, the plundered monks were obliged to leave their beloved monastery and to wander else- where as exiles. To prevent them from ever returning, the aforesaid unjust invaders of their rights levelled their habitations to the ground, excepting only the consecrated church in which the bones of St. Dysibod had been laid after their Translation. Notwithstanding, lest that place should be left without the Divine offices celebrated, one priest was appointed to look after that church and the spiritual interest of those people attending it. Out of its former ample revenues, even he was not awarded a decent allowance for his support. Thus, for a long time, the place seemed abandoned to desolation. This wretched provision for religious services continued, until a certain noble and rich Count of that province and named Liuthard, seeing that steep and charming mountain abandoned as it had been, conceived a desire to do honour to its holy Patron, by making a provision for three priests to reside there. 35 Afterwards, in the year 976,36 a certain Bishop of Maintz, named Willigisus,37 pious, humble and contrite of heart, having made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Dysibod, began to restore the place to something like its formersplendour. Heresolvedtogivebacksomeofthosefarms,whichformerly belonged to the monastery, and which he then held in possession. He had
Fulda—who did not long continue Bishop, as Serarius shows, and who died a. d. 970, according to Marianus Scotus. He was re- markable for his extreme avarice and unpopu-
larity. See "Nouvelle Biographie Gene- rale," tome xxiii. , cols. 541, 542. He is said to have been devoured by rats. This legend
"
is related in Rev. S. Baring-Gould's (Juri-
ous Myths of the Middle Ages," Second Series, pp. 182 to 205.
3* This spoliation took place about the
year 968.
35 To about the year 970, this partial en-
dowment may be referred.
& This is the date given by Marianus
Scotus.
37 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S.
Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xvi. , sect, xliv. ,
p. 523.
3* Under this year, Trithemius places the
160 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
another project in view, to serve that place. The monastery church of St. Disibod was afterwards erected into a Collegiate Church of Canons, in the diocese of Mentz, and that bishop raised the number of servitors to twelve, so that they should be regarded as an Apostolic College.
But further benefits and glories were destined for Disenberg, when
another prudent and worthy Bishop of Maintz, named Ruthard, resolved to establish the discipline and rule of St. Benedict there. He provided else- where for the secular canons, and thus arranged matters for the mutual satis- faction of both communities. He selected Burchard, Abbot of the great monastery of St. James at Maintz, to become first superior over the new monastery,whichwastobefoundedatDisenberg. Thefirststoneofthe great church ot' this monastery was laid on the 30th of June, and it was built by Archbishop Ruthard, as stated, from a. d. 1108 3 8 to n 12. It was in the form of a cross—the principal entrance to the west—at the east end arose the high altar, with two smaller altars, beside it. 39 These with the transepts formed the cross. The nave contained a double row of pillars, supporting the vaulted r—oof. Towards the north-east side of the great church stood the Mary chapel probably the oldest portion of the ruins. Over against it was a range of buildings, comprehending the refectory and cells of the monks. To find space for these buildings, they had to construct a double vaulting, ontheslopeofthathill,onwhichthebuildingsthemselvesrested. * Beyond the and towards the
north,
was a 1 which the monks passage,* by
church,
came from the cloisters in procession on great occasions. To the right of this are the remains of the 2 that was the Kloster
chapel-house/ Beyond
garden. <3 To the west lay the abbot's apartments. " To the right stood the
high church of the monastery. ^ Before entering at the old door of the monastery, a little chapel is on the outside. *6
The country about here is described as covered with impenetrable forests,
tangled with thorns and brambles, during the early and middle ages. Here and there were desert tracts, while human habitations were far asunder, and travelling through it was difficult. Thus it became a great object with the monksofDisibodenbcrgtofacilitateattendanceatpublicworship. Atwhat seem to be very short intervals, they built little forest chapels, the attendance at which they undertook, as a service in connexion with their order. Those good fathers had many vineyards along the sunny slopes of the Nahe, espe- cially at Monzigen, at Nahrhenn, and at other places. Most probably, these spots owe their strong and lively wines of to-day to the assiduous culture of their vineyards by the monks of Disibodenberg. Brambles, too, were in
restoration, in his "Chronicon Hirsaugien-
"
sis.
39 There were ten altars or chapels round
that church, founded by the nobles and
Ritterschaft of the surrounding country. In return for these foundations, they received
family burial-places in the area of the church, as the many existing gravestones show.
4a In which are gravestones belonging to some of the Abbots.
** In the middle of it was a cistern, into which water was brought by pipes from the Kloster mills higher up the Glan, and at the southern foot of the hill.
44 These commanded from the abbey bal- cony a splendid outlook down the Nathe- thai.
4* There is a little chapel remaining still —
probably the mortuary chapel.
*6 About its origin or purposes no accounts
can be given. The threshold of the old gate is still observable.
*Itisrecorded,theymadefromthesea jelly for table use, as also cordials for the sick.
4" n They drew whatever they could get,
40
Further east are the remains of the abbey
smithy, and of other useful buildings with a
second cistern. The rain-water from the
Kloster buildings was collected into a sub-
terranean vault with a double coating of ce-
ment, and after settling there, it was led into
thiscisternforuse. Somewhatbehindthis
there is a subterranean cell.
41
There are still many gravestones of the
monksall this
along passage.
July 8. ]
LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 161
8
request. ** Even in such a wilderness, they lvd tithes of certain products. * To their credit be it told, moreover, the Benedictines in Disibodenberg were
cultivators of letters. 4'
While Conon,s° the fourth Abbot ot this new foundation ruled there, a
transference of our saint's relics was resolved on; and accordingly, Dom. Gerard, Abbot of St. Maximinus, and Dom. Bernhelm, the first Abbot of
Spanheim, with all his congregation, having been summoned for the occasion, on the Parasceve of the Pasch, and on the Kalends of April, in the year 1 138, the grave of Disibod was opened, in that old monastery, where his remains had been deposited by Archbishop Willegis. The following year, 11 39, on the Kalends of November, and by the same Abbot Conon, his relics were transferred to the new church, built in Disibodenberg, by Archbishop Ruthard. Four years afterwards, a. d.
