Saul Monastery

Last updated

Saul Monastery
Sabhall Phádraig
The remains of the medieval abbey on the site of the St Patrick's Memorial Church, Saul - geograph.org.uk - 2456747.jpg
County Down UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within County Down
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Saul Monastery (Northern Ireland)
Island of Ireland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Saul Monastery (island of Ireland)
Monastery information
Other namesSabhull Padraig; Sabhul Padruic; Sepulturam Patricii; Baile itá Saball; an Sabhall; Horreum Patricii [1]
Order Celtic monasticism
Canons Regular of Saint Augustine
EstablishedAD 432
Disestablished1542
Diocese Down and Connor
People
Founder(s) Saint Patrick
Architecture
Statusruined
Style Celtic monastic
Site
Location Saul, County Down
Coordinates 54°20′36″N5°40′47″W / 54.3434135744318°N 5.679692237450665°W / 54.3434135744318; -5.679692237450665
Visible remainsruined church, mortuary house, cross slabs
Public accessYes

Saul Monastery is a former Christian monastery located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is traditionally associated with the 5th-century Saint Patrick, who is said to have founded it shortly after arriving in Ireland, and having died there at the end of his missionary work. [2]

Contents

Location

Found in the village of Saul, Saul Monastery is located 2.7 km (1.5 mile) northeast of Downpatrick; the River Quoile is 1.5 km (1 mile) to the northwest.

History

Informational sign, claiming Saul to be the site of the first Christian church of Ireland Down (019), October 2009.JPG
Informational sign, claiming Saul to be the site of the first Christian church of Ireland
Drawing depicting "The Death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. At the Monastery of Saul in Ulidia." His disciple Tassac is with him, in anachronistic clerical garb. The Death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. At the Monastery of Saul in Ulidia, March 17th A.D. 465, aged 78 years LCCN90710664.jpg
Drawing depicting "The Death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. At the Monastery of Saul in Ulidia." His disciple Tassac is with him, in anachronistic clerical garb.

According to tradition, the monastery was founded by Saint Patrick shortly after his arrival in AD 432; he landed via the nearby River Slaney and was granted a barn (Old Irish saball) by the local chieftain Dichu. [3] [4] He then placed it under the protection of Dunnius (Mo Duin). [5]

It is the traditional site of death of Saint Patrick, who died at Saul on 17 March 465. [6]

Saul Monastery survived for over three centuries before being destroyed by Viking raids. [5]

The Annals of the Four Masters mention a "Ceannfaeladh of Sabhall, bishop, anchorite, and pilgrim" in 1011. [7] A stone church was burned at Saul in 1020. [1]

Some time after 1130 Saul was refounded as an Augustinian priory of Canons Regular by Saint Malachy; [8] legend claims that he had a vision of the monastery before he constructed it. [5] [9] In 1164 Saul was plundered by Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn with the men of Fearnmhagh, the Cenél Conaill, and the Cenél nEógain. [10] In 1170 a lengthy description of the expulsion of monks from Saul is given:

An unknown, atrocious deed was committed by Maghnus Ua hEochadha, King of Ulster, and the monk Amhlaeibh, son of the successor of Finnen, and by the Ulstermen in general,—except Maelisa, bishop, and Gilladomhangairt, son of Cormac, successor of Comhghall, and Maelmartain, successor of Finnen, with their people,—i.e. a convent of religious monks, with their abbot, whom Maelmaedhog Ua Morgair, legate of the successor of Peter, had appointed at Sabhall-Phadraig, were expelled from the monastery, which they themselves had founded and erected; and they were all plundered, both of their books and ecclesiastical furniture, cows, horses, and sheep, and of every thing which they had collected from the time of the legate aforesaid till then. Woe to the lord and chieftains who perpetrated this deed, at the instigation of one whom the monks of Drogheda had expelled from the abbacy for his own crime. Woe to the country in which it was perpetrated; and it did not pass without vengeance from the Lord, for the chieftains who had done this deed were slain together by a few enemies, and the king was prematurely wounded and slain, shortly after, at the town where the unjust resolution of perpetrating it had been adopted, namely, at Downpatrick. On Tuesday the convent were expelled. On Tuesday also, at the end of a year, the chieftains of Ulster were slain, and the king was wounded. On Tuesday, shortly after, he was killed by his brother, at Downpatrick. [11] [12]

In 1289 or 1293, Nicholas Mac Mail-Issu discovered the remains of Saints Patrick, Colum Cille and Brigid of Kildare at Saul; he placed them in a shrine. [13] [14] By 1296 Saul is described as greatly impoverished.

