Saint Máel Ruba | |
|---|---|
| Born | 642 Bangor,County Down,Ireland |
| Died | 722 Teampull,Sutherland,Scotland |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church,Eastern Orthodox Church,Scottish Episcopal Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | 20 April, 21 April, 27 August |
Máel Ruba (c. 642–722) is an Irish saint of theCeltic Church who was active in theChristianisation of thePicts andGaels ofScotland. Originally amonk fromBangor Abbey,County Down,Gaelic Ireland, he founded the monastic community ofApplecross (Scottish Gaelic:A' Chomraich[əˈxoməriç], 'The Sanctuary')[1] inWester Ross, one of the best attested early Christian monasteries in what is nowScotland. Forms of his name includeMáelrubai (Old Irish spelling),Maol Rubha (MoRubha/MaRuibhe) (Scottish Gaelic spelling), orMalruibhe, and it is sometimeslatinised asRufus,
Máel Ruba was descended fromNiall,King of Ireland, via his father Elganach. His mother, Subtan, was a niece ofSaint Comgall (d. 597 or 602) ofBangor. Máel Ruba was born in the area ofDerry and was educated at Bangor. In 671, when he was thirty, he sailed from Ireland to Scotland with a group of monks.[2]
For two years he travelled around the area, chiefly inArgyll, perhaps founding some of the many churches still dedicated to him, before settling atAporcrosan (Applecross) in 673,[3] in Pictish territory in the west of Ross opposite the islands ofSkye andRaasay. Thence he set out on missionary journeys: westward to the islandsSkye andLewis, eastward toForres andKeith, and northward toLoch Shin,Durness, andFarr.[2]
The Gaelic name of Applecross, "A' Chomraich", 'The Sanctuary', derives from an area of inviolate ground which surrounded the monastery. Its limits were originally marked by crosses. Unfortunately, only a fragment of one of these has survived, within the farmyard at Camusterrach, south of Applecross village.
Both Máel Ruba's voyage to 'Scotland' and his foundation of Applecross are recorded in contemporary Irish annals, implying that they were considered of great significance at the time. Máel Ruba's monastery was a majorChristian centre and instrumental in the spread of bothChristianity andGaelic culture amongst thePicts of northernScotland.
The succession of the abbots ceases to be recorded in the Irish annals during the course of the ninth century. It is likely that this is the result of (unrecorded) raids by Vikings.
A setting of two small stones in the graveyard at Applecross is still pointed out as the (supposed) site of his grave.
According to local tradition, on his last journey he was killed byDanishvikings, probably at Teampull, around nine miles upStrathnaver from Farr, where he had built amonastic cell, and was buried near the RiverNaver, not far from his cell, where his grave is still marked by "a rough cross-marked stone". However, 722 may be too early for Scandinavian raiders to have been involved, as the first historically recorded Viking attacks on Scotland and Ireland date to the 790s.[4]
Another tradition, found in theAberdeen Breviary, is that he was killed atUrquhart and buried at Abercrossan. This is probably a mistake arising from a confusion ofGaelic place-names.
The most reliable sources, contemporary Irish annals, record that he 'died' at Applecross in his 80th year.
Máel Ruba was, afterSt Columba, perhaps the most popular saint in theNorthwest Highlands of Scotland. At least twenty-one churches are dedicated to him, and Dean Reeves enumerates about forty forms of his name. His death occurred on 21 April, and theCatholic Church in Ireland has always kept his feast on this day; however, in Scotland (probably owing to the confusion withSaint Rufus) it has also been kept on 27 August. On 5 July 1898, PopeLeo XIII restored his feast for theCatholic Church in Scotland, to be kept on 27 August. In thecalendar of saints of theScottish Episcopal Church he is honoured on 20 April. Because due to a typographical error centuries ago, his feast day was observed on 25 August,[5] andfolk etymology led some people to confuse "Summereve's Fair" with a secular fair celebrating the season.
Máel Ruba's name has given rise to numerous corruptions; for example inKeith, Moray, he is referred to as "St Rufus", andSt Rufus Church is dedicated to him. In other parts of Scotland, his name was variously rendered as "Maree" (as in the Loch), "Summereve" (i.e., St Maol Rubha) etc. There are several locations named after Máel Ruba such asLoch Maree. He is said to have established ahermitage onIsle Maree.[6]
In the 17th century thePresbytery ofDingwall was disturbed by allegations ofpattern day festivals and rituals, assumed at the time to be of pagan origin. In particular, the Isle was aChristian pilgrimage shrine visited by those seeking cures formental illness through the saint'sintercession by being rowed three timessunwise around the hermitage, followed by a dip each time in the waters of the Loch. Pilgrimages were traditionally followed by expressing gratitude for successful cures through donating bulls for slaughter, roasting, and consumption by the pilgrims during annual celebrations of hisfeast day, either on or near his formerhermitage onIsle Maree. In reference to these past festivals, the cliff on the loch shore facing the island is still called (Scottish Gaelic:Creag nan Tarbh, 'Cliff of the Bull'). These rituals have been thought byfolklorists unfamiliar withCeltic Christianity to come from a debased memory of Máel Ruba, which had perhaps become mixed with an ancient pre-Christian cult of the 'God Mourie'.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