1143,51 the new monastery and its principal altar were solemnly dedicated, by Henry, Archbishop of Mentz, in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His glorious Mother, as also of the Blessed John the Evangelist, and of the Most Holy Father Disibod, confessor and pontiff. On the same day and year, in the vestibule of that monastery, an altar was dedicated by the aforesaid Archbishop, in honour of the Most Vic-
torious Cross and of St. John the Baptist. On the iii. of the October Kalends, the same Prelate had the remains of St. Dysibod collected into two little leaden caskets,52 and he deposited them in a marble sarcophagus," which restedonpillarsbehindthehighaltar. Duringthecenturiesthathaveelapsed since the time of our saint, a large portion of the history of Disibodenberg oscillatesbetweenthenoblesandrittersrobbingthemonasteryofits lands, and their bestowing renewed donations for its support. However, the sar- cophagus of the saint and its caskets have disappeared, while the sacred dust of Disibod has long been blown about the world. For more than three hundred years after the time of St. Disibod, the Benedictines held possession of this monastery at Disenberg ; but, in the fifteenth century, it had fallen into the hands of the Cistercians. 54
The Reformation period of its history is also full of incidents. 55 The Kloster itself was not free from the new heresy. 56 But the commencement
great
the shape of pitch and resin, which were em-
ployed in lighting their churches. They pro- cured beeswax for which they found many ecclesiastical uses, and wild honey, with which
S3 A stone with an inscription formed part
of this sarcophagus.
54 go states John of Trittenheim —born
there 1st of February, 1462, and who died
Abbot of St. — at James,
made
tionery, and also corrected the acidity of their
they
many
kinds of confec-
of " De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S. Benedicti," lib. iii. ,
wines.
4» They boasted of one name, that is not
even yet forgotten, by those who take an in- terest in the history of mediaeval literature, viz. , Petrus a Roberiis, or Peter of Retiborn. While only a common monk of Disiboden- berg, on account of his great learning, he had been elevated by Pope Boniface IX. to the Bishopric of Samaria.
'•He departed this life on the vi. of the
July Nones, A. D. 1155, according to Dode- chinus, and he was succeeded by the Abbot
Helinger, who urged the Abbess Hi Idegarde to write the Acts of St. Disibod.
SI Dodechinus states it, "Hoc anno, In-
v
dictione VI.
s* Dodechinus states: "altero eorum,
scilicet minore, ossa continente, altero ma- jore cinires. "
cap. 288.
ss Johannes Schwebel, the re$>rmer of the
Zweibrucken country, found refuge there, when driven from his native town of Pfors- heim, between Mannheim and Banden. With the celebrated Franz von Sickingen, at Ebernburg, he spent a whole year. There, too, were TJlrich von Hutten, Bucar, Aquila, and CEcolampadius, engaged mainly in study- ingtheBible, bythe light of Luther'snewdoc- trine. Franz sent him with a letter of re- commendation to Duke Ludwig II. , of Zweibrucken. Not long after, the Zweib- rucken Duchy, with its Duke, became Pro- testant.
s6 The whole of the monks left it except the abbot and one monk. In 1559, the abbot surrendered it, with all its belongings, to the
December, 1516
in his
Wurtzburg, 27th work,
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
of the Thirty Years' War saw its old possessors reinstated by the Marquis
Spinola. In 1631, the monks were driven out again by the Rheingraf Otto
Ludwig,underthewingofGustavusAdolphus. AtthepeaceofWestphalia, Disibodenberg again reverted to the Catholics.
In their turn, the Cistercians lost possession of Disenberg, and in the seventeenth century, secular Canons are found to be in occupation,5? which
state of in the early and middle things prevailed
period
During the French Revolution, that establishment was consficated to the
Republic, and sold by auction for a few hundred francs, to the ancestors of its present possessors. 5? The ruins of the ancient monastery of Disiboden- berg lie near the little town of Staudernheim, a railway station some forty minutes distant from Kreuznach, and just on the confines of Rhenish Prussia and the Bavarian Palatinate. The line of boundary posts, between the two, crosses that road which leads from Staudernheim, on the Prussian territory, toDisibodenberg,whichisontheBavarianside. Theruinsaresituatedonthe flat top of a hill, which rises out of the level land, and which occupies the angle,formedbytheNahe. Atthispoint,theriverflowsfromwesttoeast, and the Glan, one of its tributaries, flows in a direction, a little to the east of north. The greater part of the flat hill-top must have been occupied by buildings and by courts, during the last century, although we can find few accounts of its condition at the time, probably owing to the fact, that the ecclesiastics who served there lived in quiet and retirement, thus passing an uneventful career. During the troublous times which preceded and followed the French Revolution, the buildings were torn to pieces by the inhabitants of the surrounding district, who made Disibodenberg a quarry for dressed stones. 60 Gradually its buildings came to a state of complete ruin. The cloister bells went partly to Odernheim, and partly, including the great bell cast in 1382, to the church of Meisenheim, in Glanthal. 61 The remains of Disibodenberg are still considerable, and they show, that it must in its prime
62
have been of great extent.
The view from different points around Disenberg is various and charming.
On the north-west, the Nahe pours itself down in picturesque windings through the hills into the valley. From the south, comes the Glan to meet it, at the eastern foot of the hill. Right opposite towers Lemberg in majestic repose—monarch of the landscape—with the hamlet of Duckroth at its feet.
Farther to the north rises the Abbey, there is a magnificent view.
Duke. He dedicated it, together with the Klosters of Hornbach, Wersweiler, and
Offenbach to the public worship in Zweib- rucken, to the establishment of schools at
Hornsbach, and to other like purposes. He was a little more conscientious in dealing
63 Towards the south side of the You look westward into the pleasant
it a favourite place for excursions, among the strangers who come to Kreuznach.
