Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...
of the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = " O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europ ...
.
[ Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a band of freebooters who was converted to ]Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
by Saint Patrick. His feast day is 25 April.[Butler, Rev. Alban, "St. Macull, of Ireland, Confessor", ''The Lives of the Saints'', Volume IV, 1866]
/ref> His original name is unclear, but was probably adapted from Bishop MacCaille of Croghan, County Offaly, who received Brigit of Kildare into religious life
Legend
One local legend relates that Maughold tried to make a fool out of Patrick. Maughold had, according to this story, placed a living man in a shroud. He then called for Patrick to try to revive the allegedly dead man. Patrick came, placed a hand on the shroud, and left. When Maughold and his friends opened the shroud, they found the man had died in the interim. One of Maughold's friends, a fellow named Connor, went over to Patrick's camp and apologized to him. Patrick returned and baptized all of the men assembled. He then blessed the man who had died, who immediately returned to life, and was also baptized. Patrick then criticized Maughold, saying he should have been helping his men to lead good lives, and told him he must make up for his evil.
As penance for his previous crimes, Patrick ordered him to abandon himself to God in a wicker boat without oars.[ Maughold drifted to this isle, where two of Patrick's disciples, Romulus and Conindrus (Romuil and Conindri), were already established. Tradition says he landed on the northeast corner of the Isle near Ramsey, at the foot of a headland since called ]Maughold Head
Maughold Head is the easternmost point of the Isle of Man and the closest point in the Isle of Man to England, being from St. Bees Head in Cumbria.
Maughold Head lies in the northeast of the island, some from Ramsey, at the southern end o ...
, where he established himself in a cave on the mountainside. He is said to have been chosen by the Manx people to succeed Romuil and Conindri as bishop.[Duffy, Patrick. "St. Maughold", CatholicIreland.net]
/ref>
Maughold is today best remembered on the Isle of Man for his kind disposition toward the Manx natives. Several places on the island, including, Maughold parish, St Maughold's Well,St Maughold's Well
/ref> and St Maughold's Chair are named after him.
References
External links
{{Authority control
488 deaths
Manx saints
5th-century Christian saints
Manx religious leaders
Year of birth unknown