"Patrick of Ireland" redirects here. For the 14th-century writer, see Master Patrick of Ireland.

For
other uses, see Saint Patrick (disambiguation).

Saint Patrick

A modern stained glass depiction of Saint Patrick, Cathedral of

Christ the Light, Oakland, California

Born Great Britain

Venerated in Catholic Church

Eastern Catholic Churches

Eastern Orthodox Church

Anglicanism

Lutheranism

Major shrine Armagh, Northern Ireland

Glastonbury Abbey, England

Feast 17 March (Saint Patrick's Day)

Patronage Ireland, Nigeria, Montserrat, Archdiocese of New

 York, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

Newark, Boston, Rolla, Missouri, Loza, Puerto

Rico, Murcia (Spain), Clann Giolla

Phdraig, engineers, paralegals, Archdiocese of

Melbourne; invoked against snakes, sins[1]

Saint Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Irish: Pdraig [padd ]) was a fifth-century Romeo-
British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the
primary patron saint of Ireland, along with saints Brigit of Kildare and Columba. He is also venerated
in the Anglican Communion, the Old Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox Church as equal-
to-apostles and the Enlightener of Ireland.[2]
The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty but there is broad agreement that he was
active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. Early medieval tradition
credits him with being the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, and they regard him as the
founder of Christianity in Ireland, converting a society practising a form of Celtic polytheism. He has
been generally so regarded ever since, despite evidence of some earlier Christian presence in
Ireland.
According to the Confessio of Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates from
his home in Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland, looking after animals, where he lived for six
years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern
and western Ireland. In later life, he served as a bishop, but little is known about the places where he
worked. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day is observed on 17 March, the supposed date of his death. It is celebrated inside
and outside Ireland as a religious and cultural holiday. In the dioceses of Ireland, it is both
a solemnity and a holy day of obligation; it is also a celebration of Ireland itself.

Contents
[hide]

1Sources

o 1.1Name

o 1.2Dating

o 1.3"Two Patricks" theory

2Life

3Seventh-century writings

4Legends

o 4.1Patrick uses shamrock in an illustrative parable

o 4.2Patrick banishes all snakes from Ireland

 o 4.3Patrick's walking stick grows into a living tree

o 4.4Patrick speaks with ancient Irish ancestors

o 4.5Folk piety

5Alternative interpretations

6Saint Patrick's crosses

7Saint Patrick's Bell

8Saint Patrick's Breastplate

9Saint Patrick and Irish identity

10Sainthood and modern remembrance

11Places associated with Saint Patrick

12In literature

13See also

14References

15Further reading

16External links

Sources
Two Latin works survive which are generally accepted to have been written by St. Patrick. These are
the Declaration (Latin: Confessio)[3] and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus (Latin: Epistola),[4] from
which come the only generally accepted details of his life.[5] The Declaration is the more biographical
of the two. In it, Patrick gives a short account of his life and his mission. Most available details of his
life are from subsequent hagiographies and annals, and these are now not accepted without detailed
criticism.

Name
The only name that Patrick uses for himself in his own writings is PTRICIUS, which gives Old
Irish Ptraic and Modern Irish Pdraig ([padd ]), English Patrick and Welsh Padrig.
Hagiography records other names he is said to have borne. Trechn's seventh-
century Collectanea gives: "Magonus, that is, famous; Succetus, that is, god of war; Patricius, that is,
father of the citizens; Cothirthiacus, because he served four houses of druids." [6] "Magonus" appears
in the ninth century Historia Brittonum as Maun, descending from British *Magunos, meaning
"servant-lad".[6] "Succetus", which also appears in Muirch moccu Machtheni's seventh
century Life as Sochet,[6] is identified by Mac Neill as "a word of British origin meaning swineherd".
[7]
Cothirthiacus also appears as Cothraige in the 8th century biographical poem known as Fiacc's
Hymn and a variety of other spellings elsewhere, and is taken to represent a Primitive
Irish *Qatrikias, although this is disputed. Harvey argues that Cothraige "has the form of a classic
Old Irish tribal (and therefore place-) name", noting that Ail Coithrigi is a name for the Rock of
Cashel, and the place-names Cothrugu and Catrige are attested in Counties Antrim and Carlow.[8]