^ The new piers of Staudernheim Bridge
were built out of its spoils. All the houses
at that period in Odernheim, Standernheim,
hands, than were the English, Irish and
Scotch nobles of the Reformation.
"
s? See Mabillon's Annales Ordinis S.
Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xvi. , sect, xliv. ,
il
This is an old church, where the Stalz- graten of the Rhei and many noble families are buried. It is worth a visit, on account of the tower of its church, which is a beauti-
ful specimen of architecture.
p. 523.
s" See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Disibodo Epis. et Confess, in Dysenberg, Territorii Mogun- tini, in Germania. Commentarius Praevius,
sect, i,, pp. 581 to 583.
59 These have done a great deal to make
Gangelsberg.
and even as far as Brockelheim, were built with the windfalls of Church property, out of the wrecked Disibodenberg monas-
which the Reformation brought into his tcry.
" 62
of the last 8 century. s
Indeed, the lordly list of its possessions, and the bead-roll of its benefactors for cen- turies, might lead one to expect such a con- dition.
63 On it stood a signal-tower, when this part of the country belonged to the French.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 163
Nahethal. Staudernheim, with its romantically situated mills, lies below.
Westward 6* and further on the old town of 65 appears Sobernheim, Monzi^en.
On the right bank of the Nahe, and resting on the mountain side, is the hamlet of Middersheim ; and, where the valley closes, Merrheim, not far fromthestatelyruinsoftheSchlossDhaun. Onaclearday,thesecanbe
distinctly back to the
66 and
— These, too, height. carry
made
and their wooded out, crowning
us almost coeval with the In the middle of the valley, on the Nath, are clusteredthemillsandbarnsofSobernheim. Fromanotherpoint,youhave a view up the valley of the Glan, so far as the ancient town of Odernheim.
Nearer still are the old Kloster mills. Such is the scenery, with which the modern tourist often renders himself familiar, and it is intimately associated with St. Dysibod's name and missionary labours.
Article III. —St. Diarmaid, Bishop of Gleam-Uissean, now Kille-
SHIN, Queen's County. That Gleann-Uissean had been a place of impor-
tance in pagan history is not improbable ; and, at the present time, a remark- able artificial and cone-shaped mound is to be seen on the sloping upland, whichgraduallyascendstothesummitofClogrennanmountain. Itriseson the south side of the road, which leads from the town of Carlow to the collie- ries, in the Queen's County. On the opposite side of the road are the ancient cemetery and ruined church of Killeshin, also rising high over the same road, whichwindsthroughadeepcutbeneath. Atalowerlevelstill,andbound- ing the cemetery on the northern side, is a rapid stream, which falls through a very romantic glen, and in a succession of small cascades, almost buried from view, unless the pilgrim desires to clamber down into that ravine, where the water has hollowed out its course. The situation is still surrounded with natural charms ; but, we know not at what remote date in Christian times, it had been selected as the site for a religious foundation. It seems to be well established, however, that the present holy man, St. Diarmaid, must have pre-
sided as Abbot there, probably before the eighth century. Were we to accept
early Wildgrafen foundation of Disibodenberg.
Nahgangrafen
1 his rule should be referred to the commencement of the sixth
one
century. Still, we cannot discover on what authority Colgan makes this saint the first Abbot over Gleann-Ussein 2 He to
statement,
monastery. seems, however, havefollowedsomegenealogicalorotherhistoricaccount; yet,perhaps,it has been inferred from notices, in two of our earliest preserved calendars. 3 Thus, in the Feilire * of St. iEngus, at the 8th of July, the feast of this saint
64 Around it, tobacco is extensively culti- vated.
2 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xxvii. Februarii, Vita S. Comgani, and nn. 8, 9, pp. 417, 418.
3 These known as the Martyrology of Tal- lagh and the Feilire of St. ^Engus, coin- nosed originally in the eighth, or at latest early in the ninth century.
4 From the Leabhar Breac copy the fol- owing stanza, translated by Whitley Stokes,
63 The
ing an excellent quality of wine.
vicinity
is well known for
produc-
66 To its feudal lords, in the early middle ages, it gave the title of Wildgrafen. These were distinguished as Comites Salvagii, or Comites Silvestres, meaning "Counts of the Wildwood. "
Article hi. — « That of he
Colgan, sup- LL. D. ,
posing the St. Comgan referred to in the
has been extracted :—
——who died on the
Acts of St. Ita
January, a. d. 569 to have been St. Com- gan, Abbot of Gleann-Ussen. The latter therefore is thought to have died before St. Ita, and it is asserted, that Diermait pre- ceded him, in the government of that monas- tery.
5 Sab-Air
15th
of
brxocan SAepbuAit) cenAch cuifel
La ,OiA|MnAic tjepb Ia|ja^ Stuan gel Sl/itroe h Uiffen.
" Brocan the scribe won a noble victory with- out any fall, with Diarmait a sure flame,
pcjubtiiT)
164 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
Diarmait is commemorated. In the commentary attached, he is called My- Dimdc in Ui-Bairrche, and we are informed, that he was formerly in Glenn Uissen, before Comgan. s Again, we learn that veneration was given, on this
6
day, according to the Martyrology ofTallagh, to Diarmait, of Glinne hUisen.