It was destroyed by Edward Bruce's armies during the Bruce invasion of Ireland in 1318. In 1380 a statute forbade any Gaelic Irish from becoming religious at Saul; only British settlers could. [5] The seal of the Abbot of Saul was on a petition to King Henry IV c. 1410. At the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey, with two castles, a garden and land were granted to Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare in 1542. [15]

A pattern took place at Saul on the second Sunday of June, "Saul Sunday." [16]

Buildings

View of the old graveyard and "mortuary house" An overgrown section of the grounds of the St Patrick's CoI Church at Saul - geograph.org.uk - 2456733.jpg
View of the old graveyard and "mortuary house"
The 1933 church, with a modern round tower St Patrick's CoI Church, Saul - geograph.org.uk - 2458501.jpg
The 1933 church, with a modern round tower
Foundation stone of the 1933 church Down (025), October 2009.JPG
Foundation stone of the 1933 church

One wall of the Augustinian abbey remains, and a stone monastic cell (also called the "mortuary house") [15] in the old graveyard. There is also a cross slab in the graveyard. [17] Other gravestones have been moved to the Down County Museum.

The present Church of Ireland building was opened on All Saint's Day 1933; it replaced a simple 1788 structure. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down Cathedral</span>

Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town. It is one of two cathedrals in the Diocese of Down and Dromore. The cathedral is the centre point of Downpatrick, a relatively new name for the settlement, having only come into usage in the seventeenth century.

Flaithbertach mac Loingsig was a High King of Ireland. He was a member of the Cenél Conaill, a branch of the northern Uí Néill. He was the son of Loingsech mac Óengusso, a previous high king. He ruled from 728 to 734.

Cormac mac Art Ó Melaghlain, was King of Mide from around 1209/10 to 1239. He managed to win several notable victories over the Anglo-Normans and as a result was one of the more prominent and successful later Kings of Mide. Whatever gains Cormac made were not to prove long lasting however, even in his own reign, and the successor lords of Clann Cholmain were largely insignificant to the politics of later medieval Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felim O'Connor (d. 1265)</span> King of Connacht

Felim O'Connor was king of Connacht in Ireland, having been proclaimed king by Richard Mór de Burgh in 1230, he reigned proper from 1233 until 1265. Felim died in that year and was buried in the Dominican Priory in Roscommon which he founded in 1253. On his accession Felim inherited many problems from his predecessors, having his territory limited to essentially County Roscommon and having to deal with an increase of English and Welsh settlers in the kingdom. Felim attempted to maintain both a loyal and personal relationship with Henry III King of England, hoping he would limit the influence of de Burgh and other powerful Anglo-Norman magnates in Connacht, but this policy of appeasement produced few concrete results. During Felim's reign the lands of the Ua Conchobair became limited to the five 'royal cantreds', essentially County Roscommon. Felim notably adopted aspects of Anglo-Norman culture as seen in his English style effigy and seal.

Áed mac Felidlimid Ó Conchobair, known as Áed na nGall, was king of Connacht alongside his father Felim from 1258 reigning solely from 1265 until his own death in 1274. He is credited with turning the tide on Norman expansion in Connacht at the Battle of Áth an Chip. Aed took a different approach than his father to dealing with English crown authority in Ireland, placing his faith in alliances with the Gaelic speaking world and becoming the chief supporter of Brian Ua Neill's bid to revive the high kingship of Ireland. His byname na nGall comes from his marriage in 1259 to a daughter of Dubhghall mac Ruaidri King of the Hebrides which brought him 160 gallowglass commanded by Dubhghall's younger brother Ailéan as a dowry.

Fedelmid mac Crimthainn was the King of Munster between 820 and 846. He was numbered as a member of the Céli Dé, an abbot of Cork Abbey and Clonfert Abbey, and possibly a bishop. After his death, he was later considered a saint in some martyrologies.

Diarmait of Iona was Abbot of Iona (814–832?). Thomas Owen Clancy argues that Diarmait was one of the most important Céli Dé reformers, instrumental to the spread of the movement in Scotland, laying the ground for his successor Indrechtach. Many anecdotes about the rule and philosophy of the abbot were recorded in the Monastery of Tallaght, for which Diarmait was probably one of the main sources and inspirations.

Saint Mochta, was the last surviving disciple of Saint Patrick.

Events from the year 1333 in Ireland.

Events from the year 1338 in Ireland.

