Saint Ternan (''fl.'' fifth or sixth century) is venerated as the "Bishop of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

". 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 ( gd, Fordun) (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, t ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area incl ...

, and may have been converted by the followers of

Ninian Ninian is a Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Gre ...

. 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 la, casa (meaning hut) and / (meaning shining or glittering white), referring poss ...

Whithorn Whithorn ( �ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), 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 Christia ...

and baptised by a Celtic cleric named Paulinus. A contemporary of

Saint Serf Saint Serf or Serbán (''Servanus'') () is a saint of Scotland. Serf was venerated in western Fife. He is called the apostle of Orkney, with less historical plausibility. Saint Serf is connected with Saint Mungo's Church near Simonburn, Northumbe ...

, according to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died whe ...

, 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 (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, 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 cist b ...

. 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, Sc ...

, 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), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and ...

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 Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book they contain, often by several c ...

'' (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, vicare 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 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 The Milking Croon from South Uist is a milking song - or a cow's lullaby - originally in the Gaelic language, from the island of South Uist, Scotland. It was claimed to have been sung to calm cows during milking Milking is the act of removing ...

, collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Hebrides in the 1880s. St Ternan's feast day is 12 June and he is still celebrated on this holiday in Banchory with St Ternan's Fair which is held on the closest Saturday. There was a chapel dedicated to Saint Ternan on

Taransay Taransay ( gd, Tarasaigh, ) 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 Scottish island without a p ...

, 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 waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...

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 i ...

Image:Arbuthnott St Ternan East Aspect.JPG, St Ternan's,

Arbuthnott Arbuthnott ( gd, Obar Bhuadhnait, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a village 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 ...

References

External links

Banchory Ternan East Parish Parish Church (official website)
{{authority control 6th-century Christian saints Medieval Scottish saints 5th-century Scottish people

Life

See also

References

External links