This place is identical with the present Killeshin, about two miles west of Carlowtown,andintheQueen'sCounty. Ithasbeenstated,thatSt. Diar- maidsprungfromtheraceofCathaoirM6r,oftheLagenians. Hisfatheris named Sibrseus, the son of Dalian, son to Ere, son of Bracan, son to Fieg, son of Daire, surnamed Barrach, who was son to the celebrated Cathair the Great,? who had been monarch of Erinn. The Rev. John Francis Shearman, who with some change of spelling, very closely follows the foregoing genea- logy, gives Diarmaid the alternative name of Momedoc,8 and places him also
Moat of Killeshin, Queens Comity.
before St. Comgan, as Abbot of Glenuissin. We have already alluded to tins place, and to its historic associations, in more than one instance. * I* or a succession of ages, Killeshin had been regarded as a religious centre, and its history can be traced very fairly through the ninth, tenth and eleventh cen- turies, from various entries in our Annals, and which prove it to have been a
sun of Glenn Uissen. "—"Transac- tions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes. LL. D. , pp. cix. , ex.
5 See ibid. , p. cxvii.
6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxviii.
' According to the Genealogic Sanctilogy
of Ireland, Dist. vii. , cap. i.
8 See " Loca Patriciana," No. ix. , No. 10.
The Genealogy of the Ui Bairrche, p. 180. In this Genealogical chart, the Rev. Mr. Shearman has one additional grade in the
of our saint.
9 See the First Volume of this work, at
January 27th, Art. viii. , and the Second
Volume, at February 27th, Art. i.
10 The accompanying sketch by the author,
and drawn on the spot, September, 1889, was taken from an opposite point of view to that presented in a previous illustration, given at the 27th of January. The present sketch represents the large moat in the fore- ground, and beyond the travelled road, the east gable of Killeshin old church in the dis- tance. This sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
bright
pedigree
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
place of considerable ecclesiastical importance. A city or town appears to have grown around the church ; but, it is difficult now to determine the
monks' quarter, which, however, according to a prevailing Irish usage, was quite convenient to the church. Again, as in so many other instances we have found throughout Ireland, the large circular moat was in close proximity with
10
the religious establishment ;
yet, whether erected for purposes of defence,
or to serve a different end, we have not been able to determine, and an
examination of such an antiquarian problem must continue to exercise the
research and ingenuity of ecclesiastical and secular historical investigators.
It seems very probable, that the St. Diarmaid, commemorated in our Calendars
at this date, had been the original founder of a church and monastery
11
and that he presided over both as the first Abbot. " His period, how- ever, has eluded inquiry ; nor are the incidents of his incumbency known.
here,
Some writers think this saint flourish—ed as
as the sixth — and early century,
that he preceded St.
27 in a 28 of that Life of copy
Some years passed after the death of our saint, and according to his pre- diction during life, the calamities and rapine of war, fell upon those Rhenish
provinces around Dysenburg. Knowing the hill upon which it had been built to be a strong and steep defensive position, the chiefs and people of that district fled thither and occupied it, much to the discomfort and against the remonstrances of the monks. This seems to have happened, when Charles Martel, after the death of Chilperic II. 30 invaded Germany, and passed over the Rhine, in 725, with a large army. The hill was then forti- fied and garrisoned by warriors, who hoped, through the natural strength of their cantonments there, as also through the protection of Blessed Dysibod,
Saints,
with an
the saint written by St. Hildegarde. ^
a low very
mitre,
archiepiscopal pallium, 2
a6 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Disibodo Episc. et Confess, in
Dysenberg, Territorii Moguntini, in Ger- 16 He has it " S. Disibodi episcopi Trans- mania. Commentarius Praevius, sect, iii. ,
qui locus postea a suo nomine, Mons S. Disibodi dictus est, et miraculis clarus in
pace quievit. "
latio. "
17 Edition of Lubec and Cologne.
18 Thus : "Ipso die, beati Disibodi, epis- copi et confessoris. "
19 —
Thus: "cujus festum agitur VIII.
pp. 586, 587.
27 It is remarked, by the Bollandist writer,
that although he is believed to have come from Ireland in the seventh century, that
there were then no archbishops in Island.
28
This is assigned to the twelfth century, and the figures of this saint, repeated in six different places, are supposed to represent pretty accurately the episcopal habit of that
Junii. "
" De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S.
Benedicti,"lib. iii. , cap. 288. 20 "
Martyrologium Anglicanum. " Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. iv. ,
^
In Martyroloyium Gallicanum. " 21 "
In his
22 " See
p. 44.
23" 2
Thus
In Monte S. Disibodi,
The Bollandists
:
give copperplate
deposi- tio ejusdem Disibodi episcopi, qui relict© episcopatu, factus est monachorum Pater in
dicecesi Moguntina. "
24 See " Historic Catholicae Ibernise Com-
pendium," tomusi. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. SO, 53.
25 See tome iii. , Sept. viii. , pp. 67 to 69.
period.
* aen-
graving, representing St. Disibod, in three different attitudes. In one, he is laid in an ornamented coffin or tomb. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus viii. Propylaeum Maii. Conatus Chrono-Historicus ad Catalogum
Pontificum, pars i. , p. 209.
3° This crent occurred a. d. 720.