Dating

The reputed burial place of St. Patrick in Downpatrick

The dates of Patrick's life are uncertain; there are conflicting traditions regarding the year of his
death. His own writings provide no evidence for any dating more precise than the 5th century
generally. His Biblical quotations are a mixture of the Old Latin version and the Vulgate, completed in
the early 5th century, suggesting he was writing "at the point of transition from Old Latin to Vulgate",
[9]
although it is possible the Vulgate readings may have been added later, replacing earlier readings.
[10]
The Letter to Coroticus implies that the Franks were still pagans at the time of writing:[11] their
conversion to Christianity is dated to the period 496508.[12]
The Irish annals for the fifth century date Patrick's arrival in Ireland at 432, but they were compiled in
the mid-6th century at the earliest.[11]The date 432 was probably chosen to minimise the contribution
of Palladius, who was known to have been sent to Ireland in 431, and maximise that of Patrick. [13] A
variety of dates are given for his death. In 457 "the elder Patrick" (Irish: Patraic Sen) is said to have
died: this may refer to the death of Palladius, who according to the Book of Armagh was also called
Patrick.[13] In 461/2 the annals say that "Here some record the repose of Patrick"; [14]:p. 19 in 492/3 they
record the death of "Patrick, the arch-apostle (or archbishop and apostle) of the Scoti", on 17 March,
at the age of 120.[14]:p. 31
While some modern historians[15] accept the earlier date of c. 460 for Patrick's death, scholars of
early Irish history tend to prefer a later date, c. 493. Supporting the later date, the annals record that
in 553 "the relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille"
(emphasis added).[16] The death of Patrick's disciple Mochta is dated in the annals to 535 or 537,[16]
[17]
and the early hagiographies "all bring Patrick into contact with persons whose obits occur at the
end of the fifth century or the beginning of the sixth".[18] However, E. A. Thompson argues that none
of the dates given for Patrick's death in the Annals are reliable.[19]

"Two Patricks" theory

Irish academic T. F. O'Rahilly proposed the "Two Patricks" theory [20] which suggests that many of the
traditions later attached to Saint Patrick actually concerned the aforementioned Palladius,
who Prosper of Aquitaine's Chronicle says was sent by Pope Celestine I as the first bishop to Irish
Christians in 431. Palladius was not the only early cleric in Ireland at this time. The Irish-born
Saint Ciarn of Saigir lived in the later fourth century (352402) and was the first bishop of Ossory.
Ciaran, along with saints Auxilius, Secundinus and Iserninus, are also associated with early
churches in Munster and Leinster. By this reading, Palladius was active in Ireland until the 460s.[21]
Prosper associates Palladius' appointment with the visits of Germanus of Auxerre to Britain to
suppress Pelagianism and it has been suggested that Palladius and his colleagues were sent to
Ireland to ensure that exiled Pelagians did not establish themselves among the Irish Christians. The
appointment of Palladius and his fellow-bishops was not obviously a mission to convert the Irish, but
more probably intended to minister to existing Christian communities in Ireland. [22] The sites of
churches associated with Palladius and his colleagues are close to royal centres of the period:
Secundus is remembered by Dunshaughlin, County Meath, close to the Hill of Tara which is
associated with the High King of Ireland; Killashee, County Kildare, close to Naas with links with
the kings of Leinster, is probably named for Auxilius. This activity was limited to the southern half of
Ireland, and there is no evidence for them in Ulster or Connacht.[23]
Although the evidence for contacts with Gaul is clear, the borrowings from Latin into Old Irish show
that links with Roman Britain were many.[24] Iserninus, who appears to be of the generation of
Palladius, is thought to have been a Briton, and is associated with the lands of the U Ceinnselaig in
Leinster. The Palladian mission should not be contrasted with later "British" missions, but forms a
part of them;[25] nor can the work of Palladius be uncritically equated with that of Saint Patrick, as was
once traditional.[26]

Life
St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain. Calpurnius, his father, was a decurion and deacon, his
grandfather Potitus a priest, from Banna Venta Berniae, [27] a location otherwise unknown,[28][29]
[30]
though identified in one tradition as Glannoventa, modern Ravenglass in Cumbria, England;
claims have been advanced for locations in both Scotland and Wales.[31][32] Patrick, however, was not
an active believer. According to the Confession of St. Patrick, at the age of just sixteen Patrick was
captured by a group of Irish pirates.[33]They brought him to Ireland where he was enslaved and held
captive for six years. Patrick writes in The Confession[33] that the time he spent in captivity was critical
to his spiritual development. He explains that the Lord had mercy on his youth and ignorance, and
afforded him the opportunity to be forgiven of his sins and converted to Christianity. While in
captivity, Saint Patrick worked as a shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God through
prayer eventually leading him to convert to Christianity.[33]
After six years of captivity he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that
his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled to a port, two hundred miles away,[34] where he
found a ship and with difficulty persuaded the captain to take him. After three days sailing they
landed, presumably in Britain, and apparently all left the ship, walking for 28 days in a "wilderness",
becoming faint from hunger. After Patrick prayed for sustenance, they encountered a herd of wild
boar;[35] since this was shortly after Patrick had urged them to put their faith in God, his prestige in the
group was greatly increased. After various adventures, he returned home to his family, now in his
early twenties.[36] After returning home to Britain, Saint Patrick continued to study Christianity.
Patrick recounts that he had a vision a few years after returning home:
I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters,
and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the Irish". As I began the letter, I
imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood
of Foclut, which is beside the western seaand they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to
you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." [37]

