Saint Mochta (or Mochtae, Mahew, Mochteus, Maucteus, Mauchteus; died 20 August 535, or A.D. 537), was the last surviving disciple of
Saint Patrick.
Life
Mochta was, like Patrick, a native of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
. His name is British, and
Adomnán
Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (; , ''Adomnanus''; 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( ; from ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and Christian saint, saint. He was the author of the ''Life ...
's ''Life of
Columba
Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...
'' describes him as "a certain British stranger, a holy man and a disciple of the holy bishop Patrick". Adomnán presents Mochta as having prophesied the birth of
Colm Cille.
[Dumville, David. ''Saint Patrick'', Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1999]
According to one account, Mochta was brought to Ireland as a child, along with his parents, by a druid named Hoam. The druid settled in County Louth, where Mochta was brought up as a member of the family. He went to Rome to continue his studies, and there the Pope consecrated him bishop and sent him back to Ireland with twelve companions. The first church he founded was at
Kilmore.
[Healy, John. ''Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum'', Sealy, Bryers & Walker, Dublin, 1908]
/ref> Departing from Kilmore, he left all his possessions to the monks, taking only "the fountain at the door". He followed the stream, (or according to the ''Vita'', the stream followed him) to Louth. This became the river Fane.
He is said to have founded a monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
in Louth in Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. Louth was originally the site of a shrine to the Celtic god Lugh. Mochta's monastery gained a nationwide reputation. Mochta was an accomplished scholar, especially learned in Sacred Scripture. He wrote a rule for monks, but no trace of it has survived. He began a series of annals at Louth, which was continued by his successors, and became known as the ''Book of the Monks''. In his old age, Patrick came and spent some time with Mochta. After Patrick's death, Mochta took charge of Armagh for a brief period before turning it over to Benignus.[
One story has him restoring to life the daughter of the druid Hoam. The young woman then became a nun who made vestments and altar-cloths.][
Both monastery and village were burned and plundered frequently by the Danes in the period 829–968.]["A Gathering of Irish Saints", AOH Division 61, Philadelphia]
/ref> A round tower, built for protection, was blown down in 981.
The ''Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrà Ó Luinà ...
'' report his death twice, in 535 and 537, which points to him being considerably younger than Patrick, whose death the ''Annals'' date to 493. Scholars believe that he, the last of Patrick's disciples then alive, died at the age of 90.[ The entry for 535 dates his death to the 13th of the Calends of September, i.e. 20 August, and quotes the opening of a letter written by him: "Mauchteus, a sinner, priest, disciple of St Patrick, sends greetings in the Lord." However neither the rest of this letter nor any other compositions of his have survived.][Ó CrónÃn, "Hiberno-Latin Literature to 1169", in ''A New History of Ireland vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', p. 372]
See also
* St. Mochta's House
Notes
References
*Anderson, Alan O. & Majorie O. Anderson (eds.). ''Adomnan's Life of Columba''. Edinburgh, 1961.
*Ó CrónÃn, DáibhÃ. ''Early Medieval Ireland: 400-1200''. Longman, 1995.
*Ó CrónÃn, DáibhÃ. "Hiberno-Latin Literature to 1169". In Dáibhà Ó CrónÃn (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005.
*
{{authority control
5th-century births
535 deaths
British Christian missionaries
Romano-British saints
6th-century Christian saints
Medieval saints of Meath
Disciples of Saint Patrick
Christian missionaries in Ireland