our
158 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
that they might be saved from the fury of a cruel tyrant. Not over scrupulous in his greed for spoil, Charles Martel plundered the monastery, and divided a good portion of its accumulated lands among some of his adherents. How- ever, it was not possible for the congregation of monks to remain there in the peaceful and unfettered practice of their religious services. It was resolved, with the advice of the chiefs and people, that, with the exception of a few perfect and self-sacrificing men, who should remain at the tomb of their holy Patron, the rest ought to divide themselves and seek places of residence in more distant places. It pleased God, that those evils of war did not endure for a long time, and the province was again freed from its former enemies and
oppressors. Accordingly, the exiled monks were brought back, when all that had been built on the mountain was restored to them ; and, in addition, they obtained more ample endowments in land, than they had at first. Thus seemedliterallytobefulfilledtheprophecypronouncedbySt. Dvsibod. To the wickedness and barbarous habits of men at this time is ascribed the decline of miracles at the saint's tomb. Only occasionally were these wonders wrought. Wherefore,thechiefpersonsofthatdistrict,layandecclesiastic, took counsel together, and requested St. Boniface, then Bishop of Mayence, thatasolemnTranslationofSt. Dysibod'srelicsshouldtakeplace. Hiscon- sent having been obtained, and a day being named for that ceremony, a great conflux of people came to meet St. Boniface, who solemnly officiated on the occasion. To prevent those precious relics from passing out of their hands, with those portions of their territory that were not consecrated directly to God, the monks approached the tomb and reverently lifted the bones of Disibod from their first resting place in the oratory, and then laid them in the Kloster Kerche, on the top of the hill, and looking westwardly. The lifting and re-interment took place in 754. These ceremonies were conducted
1
with extraordinary ecclesiastical magnificence, in presence of St. Boniface^ allpresentsingingPsalmsandHymns. Thebodywasdepositedinasuita- ble shrine. On this occasion, likewise, great miracles were wrought, and
again the supernatural fragrance was experienced by all those who were pre- sent. Wherefore, the annual return of that day was regarded as one of great devotion throughout the whole province, and crowds of people visited the tomb of St. Dysibod, bringing with them oblations, while they engaged in prayer. The monks afterwards lived for many years in peace, preserving a great reverence for their patron and serving God. They were greatly loved by the people, and as a result, large presents and endowments were made to the monastery, so that the inmates were enriched with worldly goods and possessions.
This state of affairs continued for a long lapse of years, but disturbances once more took place, in that part of the country. The chiefs and princes there began to hanker for some of the monastic lands, and began to question
the monks' validity of title, while they represented to Charlemagne, then wielding supreme power, that oppressed as the nobility had been in bearing the brunt of war and the heavy charges thereon, they had neither money nor means to serve the kingdom nor to render themselves useful as his subjects. They insinuated, likewise, that as the monks should serve God and not the
world, they had a superfluity of riches, which might better be distributed. Accurately divining their motives for this complaint, the politic and just king, with hardly dissembled sarcasm, replied, that what the faithful had span-
s'HehadbeenalreadyappointedbyPope Zachary to the See of Mainz, as its first
Archbishop, A. d. 751.
32ThiswasOthoI. , whosereigndates from A. D. 961.
3 t This was Hatto II. —at first abbot of
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 159
taneously given to those monks, in the shape of lands or other goods, he had no right to take from them. This pronouncement from so powerful a monarch
was a reproof they well understood, and accordingly, if their covetous desires were not repressed, their action to give them effect altogether failed.
The Norman Invasion followed, about 880. Then, Kreuznach and the
palace of the Frankish kings, as also Mainz, Worms, Odernheim, and all the surrounding country, were taken and laid in ashes. About the year 900, still more ferocious hordes of Hungarians broke into the Empire. These laid waste Alsace, Neustria, and more particularly the Rheinland, with a horrid cruelty, the monkish chronicles can hardly find words to depict, in sufficiently lurid colours.
and under another German 2 descen- Emperor,3
After a of long lapse
time,
dants of the aforesaid chiefs, who had importuned Charlemagne, addressed
their complaints to the sovereign, and asserted, that the monks of Disenberg
possessed the lands and properties of their ancestors, and they knew not
by what right. He lent a ready ear to their assertions, and appointed a
commission of enquiry. Understanding what should please the Emperor and the chiefs, the commissioners soon managed to obtain much false and con-
cocted testimony ; while, as might be expected, their interests and prejudices urged them to frame a report, which pronounced, that the monks held lands without Imperial charter or concession. It is stated, that the Bishop of Maintz33 was an accomplice in this proceeding. Accordingly, the courtier
judges unjustly deciding, and the imperial decree having gone forth, the monks of Disenburg were deprived of their lands and finely cultivated farms. 34 Borne down with the weight of this cruel and wicked persecution, as also having their possessions ravaged through the devastation caused by the past and impending wars, while bemoaning their destitute condition, the plundered monks were obliged to leave their beloved monastery and to wander else- where as exiles. To prevent them from ever returning, the aforesaid unjust invaders of their rights levelled their habitations to the ground, excepting only the consecrated church in which the bones of St. Dysibod had been laid after their Translation. Notwithstanding, lest that place should be left without the Divine offices celebrated, one priest was appointed to look after that church and the spiritual interest of those people attending it. Out of its former ample revenues, even he was not awarded a decent allowance for his support. Thus, for a long time, the place seemed abandoned to desolation. This wretched provision for religious services continued, until a certain noble and rich Count of that province and named Liuthard, seeing that steep and charming mountain abandoned as it had been, conceived a desire to do honour to its holy Patron, by making a provision for three priests to reside there. 35 Afterwards, in the year 976,36 a certain Bishop of Maintz, named Willigisus,37 pious, humble and contrite of heart, having made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Dysibod, began to restore the place to something like its formersplendour. Heresolvedtogivebacksomeofthosefarms,whichformerly belonged to the monastery, and which he then held in possession. He had
Fulda—who did not long continue Bishop, as Serarius shows, and who died a. d. 970, according to Marianus Scotus. He was re- markable for his extreme avarice and unpopu-
larity. See "Nouvelle Biographie Gene- rale," tome xxiii. , cols. 541, 542. He is said to have been devoured by rats. This legend
"
is related in Rev. S. Baring-Gould's (Juri-
ous Myths of the Middle Ages," Second Series, pp. 182 to 205.
3* This spoliation took place about the
year 968.
35 To about the year 970, this partial en-
dowment may be referred.
& This is the date given by Marianus
Scotus.
37 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S.
Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xvi. , sect, xliv. ,
p. 523.
3* Under this year, Trithemius places the
160 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
another project in view, to serve that place. The monastery church of St. Disibod was afterwards erected into a Collegiate Church of Canons, in the diocese of Mentz, and that bishop raised the number of servitors to twelve, so that they should be regarded as an Apostolic College.