A. B. E. Hood suggests that the Victoricus of St. Patrick's vision may be identified with
Saint Victricius, bishop of Rouen in the late fourth century, who had visited Britain in an official
capacity in 396.[38] However, Ludwig Bieler disagrees.[39]
He studied in Europe principally at Auxerre, but is thought to have visited the Marmoutier Abbey,
Tours and to have received the tonsure at Lrins Abbey. Saint Germanus of Auxerre ordained the
young missionary.[40][41]
Acting on the vision, Patrick returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary.[33] According to J.B. Bury,
his landing place was Wicklow, Co. Wicklow, at the mouth of the river Inver-dea, which is now called
the Vartry.[42] J.B. Bury suggests that Wicklow was also the port through which Patrick made his
escape after his six years captivity, though offers only circumstantial evidence to support this.
[43]
Tradition has it that St Patrick was not welcomed by the locals and was forced to leave to seek a
more welcoming landing place further north. He rested for some days at the islands off the Skerries
coast, one of which still retains the name of Inis-Patrick. The first sanctuary dedicated by St. Patrick
was at Saul. Shortly thereafter Benin (or Benignus), son of the chieftain Secsnen, joined Patrick's
group.[41]
Much of the Declaration concerns charges made against St. Patrick by his fellow Christians at a trial.
What these charges were, he does not say explicitly, but he writes that he returned the gifts which
wealthy women gave him, did not accept payment for baptisms, nor for ordaining priests, and indeed
paid for many gifts to kings and judges, and paid for the sons of chiefs to accompany him. It is
concluded, therefore, that he was accused of some sort of financial impropriety, and perhaps of
having obtained his bishopric in Ireland with personal gain in mind. [44]
From this same evidence, something can be seen of St. Patrick's mission. He writes that he
"baptised thousands of people".[45] He ordained priests to lead the new Christian communities. He
converted wealthy women, some of whom became nuns in the face of family opposition. He also
dealt with the sons of kings, converting them too.[46] The Confessio is generally vague about the
details of his work in Ireland, though giving some specific instances. This is partly because, as he
says at points, he was writing for a local audience of Christians who knew him and his work. There
are several mentions of travelling around the island, and of sometimes difficult interactions with the
chiefly elite. He does claim of the Irish:"Never before did they know of God except to serve idols and
unclean things. But now, they have become the people of the Lord, and are called children of God.
The sons and daughters of the leaders of the Irish are seen to be monks and virgins of Christ!" [47]
St. Patrick's position as a foreigner in Ireland was not an easy one. His refusal to accept gifts from
kings placed him outside the normal ties of kinship, fosterage and affinity. Legally he was without
protection, and he says that he was on one occasion beaten, robbed of all he had, and put in chains,
perhaps awaiting execution.[48] Patrick says that he was also "many years later" a captive for 60 days,
without giving details.[49]
Murchi's life of Saint Patrick contains a supposed prophecy by the druids which gives an
impression of how Patrick and other Christian missionaries were seen by those hostile to them:
Across the sea will come Adze-head,[50] crazed in the head,
his cloak with hole for the head, his stick bent in the head.
He will chant impieties from a table in the front of his house;
all his people will answer: "so be it, so be it."[51]
The second piece of evidence that comes from Patrick's life is the Letter to Coroticus or Letter to
the Soldiers of Coroticus, written after a first remonstrance was received with ridicule and insult.
In this, St. Patrick writes[52] an open letter announcing that he has excommunicated Coroticus
because he had taken some of St. Patrick's converts into slavery while raiding in Ireland. The
letter describes the followers of Coroticus as "fellow citizens of the devils" and "associates of the
Scots [of Dalriada and later Argyll] and ApostatePicts".[53] Based largely on an eighth-
century gloss, Coroticus is taken to be King Ceretic of Alt Clut.[54] Thompson however proposed
that based on the evidence it is more likely that Coroticus was a British Roman living in Ireland.
[55]
It has been suggested that it was the sending of this letter which provoked the trial which
Patrick mentions in the Confession.[56]

