Columba | |
|---|---|
 Saint Columba, Apostle to thePicts | |
| Apostle of thePicts | |
| Born | 7 December 521 AD Gartan,Tyrconnell,Gaelic Ireland |
| Died | 9 June 597 AD (aged 75) Iona,Dál Riata |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglicanism Lutheranism |
| Majorshrine | Iona, Scotland |
| Feast | 9 June |
| Attributes | Monk's robes, Celtic tonsure and crosier |
| Patronage | Derry,floods,bookbinders,poets, Ireland and Scotland |
Columba (/kəˈlʌmbəˌˈkɒlʌmbə/) orColmcille[a] (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was anIrishabbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is todayScotland at the start of theHiberno-Scottish mission.[3][4] He founded the importantabbey onIona, which became a dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries.[5] He is the patron saint ofDerry. He was highly regarded by both theGaels ofDál Riata and thePicts, and is remembered today as a Catholicsaint and one of theTwelve Apostles of Ireland.[6]
Columba studied under some of Ireland's most prominent church figures and founded several monasteries in the country. Around 563 AD he and his twelve companions crossed to Dunaverty nearSouthend, Argyll, inKintyre before settling in Iona in Scotland, then part of theUlster kingdom of Dál Riata, where they founded a new abbey as a base for spreadingCeltic Christianity among the paganNorthern Pictish kingdoms.[7][8] He remained active in Irish politics, though he spent most of the remainder of his life in Scotland. Three survivingearly-medievalLatinhymns are attributed to him.[4]
Columba was born to Fedlimid and Eithne of theCenél Conaill inGartan, a district beside Lough Gartan, inTír Chonaill (mainly modernCounty Donegal) in what is nowUlster, the northernprovince inIreland. On his father's side, he is claimed as being the great-great-grandson ofNiall of the Nine Hostages, a pseudo-historicalIrish high king of the 5th century.[9] Tradition holds that he was born in Gartan. One tradition holds that he was born on a flagstone calledLeac na Cumha in thetownland of Lacknacoo.[10] He wasbaptised in Temple-Douglas, in the County Donegal parish ofConwal (midway between Gartan andLetterkenny), by his teacher and foster-uncleCruithnechán.[11][12][13]
Columba lived in the remote district of what is nowGlencolmcille for roughly five years, which was named after him. It is not known for sure if his name at birth was Colmcille or if he adopted this name later in life;Adomnán (Eunan) of Iona thought it was his birth name but other Irish sources have claimed his name at birth was Crimthann (meaning 'fox').[14] In theIrish language his name means 'dove', which is the same name as the Prophet Jonah (Jonah in Hebrew is also 'dove'), which Adomnán of Iona, as well as other early Irish writers, were aware of, although it is not clear if he was deliberately named after Jonah or not.Columba is alsoLatin for dove, and the name of the bird genus.