Loingsech mac Óengusso was an Irish king who was High King of Ireland. Loingsech was a member of the northern Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill. Although his father Óengus had not been High King, his grandfather Domnall mac Áedo had been.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Óengus mac Nad Froích</span>

Óengus mac Nad Froích (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady. In Geoffrey Keating's History of Ireland Oengus is given a reign of 36 years which would place the start of his reign as early as 453.

Fiachnae mac Áedo Róin was a Dál Fiatach ruler of the over-kingdom of Ulaid in Ireland. He reigned from 750 to 789. He was the son of Áed Róin and brother of Bressal mac Áedo Róin, previous kings. This family had their base in modern-day County Down, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirawley</span> Barony of County Mayo

Tirawley, archaically known as Tyrawley, is a barony extending southward from the north coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It was created during the shiring of County Mayo out of the Gaelic túath or territory of Tír Amhlaidh, from which it takes its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecale</span> Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Lecale is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or túath in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the Anglo-Norman Earldom of Ulster. Later it became a barony, which was split into Lecale Lower and Lecale Upper by 1851. Its largest settlement is the town of Downpatrick. Other settlements include Ardglass, Killough and Strangford. The peninsula has a high concentration of tower houses. Much of it is part of the 'Strangford and Lecale' Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Cenél Conaill, or "kindred of Conall", are a branch of the Northern Uí Néill, who claim descent from Conall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, and allegedly the first Irish nobleman to convert to Christianity. Their kingdom was known as Tír Conaill, with their powerbase at Mag Ithe in the Finn valley, however they gradually expanded to cover what is now counties Donegal and Fermanagh. The Cenél Conaill clashed regularly with their kin the Cenél nEogain, eventually capturing the latter's original power-base of Ailech in the Inishowen peninsula—in modern-day County Donegal—by the 12th century.

Tomás mac Aodh Mág Samhradháin, head of the McGovern lineage and Baron or Lord of Tullyhaw barony, County Cavan from 1269 to 1272.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilbennen</span> Early Christian monastic site with ruined round tower and medieval church

Kilbennen or Kilbannon is a medieval ecclesiastical site and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cider in Ireland</span>

Cider, an alcoholic drink made from apples, is widely available in Ireland at pubs, off licences, and supermarkets. It has been made in regions of the island for thousands of years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killashee Round Tower</span> Irish recorded monument

Killashee Round Tower is an Irish round tower that forms part of the monastic remnants of Killashee, County Kildare, Ireland. On the Record of Monuments and Places its number is KD024-003.

References

  1. 1 2 Down.), William REEVES (Bishop of (3 January 1847). "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore, consisting of a taxation of those dioceses, compiled in the year 1306, with notes and illustrations". Hodges & Smith – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Pepper, George (3 January 1829). "The Irish Shield and Monthly Milesian" – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Curtis, William Eleroy (28 September 2020). One Irish Summer. Library of Alexandria. ISBN   9781465593153 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ O'Hara, Dr Jesko Zimmermann & Dr Rob (16 March 2021). "Saint Patrick in Ireland". ArcGIS StoryMaps.
  5. 1 2 3 4 O'Laverty, James (3 January 1878). "An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern". J. Duffy – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "The Death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. At the Monastery of Saul in Ulidia, March 17th A.D. 465, aged 78 years". Library of Congress.
  7. ↑ "Part 11 of Annals of the Four Masters". celt.ucc.ie.
  8. ↑ Keenan, Desmond (22 January 2004). The True Origins of Irish Society. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   9781465318695 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ ltd, Ulster Tourist Development Association (3 January 1929). "Ulster". CUP Archive – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "Part 5 of Mac Carthaigh's Book". celt.ucc.ie.
  11. ↑ Kerr, Julie; Jamroziak, Emilia; Stöber, Karen (15 October 2018). Monastic Life in the Medieval British Isles: Essays in Honour of Janet Burton. University of Wales Press. ISBN   9781786833198 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ "Annals of the Four Masters". celt.ucc.ie.
  13. ↑ "Part 92 of The Annals of Ulster". celt.ucc.ie.
  14. ↑ "Part 13 of Annals of the Four Masters". celt.ucc.ie.
  15. 1 2 "The 'mortuary house' at Saul, Co. Down" (PDF).
  16. ↑ Ireland, Culture Northern (12 April 2006). "On the trail of St Patrick". Culture Northern Ireland.
  17. ↑ "Saul, County Down". www.earlychristianireland.net.
  18. ↑ "Saul Church - Down Cathedral".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.