Seventh-century writings
An early document which is silent concerning Patrick is the letter of Columbanus to Pope
Boniface IV of about 613. Columbanus writes that Ireland's Christianity "was first handed to us
by you, the successors of the holy apostles", apparently referring to Palladius only, and ignoring
Patrick.[57] Writing on the Easter controversy in 632 or 633, Cummianit is uncertain whether this
is Cummne Fota, associated with Clonfert, or Cummne Finddoes refer to Patrick, calling
him "our papa", that is, pope or primate.[58]
Two works by late seventh-century hagiographers of Patrick have survived. These are the
writings of Trechn and the Vita sancti Patricii of Muirch moccu Machtheni.[59] Both writers
relied upon an earlier work, now lost, the Book of Ultn.[60] This Ultn, probably the same person
as Ultan of Ardbraccan, was Trechn's foster-father. His obituary is given in the Annals of
Ulster under the year 657.[61] These works thus date from a century and a half after Patrick's
death.
Trechn writes, "I found four names for Patrick written in the book of Ultn, bishop of the tribe
of Conchobar: holy Magonus (that is, "famous"); Succetus (that is, the god of
war); Patricius (that is, father of the citizens); Cothirtiacus (because he served four houses of
druids)."[62]
Muirchu records much the same information, adding that "[h]is mother was named
Concessa."[63] The name Cothirtiacus, however, is simply the Latinized form of Old
IrishCothraige, which is the Q-Celtic form of Latin Patricius.[64]
The Patrick portrayed by Trechn and Muirchu is a martial figure, who contests with druids,
overthrows pagan idols, and curses kings and kingdoms.[65] On occasion, their accounts
contradict Patrick's own writings: Trechn states that Patrick accepted gifts from female
converts although Patrick himself flatly denies this. However, the emphasis Trechn and
Muirchu placed on female converts, and in particular royal and noble women who became nuns,
is thought to be a genuine insight into Patrick's work of conversion. Patrick also worked with the
unfree and the poor, encouraging them to vows of monastic chastity. Trechn's account
suggests that many early Patrician churches were combined with nunneries founded by Patrick's
noble female converts.[66]
The martial Patrick found in Trechn and Muirchu, and in later accounts, echoes similar figures
found during the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. It may be doubted whether
such accounts are an accurate representation of Patrick's time, although such violent events
may well have occurred as Christians gained in strength and numbers. [67]
Much of the detail supplied by Trechn and Muirchu, in particular the churches established by
Patrick, and the monasteries founded by his converts, may relate to the situation in the seventh
century, when the churches which claimed ties to Patrick, and in particular Armagh, were
expanding their influence throughout Ireland in competition with the church of Kildare. In the
same period, Wilfred, Archbishop of York, claimed to speak, as metropolitan archbishop, "for all
the northern part of Britain and of Ireland" at a council held in Rome in the time of Pope Agatho,
thus claiming jurisdiction over the Irish church.[68]
Other presumed early materials include the Irish annals, which contain records from
the Chronicle of Ireland. These sources have conflated Palladius and Patrick.[69] Another early
document is the so-called First Synod of Saint Patrick. This is a seventh-century document,
once, but no longer, taken as to contain a fifth-century original text. It apparently collects the
results of several early synods, and represents an era when pagans were still a major force in
Ireland. The introduction attributes it to Patrick, Auxilius, and Iserninus, a claim which "cannot be
taken at face value."[70]

Legends
Patrick uses shamrock in an illustrative parable
 St. Patrick depicted with shamrock in detail of stained glass window in St. Benin's Church, Kilbennan,
County Galway, Ireland

Legend credits St. Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by
showing people the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of
three persons in one God.[71][72] This story first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older.
The shamrock has since become a central symbol for St Patrick's Day.
In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities, a fact that
may have aided St Patrick in his evangelisation efforts when he "held up a shamrock and
discoursed on the Christian Trinity".[73][74] Patricia Monaghan says there is no evidence that the
shamrock was sacred to the pagan Irish.[73] However, Jack Santino speculates that it may have
represented the regenerative powers of nature, and was recast in a Christian context. Icons of
St Patrick often depict the saint "with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other".
[75]
Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of
the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity".[76]

Patrick banishes all snakes from Ireland

The absence of snakes in Ireland gave rise to the legend that they had all been banished by St.
Patrick[77] chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast he was
undertaking on top of a hill.[78] This hagiographic theme draws on the Biblical account of the staff
of the prophet Moses. In Exodus 7:87:13, Moses and Aaron use their staffs in their struggle
with Pharaoh's sorcerers, the staffs of each side morphing into snakes. Aaron's snake-staff
prevails by consuming the other snakes.[79]
 Image of St. Patrick banishing the snakes

However, all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes.[80] "At no time has
there ever been any suggestion of snakes in Ireland, so [there was] nothing for St. Patrick to
banish", says naturalist Nigel Monaghan, keeper of natural history at the National Museum of
Ireland in Dublin, who has searched extensively through Irish fossil collections and records. [78]

Patrick's walking stick grows into a living tree

Some Irish legends involve the Oilliphist, the Caornach, and the Copg Phdraig. During his
evangelising journey back to Ireland from his parent's home at Birdoswald, he is understood to
have carried with him an ash wood walking stick or staff. He thrust this stick into the ground
wherever he was evangelising and at the place now known as Aspatria (ash of Patrick) the
message of the dogma took so long to get through to the people there that the stick had taken
root by the time he was ready to move on.

Patrick speaks with ancient Irish ancestors

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The twelfth-century work Acallam na Senrach tells of Patrick being met by two ancient
warriors, Calte mac Rnin and Oisn, during his evangelical travels. The two were once
members of Fionn mac Cumhaill's warrior band the Fianna, and somehow survived to Patrick's
time. In the work St. Patrick seeks to convert the warriors to Christianity, while they defend their
pagan past. The heroic pagan lifestyle of the warriors, of fighting and feasting and living close to
nature, is contrasted with the more peaceful, but unheroic and non-sensual life offered by
Christianity.