When sufficiently advanced in letters he entered the monastic school of Movilla, atNewtownards, underFinnian of Movilla who had studied atNinian's "Magnum Monasterium" on the shores ofGalloway. He was about twenty, and a deacon when, having completed his training at Movilla, he travelled southwards intoLeinster, where he became a pupil of an aged bard named Gemman. On leaving him, Columba entered the monastery ofClonard, governed at that time byFinnian, noted for sanctity and learning. Here he imbibed the traditions of the Welsh Church, for Finnian had been trained in the schools ofDavid.[15]
The study ofLatin learning andChristian theology inmonasteries flourished. Columba became a pupil at the monastic school atClonard Abbey, situated on theRiver Boyne in modernCounty Meath. During the sixth century, some of the most significant names in the history of Celtic Christianity studied at the Clonard monastery. The average number of scholars under instruction at Clonard was said to be 300.[6] Columba was one of twelve students ofFinnian of Clonard who became known as theTwelve Apostles of Ireland. He became a monk and eventually wasordained apriest.[16]
Another preceptor of Columba wasMobhí Clárainech, whose monastery atGlasnevin was frequented by such famous men asCainnech of Aghaboe,Comgall, andCiarán. A pestilence which devastated Ireland in 544 caused the dispersion of Mobhi's disciples, and Columba returned toUlster, the land of his kindred. He was a striking figure of great stature and powerful build, with a loud, melodious voice which could be heard from one hilltop to another.[17]
The foundation of several important monasteries marked the following years:Derry, at the southern edge ofInishowen; Durrow, County Offaly;Kells, County Meath; andSwords.[18] While at Derry it is said that he planned a pilgrimage toRome andJerusalem, but did not proceed farther thanTours. From Tours, he brought a copy of those gospels that had lain on the bosom ofMartin for 100 years. This relic was deposited in Derry.[15] St Colmcille is also believed to have established a Church onInishkea North, County Mayo which is named St Colmcille's Church.[19][20][21]
Some traditions assert that sometime around 560 Columba became involved in a quarrel withFinnian of Moville ofMovilla Abbey over apsalter. Columba copied the manuscript at thescriptorium under Finnian, intending to keep the copy. Finnian disputed his right to keep it. There is a suggestion that this conflict resulted in theBattle of Cúl Dreimhne inCairbre Drom Cliabh (now inCounty Sligo) in 561, during which many men were killed. Richard Sharpe, translator of Adomnán's Life of St. Columba (referenced in the bibliography below) makes a stern caution at this point against accepting the many references that link the battle and Columba's leaving of Ireland, even though there is evidence in the annals that Columba supported his own king against the high king. Political conflicts that had existed for some time resulted in the clan Neill's battle against King Diarmait at Cooldrevny in 561. An issue, for example, was the king's violation of the right of sanctuary belonging to Columba's person as a monk on the occasion of the murder of Prince Curnan, Columba's kinsman.[15]
Prince Curnan of Connacht, who had fatally injured a rival in a hurling match and had taken refuge with Columba, was dragged from his protector's arms and slain by Diarmaid's men, in defiance of the rights of sanctuary.[17]
Asynod ofclerics and scholars threatened toexcommunicate him for these deaths, butBrendan of Birr spoke on his behalf. Eventually, the process was deemed a miscarriage of justice. Columba's own conscience was uneasy, and on the advice of an aged hermit, Molaise, he resolved to expiate his sense of offence by departing Ireland. The term "exile" is used in some references. This, too, can be disputed, for the term "pilgrimage" is used more frequently in the literature about him. A marker at Stroove Beach on theInishowen Peninsula commemorates the place where Columba set sail for Scotland.[22] He left Ireland, but through the following years, he returned several times to visit the communities he had founded there.[15]
Columba's copy of the psalter has been traditionally associated with theCathach of St. Columba. In 574/575, during his return for the Synod of Drum Ceat, he founded themonastery of Drumcliff in Cairbre, now County Sligo.[23]
In 563, he travelled toScotland with twelve companions (said to includeOdran of Iona) in a wickercurrach covered with leather. According to legend he first landed on theKintyre Peninsula, nearSouthend. However, being still in sight of Ulster, he moved farther north up the west coast of Scotland. The island ofIona was made over to him by his kinsmanConall mac ComgaillKing of Dál Riata, who perhaps had invited him to come to Scotland in the first place.[17] However, there is a sense in which he was not leaving his native people, as the UlsterGaels had been inhabiting the west coast of Scotland for the previous couple of centuries.[24] Aside from the services he provided guiding the only centre ofliteracy in the region, his reputation as a holy man led to his role as a diplomat among the tribes.[25]
There are also many stories of miracles which he performed during his work toconvert the Picts, the most famous being his encounter with an unidentified animal that some have equated with theLoch Ness Monster in 565. It is said that he banished a ferocious "water beast" to the depths of theRiver Ness after it had killed a Pict and then tried to attack Columba's disciple, Lugne (see Vita Columbae Book 2 below). He visited thepagan KingBridei, King ofFortriu, at his base inInverness, winning Bridei's respect, although not his conversion. He subsequently played a major role in the politics of the country.