But further benefits and glories were destined for Disenberg, when
another prudent and worthy Bishop of Maintz, named Ruthard, resolved to establish the discipline and rule of St. Benedict there. He provided else- where for the secular canons, and thus arranged matters for the mutual satis- faction of both communities. He selected Burchard, Abbot of the great monastery of St. James at Maintz, to become first superior over the new monastery,whichwastobefoundedatDisenberg. Thefirststoneofthe great church ot' this monastery was laid on the 30th of June, and it was built by Archbishop Ruthard, as stated, from a. d. 1108 3 8 to n 12. It was in the form of a cross—the principal entrance to the west—at the east end arose the high altar, with two smaller altars, beside it. 39 These with the transepts formed the cross. The nave contained a double row of pillars, supporting the vaulted r—oof. Towards the north-east side of the great church stood the Mary chapel probably the oldest portion of the ruins. Over against it was a range of buildings, comprehending the refectory and cells of the monks. To find space for these buildings, they had to construct a double vaulting, ontheslopeofthathill,onwhichthebuildingsthemselvesrested. * Beyond the and towards the
north,
was a 1 which the monks passage,* by
church,
came from the cloisters in procession on great occasions. To the right of this are the remains of the 2 that was the Kloster
chapel-house/ Beyond
garden. <3 To the west lay the abbot's apartments. " To the right stood the
high church of the monastery. ^ Before entering at the old door of the monastery, a little chapel is on the outside. *6
The country about here is described as covered with impenetrable forests,
tangled with thorns and brambles, during the early and middle ages. Here and there were desert tracts, while human habitations were far asunder, and travelling through it was difficult. Thus it became a great object with the monksofDisibodenbcrgtofacilitateattendanceatpublicworship. Atwhat seem to be very short intervals, they built little forest chapels, the attendance at which they undertook, as a service in connexion with their order. Those good fathers had many vineyards along the sunny slopes of the Nahe, espe- cially at Monzigen, at Nahrhenn, and at other places. Most probably, these spots owe their strong and lively wines of to-day to the assiduous culture of their vineyards by the monks of Disibodenberg. Brambles, too, were in
restoration, in his "Chronicon Hirsaugien-
"
sis.
39 There were ten altars or chapels round
that church, founded by the nobles and
Ritterschaft of the surrounding country. In return for these foundations, they received
family burial-places in the area of the church, as the many existing gravestones show.
4a In which are gravestones belonging to some of the Abbots.
** In the middle of it was a cistern, into which water was brought by pipes from the Kloster mills higher up the Glan, and at the southern foot of the hill.
44 These commanded from the abbey bal- cony a splendid outlook down the Nathe- thai.
4* There is a little chapel remaining still —
probably the mortuary chapel.
*6 About its origin or purposes no accounts
can be given. The threshold of the old gate is still observable.
*Itisrecorded,theymadefromthesea jelly for table use, as also cordials for the sick.
4" n They drew whatever they could get,
40
Further east are the remains of the abbey
smithy, and of other useful buildings with a
second cistern. The rain-water from the
Kloster buildings was collected into a sub-
terranean vault with a double coating of ce-
ment, and after settling there, it was led into
thiscisternforuse. Somewhatbehindthis
there is a subterranean cell.
41
There are still many gravestones of the
monksall this
along passage.
July 8. ]
LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 161
8
request. ** Even in such a wilderness, they lvd tithes of certain products. * To their credit be it told, moreover, the Benedictines in Disibodenberg were
cultivators of letters. 4'
While Conon,s° the fourth Abbot ot this new foundation ruled there, a
transference of our saint's relics was resolved on; and accordingly, Dom. Gerard, Abbot of St. Maximinus, and Dom. Bernhelm, the first Abbot of
Spanheim, with all his congregation, having been summoned for the occasion, on the Parasceve of the Pasch, and on the Kalends of April, in the year 1 138, the grave of Disibod was opened, in that old monastery, where his remains had been deposited by Archbishop Willegis. The following year, 11 39, on the Kalends of November, and by the same Abbot Conon, his relics were transferred to the new church, built in Disibodenberg, by Archbishop Ruthard. Four years afterwards, a. d.
1143,51 the new monastery and its principal altar were solemnly dedicated, by Henry, Archbishop of Mentz, in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His glorious Mother, as also of the Blessed John the Evangelist, and of the Most Holy Father Disibod, confessor and pontiff. On the same day and year, in the vestibule of that monastery, an altar was dedicated by the aforesaid Archbishop, in honour of the Most Vic-
torious Cross and of St. John the Baptist. On the iii. of the October Kalends, the same Prelate had the remains of St. Dysibod collected into two little leaden caskets,52 and he deposited them in a marble sarcophagus," which restedonpillarsbehindthehighaltar. Duringthecenturiesthathaveelapsed since the time of our saint, a large portion of the history of Disibodenberg oscillatesbetweenthenoblesandrittersrobbingthemonasteryofits lands, and their bestowing renewed donations for its support. However, the sar- cophagus of the saint and its caskets have disappeared, while the sacred dust of Disibod has long been blown about the world. For more than three hundred years after the time of St. Disibod, the Benedictines held possession of this monastery at Disenberg ; but, in the fifteenth century, it had fallen into the hands of the Cistercians. 54
The Reformation period of its history is also full of incidents. 55 The Kloster itself was not free from the new heresy. 56 But the commencement
great
the shape of pitch and resin, which were em-
ployed in lighting their churches. They pro- cured beeswax for which they found many ecclesiastical uses, and wild honey, with which
S3 A stone with an inscription formed part
of this sarcophagus.
54 go states John of Trittenheim —born
there 1st of February, 1462, and who died
Abbot of St. — at James,
made
tionery, and also corrected the acidity of their
they
many
kinds of confec-
of " De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S. Benedicti," lib. iii. ,
wines.
4» They boasted of one name, that is not
even yet forgotten, by those who take an in- terest in the history of mediaeval literature, viz. , Petrus a Roberiis, or Peter of Retiborn. While only a common monk of Disiboden- berg, on account of his great learning, he had been elevated by Pope Boniface IX. to the Bishopric of Samaria.