Folk piety
The version of the details of his life generally accepted by modern scholars, as elaborated by
later sources, popular writers and folk piety, typically includes extra details such that Patrick,
originally named Maewyn Succat, was born in 387 AD in (among other candidate locations, see
above) Banna venta Berniae[81] to the parents Calpernius and Conchessa. At the age of 16 in 403
AD Saint Patrick was captured and enslaved by the Irish and was sent to Ireland to serve as a
slave herding and tending sheep in Dalriada.[82]During his time in captivity Saint Patrick became
fluent in the Irish language and culture. After six years, Saint Patrick escaped captivity after
hearing a voice urging him to travel to a distant port where a ship would be waiting to take him
back to Britain.[83] On his way back to Britain Saint Patrick was captured again and spent 60 days
in captivity in Tours, France. During his short captivity within France, Saint Patrick learned about
French monasticism. At the end of his second captivity Saint Patrick had a vision of Victoricus
giving him the quest of bringing Christianity to Ireland.[84] Following his second captivity Saint
Patrick returned to Ireland and, using the knowledge of Irish language and culture that he gained
during his first captivity, brought Christianity and monasticism to Ireland in the form of more than
300 churches and over 100,000 Irish baptised.[85]
According to the Annals of the Four Masters, an early-modern compilation of earlier annals, his
corpse soon became an object of conflict in the Battle for the Body of St. Patrick.

Alternative interpretations
A recent alternative interpretation of Patrick's departure to Ireland suggests that as the son of
a decurion he would have been obliged by Roman law to serve on the town council (curia), but
chose instead to abscond from the onerous obligations of this office by fleeing abroad, as many
others in his position had done in what has become known as the 'flight of the curiales'.
[86]
However, according to Patrick's own account, it was the raiders who brought him to Ireland
where he was enslaved and held captive for six years.[87] Roy Flechner also asserts the
improbability of an escape from servitude and journey of the kind that Patrick purports to have
undertaken. He also draws attention to the biblical allusions in Patrick's own account (e.g.
the topos of freedom after six years of servitude in Exod. 21:2 or Jer. 34:14), which imply that
perhaps parts of the account may not have been intended to be understood literally.[88]

Saint Patrick's crosses

Main article: List of Saint Patrick's Crosses

Image of St. Patrick showing cross patte on his robes

There are two main types of crosses associated with St. Patrick, the cross patte and the saltire.
The cross patte is the more traditional association, while the association with the saltire dates
from 1783 and the Order of St. Patrick.

Logo of Down District Council showing the cross patte

The cross patte has long been associated with St. Patrick, for reasons that are uncertain. One
possible reason is that bishops' mitres in Ecclesiastical heraldry often appear surmounted by a
cross patte.[89][90] An example of this can be seen on the old crest of the Brothers of St. Patrick.
[91]
As St. Patrick was the founding bishop of the Irish church, the symbol may have become
associated with him. St. Patrick is traditionally portrayed in the vestments of a bishop, and his
mitre and garments are often decorated with a cross patte.[92][93][94][95][96]
The cross patte retains its link to St. Patrick to the present day. For example,it appears on the
coat of arms of both the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh[97] and the Church of Ireland
Archdiocese of Armagh.[98] This is on account of St. Patrick being regarded as the first bishop of
the Diocese of Armagh. It is also used by Down District Council which has its headquarters
in Downpatrick, the reputed burial place at St. Patrick.
Saint Patrick's Saltire is a red saltire on a white field. It is used in the insignia of the Order of
Saint Patrick, established in 1783, and after the Acts of Union 1800 it was combined with
the Saint George's Cross of England and the Saint Andrew's Cross of Scotland to form
the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. A saltire was intermittently
used as a symbol of Ireland from the seventeenth century, but without reference to Saint Patrick.

Traditional St. Patrick's Day badges from the early twentieth century, from the Museum of Country Life,
Castlebar

It was formerly a common custom to wear a cross made of paper or ribbon on St Patrick's Day.
Surviving examples of such badges come in many colours[99] and they were worn upright rather
than as saltires.[100]
Thomas Dinely, an English traveller in Ireland in 1681, remarked that "the Irish of all stations and
condicns were crosses in their hatts, some of pins, some of green ribbon." [101] Jonathan Swift,
writing to "Stella" of Saint Patrick's Day 1713, said "the Mall was so full of crosses that I thought
all the world was Irish".[102] In the 1740s, the badges pinned were multicoloured interlaced fabric.
[103]
In the 1820s, they were only worn by children, with simple multicoloured daisy patterns. [103]
[104]
In the 1890s, they were almost extinct, and a simple green Greek cross inscribed in a circle of
paper (similar to the Ballina crest pictured).[105] The Irish Times in 1935 reported they were still
sold in poorer parts of Dublin, but fewer than those of previous years "some in velvet or
embroidered silk or poplin, with the gold paper cross entwined with shamrocks and ribbons". [106]

