The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a series of expeditions in the 6th and 7th centuries by
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...
missionaries originating from
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
that spread
Celtic Christianity in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
and
Merovingian France. Celtic Christianity spread first within the
Kingdom of Dál Riata, within Ireland and the western coast of Scotland. Since the 8th and 9th centuries, these early missions were called 'Celtic Christianity'.
There is dispute over the relationship of the Hiberno-Scottish mission to
Catholic Christianity
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Catholic sources claim it functioned under the authority of the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
,
while Protestant historians highlight conflicts between Celtic and Catholic clergy.
There is agreement that the
mission was not strictly coordinated.
Etymology
''
Hibernia'' is the Latin name for the island of Ireland.
The Latin term '
''
Scotti refers to the Gaelic-speaking people of Ireland and western Scotland. From this term, developed an alternate Latin name for the territory in which the Scotti lived: '
Scotia'.
''Schottenklöster'' (German for 'Scottish monasteries') is the name applied to the Bible schools established by Gaelic missionaries in Continental Europe, particularly to those in Germany that became
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monasteries. Ireland's
sobriquet "Island of Saints and Scholars" derives from this period.
Columba in Scotland
Columba was an Irish prince born in 521 and educated at the Bible school at
Clonard. At the age of 25, Columba’s first mission involved the establishment of a school at
Derry.
Following this, Columba spent seven years allegedly establishing over 300 churches and church schools.
Adamnan says of Columba:
He could not pass the space even of a single hour without applying himself either to prayer, or reading, or writing, or else to some manual labor.
In 563, Columba sailed to Scotland with about 200 other missionaries hoping to spread Celtic Christianity among the largely pagan
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
.
The lord of the island of
Mull, a
Gael of
Dál Riada, was a relative of Columba and granted the missionaries ownership of
Iona, where they established a
Bible school.
Bede writes that Columba converted the Picts to the word of God,
suggesting that Bible teaching was the central means of conversion. Students routinely studied for 18 years before
ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
, an indicator of the depth of
theological
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...
learning required by the Celtic Church. This school remained Celtic until they were driven out by the
Benedictines in 1204.
Dunod in Wales
Dunod was a disciple of Columba who established a Bible school at
Bangor-on-Dee in 560. The school had such a large student body that seven deans presided over at least 300 students each.
The mission's conflict with
Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
is noteworthy.
Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...
"invested Augustine with jurisdiction over all the bishops of the British Church" when he arrived in Britain in 597. Neander writes:
The abbot of the most distinguished British monastery, at Bangor, Deynoch by name, whose opinion in ecclesiastical affairs had the most weight with his countrymen, when urged by Augustin to submit in all things to the ordinances of the Roman Church, gave him the following remarkable answer: “We are all ready to listen to the church of God, to the pope at Rome, and to every pious Christian, that so we may show to each, according to his station, perfect love, and uphold him by word and deed. We know not, that any other obedience can be required of us towards him whom you call the pope or the father of fathers.”
Representatives from Bangor attended two conferences with Augustine, at which they declared “that they could not depart from their ancient customs without the consent and leave of their people” and that they could not accept the supremacy of the pope “nor receive
ugustineas their archbishop”.
Dunod asserted his independence from Augustine on the grounds that they adhered to what their holy fathers held before them, who were the friends of God and the followers of the apostles.
In Wales, Celtic Christianity long maintained its position with its peculiar ideas and exceptional beliefs. The Bible school at Bangor was destroyed in 613 by
King Æthelfrith.
Aidan in England
Aidan
Aidan or Aiden is a modern version of a number of Celtic language names, including the Irish male given name ''Aodhán'', the Scottish Gaelic given name Aodhan and the Welsh name Aeddan. Phonetic variants, such as spelled with an "e" instead o ...
was educated at Iona. In 634,
King Oswald invited Aidan to the Northumbrian court to teach the doctrines of Celtic Christianity. Oswald granted Aidan the island of
Lindisfarne for a Bible school. Upon his death in 651, Aidan was succeeded by
Finan and then by
Colman, both of whom had been educated at Iona.
From Northumbria, Aidan's mission spread throughout the
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
kingdoms and similar Bible schools were established in
Bernicia
Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.
The Anglian territory of Bernicia was ap ...
,
Deira,
Mercia
la, Merciorum regnum
, conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia
, common_name=Mercia
, status=Kingdom
, status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex ()
, life_span=527–918
, era=Heptarchy
, event_start=
, date_start=
, y ...
and
East Anglia. It is estimated that two thirds of the Anglo-Saxon population were converted to Celtic Christianity at this time.
Columbanus in Francia
Columbanus was born in 543 and studied at Bangor Abbey until c. 590,
when he travelled to the continent with twelve companions,
including
Attala, Columbanus the Younger,
Gallus,
and
Domgal.
The mission was welcomed by
King Guntram of Burgundy and schools were established at
Anegray,
Luxeuil and
Fontaines.