'•He departed this life on the vi. of the
July Nones, A. D. 1155, according to Dode- chinus, and he was succeeded by the Abbot
Helinger, who urged the Abbess Hi Idegarde to write the Acts of St. Disibod.
SI Dodechinus states it, "Hoc anno, In-
v
dictione VI.
s* Dodechinus states: "altero eorum,
scilicet minore, ossa continente, altero ma- jore cinires. "
cap. 288.
ss Johannes Schwebel, the re$>rmer of the
Zweibrucken country, found refuge there, when driven from his native town of Pfors- heim, between Mannheim and Banden. With the celebrated Franz von Sickingen, at Ebernburg, he spent a whole year. There, too, were TJlrich von Hutten, Bucar, Aquila, and CEcolampadius, engaged mainly in study- ingtheBible, bythe light of Luther'snewdoc- trine. Franz sent him with a letter of re- commendation to Duke Ludwig II. , of Zweibrucken. Not long after, the Zweib- rucken Duchy, with its Duke, became Pro- testant.
s6 The whole of the monks left it except the abbot and one monk. In 1559, the abbot surrendered it, with all its belongings, to the
December, 1516
in his
Wurtzburg, 27th work,
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
of the Thirty Years' War saw its old possessors reinstated by the Marquis
Spinola. In 1631, the monks were driven out again by the Rheingraf Otto
Ludwig,underthewingofGustavusAdolphus. AtthepeaceofWestphalia, Disibodenberg again reverted to the Catholics.
In their turn, the Cistercians lost possession of Disenberg, and in the seventeenth century, secular Canons are found to be in occupation,5? which
state of in the early and middle things prevailed
period
During the French Revolution, that establishment was consficated to the
Republic, and sold by auction for a few hundred francs, to the ancestors of its present possessors. 5? The ruins of the ancient monastery of Disiboden- berg lie near the little town of Staudernheim, a railway station some forty minutes distant from Kreuznach, and just on the confines of Rhenish Prussia and the Bavarian Palatinate. The line of boundary posts, between the two, crosses that road which leads from Staudernheim, on the Prussian territory, toDisibodenberg,whichisontheBavarianside. Theruinsaresituatedonthe flat top of a hill, which rises out of the level land, and which occupies the angle,formedbytheNahe. Atthispoint,theriverflowsfromwesttoeast, and the Glan, one of its tributaries, flows in a direction, a little to the east of north. The greater part of the flat hill-top must have been occupied by buildings and by courts, during the last century, although we can find few accounts of its condition at the time, probably owing to the fact, that the ecclesiastics who served there lived in quiet and retirement, thus passing an uneventful career. During the troublous times which preceded and followed the French Revolution, the buildings were torn to pieces by the inhabitants of the surrounding district, who made Disibodenberg a quarry for dressed stones. 60 Gradually its buildings came to a state of complete ruin. The cloister bells went partly to Odernheim, and partly, including the great bell cast in 1382, to the church of Meisenheim, in Glanthal. 61 The remains of Disibodenberg are still considerable, and they show, that it must in its prime
62
have been of great extent.
The view from different points around Disenberg is various and charming.
On the north-west, the Nahe pours itself down in picturesque windings through the hills into the valley. From the south, comes the Glan to meet it, at the eastern foot of the hill. Right opposite towers Lemberg in majestic repose—monarch of the landscape—with the hamlet of Duckroth at its feet.
Farther to the north rises the Abbey, there is a magnificent view.
Duke. He dedicated it, together with the Klosters of Hornbach, Wersweiler, and
Offenbach to the public worship in Zweib- rucken, to the establishment of schools at
Hornsbach, and to other like purposes. He was a little more conscientious in dealing
63 Towards the south side of the You look westward into the pleasant
it a favourite place for excursions, among the strangers who come to Kreuznach.
^ The new piers of Staudernheim Bridge
were built out of its spoils. All the houses
at that period in Odernheim, Standernheim,
hands, than were the English, Irish and
Scotch nobles of the Reformation.
"
s? See Mabillon's Annales Ordinis S.
Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. xvi. , sect, xliv. ,
il
This is an old church, where the Stalz- graten of the Rhei and many noble families are buried. It is worth a visit, on account of the tower of its church, which is a beauti-
ful specimen of architecture.
p. 523.
s" See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Disibodo Epis. et Confess, in Dysenberg, Territorii Mogun- tini, in Germania. Commentarius Praevius,
sect, i,, pp. 581 to 583.
59 These have done a great deal to make
Gangelsberg.
and even as far as Brockelheim, were built with the windfalls of Church property, out of the wrecked Disibodenberg monas-
which the Reformation brought into his tcry.
" 62
of the last 8 century. s
Indeed, the lordly list of its possessions, and the bead-roll of its benefactors for cen- turies, might lead one to expect such a con- dition.
63 On it stood a signal-tower, when this part of the country belonged to the French.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 163
Nahethal. Staudernheim, with its romantically situated mills, lies below.
Westward 6* and further on the old town of 65 appears Sobernheim, Monzi^en.
On the right bank of the Nahe, and resting on the mountain side, is the hamlet of Middersheim ; and, where the valley closes, Merrheim, not far fromthestatelyruinsoftheSchlossDhaun. Onaclearday,thesecanbe
distinctly back to the
66 and
— These, too, height. carry
made
and their wooded out, crowning
us almost coeval with the In the middle of the valley, on the Nath, are clusteredthemillsandbarnsofSobernheim. Fromanotherpoint,youhave a view up the valley of the Glan, so far as the ancient town of Odernheim.
Nearer still are the old Kloster mills. Such is the scenery, with which the modern tourist often renders himself familiar, and it is intimately associated with St. Dysibod's name and missionary labours.