Saint Patrick's Bell

The Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell

The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin possesses a bell (Clog Phdraig)[107][109] first mentioned,
according to the Annals of Ulster, in the Book of Cuanu in the year 552. The bell was part of a
collection of "relics of Patrick" removed from his tomb sixty years after his death by Colum
Cille to be used as relics. The bell is described as "The Bell of the Testament", one of three relics
of "precious minna" (extremely valuable items), of which the other two are described as Patrick's
goblet and "The Angels Gospel". Colum Cille is described to have been under the direction of an
"Angel" for whom he sent the goblet to Down, the bell to Armagh, and kept possession of the
Angel's Gospel for himself. The name Angels Gospel is given to the book because it was
supposed that Colum Cille received it from the angel's hand. A stir was caused in 1044 when two
kings, in some dispute over the bell, went on spates of prisoner taking and cattle theft. The
annals make one more apparent reference to the bell when chronicling a death, of 1356:
"Solomon Ua Mellain, The Keeper of The Bell of the Testament, protector, rested in Christ."
The bell was encased in a "bell shrine", a distinctive Irish type of reliquary made for it, as an
inscription records, by King Domnall Ua Lochlainn sometime between 1091 and 1105. The
shrine is an important example of the final, Viking-influenced, style of Irish Celtic art, with
intricate Urnes style decoration in gold and silver. The Gaelic inscription on the shrine also
records the name of the maker "U INMAINEN" (which translates to "Noonan"), "who with his
sons enriched/decorated it"; metalwork was often inscribed for remembrance.
The bell itself is simple in design, hammered into shape with a small handle fixed to the top with
rivets. Originally forged from iron, it has since been coated in bronze. The shrine is inscribed
with three names, including King Domnall Ua Lochlainn's. The rear of the shrine, not intended to
be seen, is decorated with crosses while the handle is decorated with, among other work, Celtic
designs of birds. The bell is accredited with working a miracle in 1044 and having been coated in
bronze to shield it from human eyes, for which it would be too holy. It measures 12.5 10 cm at
the base, 12.8 4 cm at the shoulder, 16.5 cm from base to shoulder, 3.3 cm from shoulder to
top of handle and weighs 1.7 kg.[110]

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Main article: Saint Patrick's Breastplate
Saint Patrick's Breastplate is a lorica, or hymn, which is attributed to Saint Patrick during his Irish
ministry in the 5th century.

Saint Patrick and Irish identity

St. Patrick features in many stories in the Irish oral tradition and there are many customs
connected with his feast day. The folklorist Jenny Butler[111] discusses how these traditions have
been given new layers of meaning over time while also becoming tied to Irish identity both in
Ireland and abroad. The symbolic resonance of the St. Patrick figure is complex and
multifaceted, stretching from that of Christianitys arrival in Ireland to an identity that
encompasses everything Irish. In some portrayals, the saint is symbolically synonymous with the
Christian religion itself. There is also evidence of a combination of indigenous religious traditions
with that of Christianity, which places St Patrick in the wider framework of cultural hybridity.
Popular religious expression has this characteristic feature of merging elements of culture. Later
in time, the saint becomes associated specifically with Catholic Ireland and synonymously with
Irish national identity. Subsequently, St. Patrick is a patriotic symbol along with the colour green
and the shamrock. St. Patrick's Day celebrations include many traditions that are known to be
relatively recent historically, but have endured through time because of their association either
with religious or national identity. They have persisted in such a way that they have become
stalwart traditions, viewed as the strongest "Irish traditions".

Sainthood and modern remembrance

The neo-gothic St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, as seen from Rockefeller Center

17 March, popularly known as St. Patrick's Day, is believed to be his death date and is the date
celebrated as his Feast Day.[112] The day became a feast day in the Catholic Church due to the
influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding, as a member of the
commission for the reform of the Breviary in the early part of the seventeenth century.[113]
For most of Christianity's first thousand years, canonisations were done on the diocesan or
regional level. Relatively soon after the death of people considered very holy, the local Church
affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints. As a result, St. Patrick has never
been formally canonised by a Pope; nevertheless, various Christian churches declare that he is
a Saint in Heaven (he is in the List of Saints). He is still widely venerated in Ireland and
elsewhere today.[114]
St. Patrick is honoured with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church
(USA) and with a commemoration on the calendar of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, both on 17
March. St. Patrick is also venerated in the Orthodox Church, especially among English-speaking
Orthodox Christians living in Ireland, the UK and in the USA.[115] There are
Orthodox icons dedicated to him.[116]
St. Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, alongside St.
Brigid and St. Columba, although this has never been proven. Saint Patrick Visitor Centre is a
modern exhibition complex located in Downpatrick and is a permanent interpretative exhibition
centre featuring interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick. It provides the only
permanent exhibition centre in the world devoted to Saint Patrick.[117]

Places associated with Saint Patrick

Slemish, County Antrim, traditionally associated with Saint Patrick's time as a shepherd slave.

Slemish, County Antrim

 St Patrick's statue at Saul, County Down

St Patrick's Oratory at the top of Croagh Patrick, County Mayo

Slemish, County Antrim and Killala Bay, County Mayo

When captured by raiders, there are two theories as to where Patrick was enslaved. One
theory is that he herded sheep in the countryside around Slemish. Another theory is that
Patrick herded sheep near Killala Bay, at a place called Fochill.