When
Theuderic II expelled Columbanus from Burgundy in 610, Columbanus established
Mehrerau Abbey at
Bregnenz with the support of
Theudebert II
Theudebert II () (c.585-612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as w ...
.
When Theuderic II conquered
Austrasia in 612, Columbanus fled to
Lombardy, where he was welcomed by
King Agilulf. In 614, he established a school at
Bobbio.
During the 7th century the disciples of Columbanus and other Gaelic missionaries founded several monasteries in what are now France, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. The best known are:
St. Gall
Gall ( la, Gallus; 550 646) according to hagiographic tradition was a disciple and one of the traditional twelve companions of Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. Deicolus was the elder brother of Gall.
Biography
The ...
in Switzerland,
Disibodenberg in the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
Palatinate,
Palatium
The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...
at
Besançon,
Lure and Cusance in the
Diocese of Besançon,
Bèze
Bèze () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geog ...
in the
Diocese of Langres,
Remiremont Abbey and
Moyenmoutier Abbey in the
Diocese of Toul,
Fosses-la-Ville in the
Diocese of Liège,
Mont Saint-Quentin
Mont Saint-Quentin overlooks the Somme River in the region of Picardie approximately 1.5 km north of the town of Péronne, Somme, France. The hill is about 100 metres high but as it is situated in a bend of the river it dominates the whole ...
at
Péronne, Ebersmunster in Lower Alsace, St. Martin's at Cologne, the
Scots Monastery, Regensburg,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...
and
Würzburg.
In Italy, Fiesole produced
Saint Donatus of Fiesole and
Andrew the Scot
Andrew the Scot (also known as Andrew of Tuscany and Andrew of Fiesole) was the Irish-born student and assistant of St. Donatus. He served as archdeacon of Fiesole under Bishop Donatus.
Life
Andrew the Scot was born in Ireland near the beginni ...
of
Fiesole
Fiesole () is a town and '' comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times.
...
. Another early Schottenkloster was
Säckingen in
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
, founded by the Irish missionary
Fridolin of Säckingen who is said to have founded another at
Konstanz. Other Hiberno-Scottish missionaries active at the time, predominantly in
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
, were
Wendelin of Trier
Saint Wendelin of Trier ( la, Vendelinus; 554 - 617 AD) was a hermit and abbot. Although not listed in the Roman Martyrology, his cultus is wide-spread in German-speaking areas. He is a patron of country folk and herdsmen. He is honored on O ...
,
Saint Kilian,
Arbogast,
Landelin
Saint Landelin (Dutch and la, Landelinus; french: La(u)ndelin; 625 – 686 AD in what is now Belgium) is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.
Life
Landelin was born to a noble family at Vaux near Bapaume in 623, ...
,
Trudpert
Saint Trudpert (d. 607 or 644) was a missionary in Germany in the seventh century. He is generally called a Celtic monk from Ireland, but some consider him a German.
Life
According to legend, he went first to Rome in order to receive from the p ...
,
Pirmin
Saint Pirmin (latinized ''Pirminius'', born before 700 ( according to many sources), died November 3, 753 in Hornbach), was a Merovingian-era monk and missionary.
He founded or restored numerous monasteries in Alemannia (Swabia), especially in ...
(founded
Reichenau abbey),
Saint Gall (Abbey of St. Gall),
Corbinian,
Emmeram
Saint Emmeram of Regensburg (also ''Emeram(m)us'', ''Emmeran'', ''Emmerano'', ''Emeran'', ''Heimrammi'', ''Haimeran'', or ''Heimeran'') was a Christian bishop and a martyr born in Poitiers, Aquitaine. Having heard of idolatry in Bavaria, Emmera ...
and
Rupert of Salzburg.
After Columbanus (8th to 13th centuries)
Hiberno-Scottish activity in Europe continued after the death of Columbanus. There were monastic foundations in
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
England, the first in about 630 at "Cnobheresburgh", an unknown place in
East Anglia but possibly
Burgh Castle mentioned by
Bede. Others such as
Malmesbury Abbey, perhaps
Bosham
Bosham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England, centred about west of Chichester with its clustered developed part west of this. Its land forms a broad peninsula projecting into natural Chic ...
, and
Glastonbury Abbey had strong Irish links. The profile of Iona declined, and from 698 until the reign of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
in the 770s, the Hiberno-Scottish efforts in the Frankish Empire were continued by the
Anglo-Saxon mission – see
Germanic Christianity.
Irish monks known as
Papar
The Papar (; from Latin ''papa'', via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were, according to early Icelandic sagas, Irish monks who took eremitic residence in parts of what is now Iceland before that island's habitation by the Norsemen ...
are said to have been present in Iceland before its settlement from AD 874 onwards by the
Norse. The oldest source mentioning the Papar is the ''
Íslendingabók'' ("Book of the Icelanders"), between 1122 and 1133. The book states that the Norse found Irish priests, with bells and crosiers, at Iceland at the time of their arrival. Such figures are also mentioned in the Icelandic ''
Landnámabók
(, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.
is divided into five parts and ov ...