He was also very energetic in his work as a missionary, and, in addition to founding several churches in theHebrides, he worked to turn his monastery at Iona into a school for missionaries. He was a renownedman of letters, having written severalhymns and being credited with havingtranscribed 300 books. One of the few, if not the only, times he left Scotland was towards the end of his life, when he returned to Ireland to found themonastery atDurrow.
According to traditional sources, Columba died in Iona on Sunday, 9 June 597, and was buried by hismonks in theabbey he created. However, Dr. Daniel P. Mc Carthy disputes this and assigns a date of 593 to Columba's death.[26] The Annals record the first raid made upon Iona in 795, with further raids occurring in 802, 806 and 825.[27] Columba's relics were finally removed in 849 and divided between Scotland and Ireland.[28]
In Ireland, the saint is commonly known as Colmcille.
Colmcille is one of the three patron saints of Ireland, afterPatrick andBrigid of Kildare.[29]
Colmcille is the patron saint of the city ofDerry, where he founded a monastic settlement in c. 540.[29] The name of the city inIrish isDoire Cholm Cille and is derived from the native oak trees in the area and the city's association with Colmcille. The Catholic Church of Saint Colmcille's Long Tower, and the Church of Ireland St Augustine's Church both claim to stand at the spot of this original settlement. The Church of Ireland Cathedral,St. Columb's Cathedral, and the largest park in the city,St. Columb's Park, are named in his honour. The Catholic Boys' Grammar School,St. Columb's College, has him as Patron and namesake.
St. Columba's National School in Drumcondra is a girls' school named after the saint.[30]
St. Colmcille's Primary School[31] and St. Colmcille's Community School[32] are two schools inKnocklyon, Dublin, named after him, with the former having an annual day dedicated to the saint on 9 June.[33]
The town ofSwords, Dublin was reputedly founded by Colmcille in 560 AD.[18] St. Colmcille's Boys' National School and St. Colmcille's Girls' National School, both located in the town of Swords, are also named after the Saint as is one of the local gaelic teams, Naomh Colmcille.[34]
The Columba Press, a religious and spiritual book company based in Dublin, is named after Colmcille.[35]
Aer Lingus, Ireland's nationalflag carrier has named one of itsAirbus A330 aircraft in commemoration of the saint (reg: EI-DUO).[29]
Columba is credited as being a leading figure in the revitalisation ofmonasticism. TheClan Malcolm/Clan McCallum claims its name from Columba and was reputedly founded by the descendants of his original followers.[29] It is also said thatClan Robertson Clan Donnachaidh / Duncan are heirs of Columba.Clan MacKinnon may also have some claim to being spiritual descendants of St Columba. SirIain Moncreiffe of that Ilk speculated that Clan MacKinnon belonged to the kindred of Columba, noting the MacKinnonArms bore the hand of Columba holding theCross, and the several Mackinnonabbots ofIona.[36] The MacKinnons included Green Abbots who were never priests and who were corrupt. The Macdonald Lords of the Isles dealt with them, imprisoning one who was convicted of treachery since Iona was the spiritual seat of Clan Donald.[37]
The cathedral of theCatholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is placed under the patronage of Saint Columba,[38] as are numerousCatholic schools and parishes throughout the nation. TheScottish Episcopal Church,[39] theChurch of Scotland,[40] and theEvangelical Lutheran Church of England[41] also have parishes dedicated to him. The village ofKilmacolm inRenfrewshire is also derived from Colmcille's name.[42]
St Columba's Hospice, a prominent hospice inEdinburgh, is named after the saint.[43]
Columba currently has two poems attributed to him: "Adiutor Laborantium" and "Altus Prosator".[44] Both poems are examples ofAbecedarian hymns in Latin written while Columba was at theIona Abbey.