Saul, County Down (from Irish: Sabhall Phdraig, meaning "Patrick's barn")[118]
It is claimed that Patrick founded his first church in a barn at Saul, which was donated to him
by a local chieftain called Dichu. It is also claimed that Patrick died at Saul or was brought
there between his death and burial. Nearby, on the crest of Slieve Patrick, is a huge statue of
Saint Patrick with bronze panels showing scenes from his life.

Hill of Slane, County Meath

Muirchu moccu Machtheni, in his highly mythologised seventh-century Life of Patrick, says
that Patrick lit a Paschal fire on this hilltop in 433 in defiance of High King Laoire. The story
says that the fire could not be doused by anyone but Patrick, and it was here that he
explained the holy trinity using the shamrock.

Croagh Patrick, County Mayo (from Irish: Cruach Phdraig, meaning "Patrick's
stack")[119]
It is claimed that Patrick climbed this mountain and fasted on its summit for the forty days
of Lent. Croagh Patrick draws thousands of pilgrims who make the trek to the top on the last
Sunday in July.

Lough Derg, County Donegal (from Irish: Loch Dearg, meaning "red lake")
[120]
It is claimed that Patrick killed a large serpent on this lake and that its blood turned the water
red (hence the name). Each August, pilgrims spend three days fasting and praying there on
Station Island.

Armagh, County Armagh

It is claimed that Patrick founded a church here and proclaimed it to be the most holy church
in Ireland. Armagh is today the primary seat of both the Catholic Church in Ireland and the
Church of Ireland, and both cathedrals in the town are named after Patrick.

Downpatrick, County Down (from Irish: Dn Pdraig, meaning

"Patrick's stronghold")[121]
It is claimed that Patrick was brought here after his death and buried in the grounds of Down
Cathedral.

Stone found below St. Patrick's Well. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin,
Ireland.

Other places named after Saint Patrick include:

Ardpatrick, County Limerick (from Irish: Ard Pdraig, meaning

"high place of Patrick")[122]

Patrick Water (Old Patrick Water), Elderslie, Renfrewshire. from

Scots' Gaelic "AlltPadraig" meaning Patrick's Burn [123][124][125][126]

Patrickswell or Toberpatrick, County Limerick (from Irish: Tobar

Phdraig, meaning "Patrick's well")[127]

St Patrick's Chapel, Heysham

St Patrick's Island, County Dublin

 Old Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, Scotland from "Cill Phdraig,"
Patrick's Church, a claimant to his birthplace

St Patrick's Isle, off the Isle of Man

St. Patricks, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the

Baie Verte district of Newfoundland

Llanbadrig (church), Ynys Badrig (island), Porth Padrig (cove),

Llyn Padrig (lake), and Rhosbadrig (heath) on the island
of Anglesey in Wales

Templepatrick, County Antrim (from Irish: Teampall Phdraig,

meaning "Patrick's church")[128]

St Patrick's Hill, Liverpool, on old maps of the town near to the

former location of "St Patrick's Cross"[129]

Patreksfjrur, Iceland

Parroquia San Patricio y Espiritu Santo. Loiza, Puerto Rico.

The site was initially mentioned in 1645 as a chapel. The actual
building was completed by 1729, is one of the oldest churches
in the Americas and today represents the faith of many Irish
immigrants that settled in Loiza by the end of the 18th century.
Today it is a museum.

In literature
Robert Southey wrote a ballad called Saint Patrick's Purgatory,
based on popular legends surrounding the saint's name.

Patrick is mentioned in a 17th-century ballad about "Saint

George and the Dragon"

Stephen R. Lawhead wrote the fictional Patrick: Son of

Ireland based on the life of the celebrated Saint.[130]

See also

Saints portal

Ireland portal

Saint Mun, his nephew

 St Patrick halfpenny

St. Patrick's blue

St Patrick's Purgatory

List of Catholic saints

References
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2. Jump up^ Hutchison-Hall, John (Ellsworth) (2012). Orthodox

Saints of the British Isles - Volume I (1 ed.). St. Eadfrith Press.
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3. Jump up^ MacAnnaidh, S. 2013. Irish History. Parragon Books

Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4723-2723-9

4. Jump up^ Both texts in original Latin, various translations and

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5. Jump up^ Macthni, Muirch maccu; White, Newport John

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7. Jump up^ Eoin Mac Neill, St. Patrick, Clonmore and Reynolds,
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8. Jump up^ Anthony Harvey, "The Significance

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9. Jump up^ Dumville 1993, p. 16

10. Jump up^ See Flechner, 2011, pp. 125-26.

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13. ^ Jump up to:a b Byrne 1973, pp. 7879

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18. Jump up^ Byrne 1973, p. 80

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21. Jump up^ Byrne, pp. 7879; De Paor (1993), pp. 67 & 88
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22. Jump up^ There may well have been Christian "Irish" people in
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28. Jump up^ De Paor glosses it as "[probably near] Carlisle" and

