St. Columba
St. Columba - A Famous Missionary to Scotland
St. Columba (521 - 597) also referred to as Columba of Iona,, Saint Colm Cille or Columcille. In truth Columcille was an Irishman but his importance on influence upon early Scotland and the Scots we have included him here. The main source of information about Columba's life is the Vita Columbae by Adomnán, the ninth Abbot of Iona, who died in 704.
Saint Columba was born on 7 December, 521AD, in Garten, Donegal, Ireland, of the family of the Irish high-kings (On his father's side he was great-great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish king of the fifth century). He was a pupil of the great monk St. Finnian of Molville (who became his foster father).
In 560 Columba became involved in a dispute over St. Finnian's Psalter which he had borrowed and copied. Saint Finnian disputed his right to keep the copy. Columba instigated a rebellion by the Clan Neill against King Diarmait of Ireland which eventually led to the Battle of Cúl Dreimhne (561). It is said that as many as three thousand men died as a result of the battle and Columba's confessor, St Molaise, set him a penance for his sins. His penance was to leave Ireland never again to look upon his native land and spend his life preaching the gospel to convert as many men to Christianity as had lost their lives at the battle.
In 563 Columba led a party of twelve monks to Scotland, first landing at Sandend on the southern tip of Kintyre his party continued north (as they could still see Ireland) and eventually landed on Iona which was owned by a distant relative, King Conall of Dalriada. The king granted Columba the island and founded the missionary community from which he preached the Gospel to all of Dalriada (present day Argyll) . After some time preaching to the Scots Columba turned his attentions towards the conversion of the Picts. This was a far more difficult task than the conversion of the familiar Scots (the Scotii or Scots had earlier migrated from Ireland with their King). The Picts of Caledonia where, to Columba, wild by comparison but it was not long before Columba was so respected that he was able to act as a diplomat amongst the tribes. Columba and his monks spent more than thirty years evangelising the northern Picts.
There are a great many stories and legends around the name Saint Columba and his miracles. It is said that he converted the Pictish King Bridei (Brude). Bridei, King of Fortriu (an area of the Highlands of Scotland), had denied Columba and his companions, St Comgall and St Kenneth, entry into his fortress (which overlooked the site of present day Inverness). Columba stood at the barred gates of the fortress and made the sign of the cross, upon which, the gates flew open. The king and his men were converted on the spot!
St Adamnan's Vita Columbae makes the first reference of the monster of Loch Ness. Columba had met with a group of Picts, near the River Ness, who were burying a friend who had been killed by a monster that had been swimming in the river. Another friend was swimming in the river when the monster again appeared. Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded the monster to go no further, the monster turned and fled.
In 574 Columba established the practice of Christian conronation for the Kings of Scotland.
In 597 St Columba died in the monastery on Iona, in 597. The island became a place of pilgrimage and the center of Celtic Christianity. Some Scottish kings are buried on the island and remains a place of worship and pilgrimage to this day.
In 849 St Columba's relics (remains) were removed and divided between the Scots and the Irish, with half being sent by King Kenneth I for safekeeping to Dunkeld and the other taken to the Church of Downpatrick.
St. Columba is one of the three patron saints of Ireland, Patrick and Brigid being the others.
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