The shorter of the two poems, "Adiutor Laborantium" consists of twenty-seven lines of eight syllables each, with each line following the format of anAbecedarian hymn using theClassical Latin alphabet save for lines 10–11 and 25–27. The content of the poem addresses God as a helper, ruler, guard, defender and lifter for those who are good and an enemy of sinners whom he will punish.[45]
"Altus Prosator" consists of twenty-three stanzas sixteen syllables long, with the first containing seven lines and six lines in each subsequent stanza. It uses the same format and alphabet as "Adiutor Laborantium" except with each stanza starting with a different letter rather than each line. The poem tells a story over three parts split into the beginning of time, the history of Creation, and the Apocalypse or end of time.[46]
Columba is honoured in the Anglican communion, including theChurch of England and theEpiscopal Church, on 9 June.[47][48] The Church of St. Columba in Ottawa is part of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.[49] St. Columba Anglican Church is located in Tofino, British Columbia.[50]
St. Columba's Episcopal Church is in Washington, D.C.[51] There is a St. Columba's Presbyterian Church in Peppermint Grove, Washington.[52] The Saint-Columba Presbyterian Church in Palmerstone,Vacoas-Phoenix is part of the Presbyterian Church inMauritius.[53]
Columba is the patron saint of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio. The Cathedral there is named for him.[54]Iona University, inNew Rochelle, New York, is named after the island on which Columba established his first monastery in Scotland,[55] as isIona College inWindsor, Ontario,Iona Presentation College, Perth,[56] and Iona College Geelong inCharlemont, Victoria.[57]
InBangor, Pennsylvania, there is a megalith park called Columcille, which is open to the public.
There are at least fourpipe bands named for him; one each fromTullamore, Ireland,[58] fromDerry, Northern Ireland,[59] fromKearny, New Jersey,[60] and fromCape Cod, Massachusetts.[61]
St. Columba's School, one of the most prominent English-Medium schools inIndia, run by theIrish Christian Brothers, is also named after the saint.[62]
The MunichGAA is namedMünchen Colmcilles.[63]
Saint Columba's Feast Day, 9 June, has been designated as International Celtic Art Day. TheBook of Kells and theBook of Durrow, great medieval masterpieces of Celtic art, are associated with Columba.[64]
Benjamin Britten composedA Hymn of St Columba for choir and organ in 1962, setting a poem by the saint, on the occasion of the 1,400th anniversary of his voyage to Iona.[65]
The main source of information about Columba's life is theLife of Columba (Latin:Vita Columbae), ahagiography written byAdomnán, one of Columba's successors at Iona, in the style of "saints' lives" narratives that had become widespread throughout medieval Europe. Both theLife of Columba andBede (672/673–735) record Columba's visit toBridei. Whereas Adomnán just tells us that Columba visited Bridei, Bede relates a later, perhaps Pictish tradition, whereby Columba actually converts the Pictish king. Another early source is a poem in praise of Columba, most probably commissioned by Columba's kinsman, the King of theUí Néill clan. It was almost certainly written within three or four years of Columba's death and is the earliest vernacular poem in European history. It consists of twenty-fivestanzas of four verses of seven syllables each, called theAmra Coluim Chille.
Through the reputation of its venerable founder and its position as a major European centre of learning, Columba's Iona became a place ofpilgrimage. Columba is historically revered as a warrior saint and was often invoked for victory in battle. Some of his relics were removed in 849 and divided betweenAlba and Ireland. Relics of Columba were carried before Scottish armies in the reliquary made at Iona in the mid-8th century called the Brecbennoch. Legend has it that the Brecbennoch was carried to theBattle of Bannockburn (24 June 1314) by the vastly outnumbered Scots army and the intercession of Columba helped them to victory. Since the 19th century the "Brecbennoch of St. Columba" has been identified with theMonymusk Reliquary, although this is now doubted by scholars.[66]
In theAntiphoner ofInchcolm Abbey, the "Iona of the East" (situated on an island in theFirth of Forth), a 14th-century prayer beginsO Columba spes Scotorum... "O Columba, hope of the Scots".[67]
"St. Columba".Catholic Encyclopedia. 1913.
The Life of Saint Columba Apostle of Scotland public domain audiobook atLibriVox| New creation | Abbot of Iona died 597 | Succeeded by |