Thomas argues at length for the areas of Birdoswald, twenty
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29. Jump up^ MacNeill, Eoin (1926). "Papers read for the Royal
Irish Academy". Dublin: Hodges, Figgis: 118140. Retrieved 17
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interest a raider seeking quick access to booty and numerous
slaves, while the southern coast of Wales offered both. In
addition, the region was home to U Liathin and possibly
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obtain booty and capture slaves. MacNeill also suggests a
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p. 221222

49. Jump up^ Confessio; 21

50. Jump up^ This is presumed to refer to St. Patrick's tonsure.

51. Jump up^ After Crinn, p.32; De Paor (1993), p. 180 See
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Muirch's Portrayal of Saint Patrick" The Harvard Theological
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66. Jump up^ Charles-Edwards 2000, pp. 224226

67. Jump up^ Crinn, pp. 3033. Ramsay

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Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase
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clover or wood sorrel (both of which are called shamrocks) were
sacred to the Celts in any way. However, the Celts had a
philosophical and cosmological vision of triplicity, with many of
their divinities appearing in three. Thus when St. Patrick,
attempting to convert the Druids on Beltane, held up a shamrock
and discoursed on the Christian Trinity, the three-in-one god, he
was doing more than finding a homely symbol for a complex
religious concept. He was indicating knowledge of the
significance of three in the Celtic realm, a knowledge that
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74. Jump up^ Hegarty, Neil (24 April 2012). Story of Ireland. Ebury
Publishing. ISBN 9781448140398. In some ways, though, the
Christian mission resonated: pre-Christian devotion was
characterized by, for example, the worship of gods in groups of
three, by sayings collected in threes (triads), and so on - from all
of which the concept of the Holy Trinity was not so very far
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Baynes, T.S., Encyclopdia Britannica, 3 (9th ed.), New York:
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109. Jump up^ The bell was formerly known as "The Bell of St
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medieval forgery which purported to have been the saint's last
will and testament.

110.Jump up^ Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.:
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McLaughlan website

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Further reading
Brown, Peter (2003). The rise of Western Christendom : triumph and
diversity, A.D. 2001000 (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-
22138-7

Bury, John Bagnell (1905). "Life of St. Patrick and his Place in
History". London

Byrne, Francis J. (1973). Irish Kings and High-Kings. London:

Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-5882-8

Cahill, Thomas (1995). How the Irish Saved Civilization. New York:
Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-41849-3
 Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000). Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36395-0

Dark, Ken (2000). Britain and the end of the Roman Empire. Stroud:
Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2532-3

De Paor, Liam (1993). Saint Patrick's World: The Christian Culture of

Ireland's Apostolic Age. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-
144-9

Duffy, Sen,, ed. (1997). Atlas of Irish History. Dublin: Gill and
Macmillan. ISBN 0-7171-3093-2

Dumville, David (1994). "The Death date of St. Patrick"". In Howlett,

David. The Book of Letters of Saint Patrick the Bishop. Dublin: Four
Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-136-8

Flechner, Roy (2011). "Patrick's Reasons for Leaving Britain". In

Russell, Edmonds. Tome: Studies in Medieval Celtic History and Law
in Honour of Thomas Charles-Edwards. Woodbridge: Boydell
Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-661-2

Fletcher, Richard (1997). The Conversion of Europe: From Paganism

to Christianity 3711386 AD. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-
686302-7

Hood, A. B. E (1978). St. Patrick: his Writings, and Muirch's Life.

London and Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-299-0

Hughes, Kathleen (1972). Early Christian Ireland: Introduction to the

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External links
St. Patrick's Confession and Epistola online from the Royal
Irish Academy

Wikiquote has quotations

related to: Saint Patrick
 Wikisource has original
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Saint Patrick

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Saint
Patrick.

Works by Saint Patrick at Project Gutenberg

Works by or about Saint Patrick at Internet Archive

Works by Saint Patrick at LibriVox (public domain

audiobooks)

The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick, edited by James

O'Leary, 1880, from Project Gutenberg.

BBC: Religion & Ethics, Christianity: Saint Patrick (Incl. audio)

Opera Omnia by Migne Patristica Latina with analytical indexes

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College

Cork includes Patrick's Confessio and Epistola, as well as
various lives of Saint Patrick.

Saint Patrick's Confessio Hypertext Stack as published by the

Royal Irish Academy Dictionary of Medieval Latin from Celtic
Sources (DMLCS) freely providing digital scholarly editions of
St Patrick's writings as well as translations and digital
facsimiles of all extant manuscript copies.

History Hub.ie: Saint Patrick Historical Man and Popular Myth

by Elva Johnston (University College Dublin)

St. Patrick Timeline | Church History Timelines

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Hiberno-Latin culture to 1169

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 Saints of Anglo-Saxon England

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Saints of Ireland

WorldCat Identities

VIAF: 4934807

LCCN: n80104029

ISNI: 0000 0001 1781 1326

GND: 118641514

SELIBR: 197170

BNF: cb11918774g (data)