Article III. —St. Diarmaid, Bishop of Gleam-Uissean, now Kille-
SHIN, Queen's County. That Gleann-Uissean had been a place of impor-
tance in pagan history is not improbable ; and, at the present time, a remark- able artificial and cone-shaped mound is to be seen on the sloping upland, whichgraduallyascendstothesummitofClogrennanmountain. Itriseson the south side of the road, which leads from the town of Carlow to the collie- ries, in the Queen's County. On the opposite side of the road are the ancient cemetery and ruined church of Killeshin, also rising high over the same road, whichwindsthroughadeepcutbeneath. Atalowerlevelstill,andbound- ing the cemetery on the northern side, is a rapid stream, which falls through a very romantic glen, and in a succession of small cascades, almost buried from view, unless the pilgrim desires to clamber down into that ravine, where the water has hollowed out its course. The situation is still surrounded with natural charms ; but, we know not at what remote date in Christian times, it had been selected as the site for a religious foundation. It seems to be well established, however, that the present holy man, St. Diarmaid, must have pre-
sided as Abbot there, probably before the eighth century. Were we to accept
early Wildgrafen foundation of Disibodenberg.
Nahgangrafen
1 his rule should be referred to the commencement of the sixth
one
century. Still, we cannot discover on what authority Colgan makes this saint the first Abbot over Gleann-Ussein 2 He to
statement,
monastery. seems, however, havefollowedsomegenealogicalorotherhistoricaccount; yet,perhaps,it has been inferred from notices, in two of our earliest preserved calendars. 3 Thus, in the Feilire * of St. iEngus, at the 8th of July, the feast of this saint
64 Around it, tobacco is extensively culti- vated.
2 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xxvii. Februarii, Vita S. Comgani, and nn. 8, 9, pp. 417, 418.
3 These known as the Martyrology of Tal- lagh and the Feilire of St. ^Engus, coin- nosed originally in the eighth, or at latest early in the ninth century.
4 From the Leabhar Breac copy the fol- owing stanza, translated by Whitley Stokes,
63 The
ing an excellent quality of wine.
vicinity
is well known for
produc-
66 To its feudal lords, in the early middle ages, it gave the title of Wildgrafen. These were distinguished as Comites Salvagii, or Comites Silvestres, meaning "Counts of the Wildwood. "
Article hi. — « That of he
Colgan, sup- LL. D. ,
posing the St. Comgan referred to in the
has been extracted :—
——who died on the
Acts of St. Ita
January, a. d. 569 to have been St. Com- gan, Abbot of Gleann-Ussen. The latter therefore is thought to have died before St. Ita, and it is asserted, that Diermait pre- ceded him, in the government of that monas- tery.
5 Sab-Air
15th
of
brxocan SAepbuAit) cenAch cuifel
La ,OiA|MnAic tjepb Ia|ja^ Stuan gel Sl/itroe h Uiffen.
" Brocan the scribe won a noble victory with- out any fall, with Diarmait a sure flame,
pcjubtiiT)
164 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
Diarmait is commemorated. In the commentary attached, he is called My- Dimdc in Ui-Bairrche, and we are informed, that he was formerly in Glenn Uissen, before Comgan. s Again, we learn that veneration was given, on this
6
day, according to the Martyrology ofTallagh, to Diarmait, of Glinne hUisen.
This place is identical with the present Killeshin, about two miles west of Carlowtown,andintheQueen'sCounty. Ithasbeenstated,thatSt. Diar- maidsprungfromtheraceofCathaoirM6r,oftheLagenians. Hisfatheris named Sibrseus, the son of Dalian, son to Ere, son of Bracan, son to Fieg, son of Daire, surnamed Barrach, who was son to the celebrated Cathair the Great,? who had been monarch of Erinn. The Rev. John Francis Shearman, who with some change of spelling, very closely follows the foregoing genea- logy, gives Diarmaid the alternative name of Momedoc,8 and places him also
Moat of Killeshin, Queens Comity.
before St. Comgan, as Abbot of Glenuissin. We have already alluded to tins place, and to its historic associations, in more than one instance. * I* or a succession of ages, Killeshin had been regarded as a religious centre, and its history can be traced very fairly through the ninth, tenth and eleventh cen- turies, from various entries in our Annals, and which prove it to have been a
sun of Glenn Uissen. "—"Transac- tions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes. LL. D. , pp. cix. , ex.
5 See ibid. , p. cxvii.
6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxviii.
' According to the Genealogic Sanctilogy
of Ireland, Dist. vii. , cap. i.
8 See " Loca Patriciana," No. ix. , No. 10.
The Genealogy of the Ui Bairrche, p. 180. In this Genealogical chart, the Rev. Mr. Shearman has one additional grade in the
of our saint.
9 See the First Volume of this work, at
January 27th, Art. viii. , and the Second
Volume, at February 27th, Art. i.
10 The accompanying sketch by the author,
and drawn on the spot, September, 1889, was taken from an opposite point of view to that presented in a previous illustration, given at the 27th of January. The present sketch represents the large moat in the fore- ground, and beyond the travelled road, the east gable of Killeshin old church in the dis- tance. This sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
bright
pedigree
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
place of considerable ecclesiastical importance. A city or town appears to have grown around the church ; but, it is difficult now to determine the
monks' quarter, which, however, according to a prevailing Irish usage, was quite convenient to the church. Again, as in so many other instances we have found throughout Ireland, the large circular moat was in close proximity with
10
the religious establishment ;
yet, whether erected for purposes of defence,
or to serve a different end, we have not been able to determine, and an
examination of such an antiquarian problem must continue to exercise the
research and ingenuity of ecclesiastical and secular historical investigators.
It seems very probable, that the St. Diarmaid, commemorated in our Calendars
at this date, had been the original founder of a church and monastery
11
and that he presided over both as the first Abbot. " His period, how- ever, has eluded inquiry ; nor are the incidents of his incumbency known.
here,
Some writers think this saint flourish—ed as
as the sixth — and early century,
that he preceded St.
