Saint Ciera of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(alternately Chera, Chier, Ciara, Cyra, Keira, Keara, Kiara, Kiera, Ceara, Cier, Ciar) was an
abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey.
Description
In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
in the 7th century who died in 679. Her history is probably commingled with another Cera (alternately Ciar, Ciara) who lived in the 6th century. However, some authors maintain that monastic mistakes account for references to Cera in the 6th century or that a single Cera had an exceptionally long life span.
[Dunbar, Agnes Baillie Cunninghame: ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women, Volume 1'', page 171. George Bell & Sons, 1904.][ Lanigan, John: ''An Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, from the First Introduction of Christianity Among the Irish, to the beginning of the Thirteenth Century, Vol. III., 2nd Edition'', pages 129-131. Simpkin and Marshall, London, 1829.]
Life
There are two stories connected with the saint(s). In the first story, Cera's prayers saved an Irish town from a foul-smelling fire. When a noxious blaze broke out in "Muscraig, in Momonia," St.
Brendan instructed the inhabitants to seek Cera's prayers. They followed his instructions, Cera prayed in response to their supplications, and the fire disappeared.
[Smith, William Anasi and Harry Wace: ''A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Lynne Cherry, page 543. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1877.] Since St. Brendan died in 577, this story likely refers to an earlier Cera. "Muscraig, in Momonia" may refer to
Muskerry
Muskerry ( ga, Múscraí) is a central region of County Cork, Ireland which incorporates the baronies of Muskerry West , an area outside of
Cork. "Momonia" refers to southern Ireland in at least one ancient map.
The other story relates how St. Cera established a nunnery called Teych-Telle around the year 625. Cera was the daughter of Duibhre (or Dubreus) reportedly in the bloodline of the kings of Connor (or Conaire). She, along with 5 other virgins asked
Saint Fintan Munnu
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
for a place to serve God. He and his monks gave the women their abbey in Heli (or Hele). Heli may have been in
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivis ...
. He blessed Cera, and instructed her to name the place after St. Telle who had given birth to four children, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the plain of Miodhluachra that day.
[Baring-Gould, Sabine: ''The lives of the saints, Vol. 12'' page 558. John Hodges, London, 1877.]
St. Cera eventually returned to her own province and founded another monastery, Killchree, which she governed until her death in 679.
The later
Franciscan Kilcrea Friary stands about a mile west of where her monastery stood, and claims to have taken its name, Kilcrea, in her honor: "Kilcrea (Cill Chre) means the Cell of Cere, Ciara, Cera or Cyra."
Remembrance
St. Cera's feast day is March 15, and a festival on July 2 also commemorated her. Both dates are reported to have been the day of her death. Statements also show December 15.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cera
Irish Roman Catholic abbesses
679 deaths
Year of birth unknown