'' ("Book of Settlements", possibly going back to the early 12th century).
Among the Irish monks who were active in Central Europe were two particularly important theologians,
Marianus Scotus and
Johannes Scotus Eriugena. Legends of Irish foundations are recorded in a
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...
text known as ''Charlemagne and the Scottish
rishSaints'' (Shaw, 1981).
The rule of St. Columbanus, which was originally followed in most of these monasteries, was soon superseded by that of
St. Benedict. Later
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...
missionaries founded
Honau in Baden (about 721),
Murbach in Upper Alsace (about 727),
Altomünster
Altomünster is a municipality in the district of Dachau in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
Geographical location
The market is located northwest of Dachau and almost in the middle of the triangle formed by the cities of Munich, Augsburg and Ingo ...
in Upper
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
(about 749), while other Gaelic monks restored St. Michel in Thiérache (940), Walsort near
Namur (945), and, at Cologne, the Monasteries of St. Clement (about 953), St. Martin (about 980), St. Symphorian (about 990), and St. Pantaléon (1042).
Towards the end of the 11th and in the 12th century a number of ''Schottenklöster'', intended for Irish monks exclusively, sprang up in Germany. About 1072, three monks, Marianus, Iohannus, and Candidus, took up their abode at the little Church of Weih-St-Peter at
Regensburg (called Ratisbon in older literature). Their number soon increased and a larger monastery was built for them (about 1090) by Burgrave Otto of Regensburg and his brother Henry. This became the famous
Scots Monastery of St. James in Regensburg, the mother-house of a series of other ''Schottenklöster''. It founded the Abbeys of St. James at
Würzburg (about 1134), St. Aegidius at
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
(1140), St. James at
Constance (1142),
Our Blessed Lady at
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
(1158), St. Nicolas at
Memmingen (1168), Holy Cross at
Eichstätt (1194), and the Priory of
Kelheim
Kelheim () is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 16,750 (2020).
History
Kelheim is ...
(1231). These, together with the Abbey of St. James at
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...
(1036), and the Priory of Weih-St-Peter at Ratisbon formed the famous congregation of the German ''Schottenklöster'' which was erected by
Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...
in 1215, with the Abbot of St. James at Ratisbon as abbot-general.
14th century onwards
In the 14th and 15th centuries most of these monasteries were on the decline, partly for want of Irish monks, and partly on account of great laxity of discipline and financial difficulties.
In consequence, the abbeys of
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
and
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
were withdrawn from the Irish congregation and repeopled by German monks in 1418.
St. James's Abbey, Würzburg, was left without any monks after the death of Abbot Philip in 1497. It was then re-peopled by German monks and in 1506 joined the
congregation of Bursfeld
The Bursfelde Congregation, also called Bursfelde Union, was a union of predominantly west and central German Benedictine monasteries, of both men and women, working for the reform of Benedictine practice. It was named after Bursfelde Abbey.
Back ...
.
In 1595, however, it was granted to the Scottish congregation and occupied by Scottish monks until its suppression in 1803. The abbey of Constance began to decline in the first half of the 15th century and was suppressed in 1530. That of Memmingen also disappeared during the early period of the Protestant Reformation in the following century.
The Abbey of Holy Cross at Eichstatt seems to have ceased early in the 14th century. In consequence of the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
in Scotland many Scottish Benedictines left their country and took refuge in the Schottenklöster of Germany during the 16th century.
The Scottish monasteries in Ratisbon,
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...
, and Würzburg again began to flourish temporarily, but all endeavours to regain the monasteries of Nuremberg, Vienna, and Constance for monks of Scottish nationality failed.
In 1692, Abbot Placidus Flemming of Ratisbon reorganized the Scottish congregation which now comprised the monasteries of Ratisbon
Regensburg, Erfurt, and Würzburg, the only remaining Schottenklöster in Germany. He also erected a seminary in connection with the monastery at Ratisbon.
But the forced secularization of monasteries in 1803 put an end to the Scottish abbeys of Erfurt and Würzburg, leaving St. James's at Ratisbon as the only surviving Schottenkloster in Germany. Since 1827 this monastery was again permitted to accept novices but the number of its monks dwindled down to two capitulars in 1862.
There being no hope of any increase,
Pope Pius IX suppressed this last Schottenkloster in his brief of 2 September 1862. Its revenues were distributed between the diocesan seminary of Ratisbon and the Scots College at Rome.
See also
References
Further reading
*
* Crawford, Barbara (ed.)
''Scotland In Dark Age Britain''(St Andrews, 1996)
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiberno-Scottish Mission
Catholic missions
Christian missions
Christianity in medieval Ireland
Christianity in medieval Scotland
History of Christianity in Belgium
History of Christianity in England
History of Christianity in France
History of Christianity in Germany
History of Christianity in the Netherlands
Merovingian period