Saint Ternan (''fl.'' fifth or sixth century) is venerated as the "Bishop of the
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth, in the Scotland in the early Middle Ages, Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and details of their culture can be gleaned from early medieval texts and Pic ...
". Not much is known of his life. Different historians place him either at the mid-fifth century or the latter part of the sixth. Those who place him in the earlier period, associate him with
Palladius.
Life
Ternan, is believed to have been born in
Fordoun
Fordoun () (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, together wit ...
in
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
, and may have been converted by the followers of
Ninian
Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason, he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...
. He was educated at
Candida Casa
Candida Casa was the name given to the church established by St Ninian in Whithorn, Galloway, southern Scotland, in the mid fifth century AD. The name derives from (meaning hut) and / (meaning shining or glittering white), referring possibly to ...
in
Whithorn
Whithorn (; ), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, "White/Shining House", built by ...
and baptised by a Celtic cleric named Paulinus. A contemporary of
Saint Serf,
[ according to ]Alban Butler
Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...
, Ternan was a monk at Culross
Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...
, which had been founded by St. Serf.
Ternan established a small monastery on the north side of the River Dee near the current graveyard in what is now the town of Banchory
Banchory (, , ) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, historically in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.
Prehistory and archaeology
In 2009, a farmer discovered a short ...
. As well as preaching the Christian gospel, he and his followers taught the local people farming, arts and crafts.["St. Ternan", Banchory Community Website]
Churches in Banchory and surrounding area bear the name of St Ternan.
Ternan became bishop of the southern Picts, and lived at Abernethy. He ordained Irchard
Saint Irchard (or Erchard, Erthad, Merchard, Yarcard, Yrchard) was a Scottish missionary and bishop.
Barrett's account
According to Dom Michael Barrett (1848-1924), a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict at St. Benedict's Abbey, Fort Augustus, S ...
, who assisted him in his missionary labors.
The story of Ternan features two key artifacts, his copy of Matthew's Gospel and his bell or "Ronnecht":
*The "Aberdeen Martyrology" mentions "the Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
belonging to St. Ternan", which was enshrined in a metal case or ''cumdach
A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold History of Ireland (400–800), Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book t ...
'' (book shrine).[Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Ternan." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 9 December 2021
*The bell has an altogether more interesting story. It is said to have been brought to Banchory from Rome by Ternan, and is last recorded as being transferred to the custody of Alexander Symson, vicar of Banquhoriterne in 1491. When the glebe being excavated for the railway in 1863 an old bronze bell was found. It is not clear if this really is Ternan's bell, but it now hangs on the front wall of Banchory Ternan East Church
Banchory Ternan East Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, a member of the Presbyterian Church. The church building is located in Station Road, Banchory, Kincardineshire, Scotland. The church today serves the east parish of ...
as a visible reminder of the debt that is owed to this early pioneer of Christianity in Scotland.[About Banchory - A New Descriptive and Historical Guide, Dr Gordon Walkden, 1987]
He is mentioned, along with Saints Brendan, Michael etc., in some blessings and incantations, such as the milking croon of South Uist, collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Hebrides in the 1880s.
St Ternan's feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
is 12 June and he is still celebrated on this holiday in Banchory with St Ternan's Fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
which is held on the closest Saturday.
There was a chapel dedicated to Saint Ternan on Taransay
Taransay (, ) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It was the host of the British television series ''Castaway 2000''. Uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers, Taransay is the largest List of islands of Scotland, Scottish is ...
, but it was destroyed by coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...
in the 1970s.
Image:Belfry of St Ternan's Banchory - geograph.org.uk - 1126152.jpg, St Ternan's, Banchory
Image:St Ternans Episcopal Church (geograph 4407317).jpg, St Ternans Episcopal Church, Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls ...
Image:Arbuthnott St Ternan East Aspect.JPG, St Ternan's, Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott (, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a hamlet and parish in the Howe of the Mearns, a low-lying agricultural district of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of Fordoun (on the A90) and north-west of Inverbervie (on ...
See also
* Trumwine of Abercorn
References
External links
Banchory Ternan East Parish Parish Church (official website)
{{authority control
6th-century Christian saints
Medieval Scottish saints
5th-century Scottish bishops