St. Tassac (also Tassach; died c. AD 497) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

saint, born in the first decade of the 5th century, died c. 497 and whose feast day falls on the 14 April.

Life

St Tassach's church, Raholp (2) - geograph

He was one of Saint Patrick's disciples, and when St Patrick founded the ''Church of St Tassach'' he placed St Tassac in charge of it. The Church of Raholp was situated approximately 1 mile south of

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

on the Bannaghan Road in Raholp and was ultimately merged as a Church into the Irish Diocese of Down (now the

Diocese of Down and Connor The Diocese of Down and Connor, ( ga, Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the ...

).Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Tassach." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 21 Nov. 2013
/ref> Some believe that the Church of Raholp was situated in

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be th ...

, which is approximately 2.5 miles south south west of Saul, but this is open to debate as the ruins of the original Church building are to be found in Raholp. The remains of the church and adjoining lands are protected by law. St Tassac was a skilled artisan who made crosiers, patens, chalices, credences, shrines, and crosses for many of the churches founded by St Patrick, but is remembered primarily for the fact that he was selected by St Patrick to be with him in his last moments and to administer the Holy Viaticum to him. This event is chronicled in " The Martyrology of Donegal"; "Tassach of Raholp gave the Body of Christ to Saint Patrick before his death in the monastery of Saul". Since the 19th century, St Tassac has sometimes been confused, with Saint Assicus of Elphin,

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, who had the same types of skill and is said to have died in the same year, and with St Assam (or Assan).

Prayer to St Tassac

''Saint Tassac.'' ''You were one of the first to follow Saint Patrick'' ''and you administered the Holy Viaticum to him at the last.'' ''Please be at my side when it is my turn to leave this earth and help me so that, like you, I will be with Christ forever.'' ''Like Moses' disciples adorning the tabernacle,'' ''you were a skilled artist and craftsman'' ''and are now with Christ.'' ''Please be at my side ensuring that whilst doing my daily chores you'' ''ensure that I will always do as Christ requires from me.''

Raholp

In Raholp and the surrounding area numerous houses are named "Tassac", "Tassac mór" and "Tassac beag". Translated into English from the Irish Gaelic these are "Tassac", "Large (or Big)" Tassac" and "Small (or Little) Tassac".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tassac Christian clergy from County Down 5th-century Irish priests 400s births 497 deaths 5th-century Christian saints Medieval saints of Ulster Disciples of Saint Patrick