The crozier of Saint Finan, an early medieval staff-head used by Gaelic clergymen. Now in Museum of Scotland.

Christianity in Medieval Scotland pertains to the Christian religion in Scotland in the Middle Ages. Finan of Lindisfarne (died February 17, 661), also known as Saint Finan, was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 651 until 661. ... The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a museum dedicated to the history, people and culture of Scotland. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus, the Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Early Christianity

The story of early Christianity in Scotland is as obscure as it is in Ireland. The earliest missionaries are traditionally Saint Ninian and Saint Columba. Ninian himself is now regarded as largely a construct of the Northumbrian church, after the Bernician takeover of Whithorn and conquest of southern Galloway. The name itself is a scribal corruption of Uinniau ('n's and 'u's look almost identical in early insular calligraphy), a saint of probable British extraction who is also known by the Gaelic equivalent of his name, Finnian.^[1] St Columba, the most important saint of medieval Scots, was certainly Uinniau's disciple. However, the earliest evidence of Christianity in northern Britain predates the respective floruit of either missionary. We can be sure that at least that all of northern Britain, except the Scandinavian far north and west was Christian by the tenth century. The most important factors for the conversion of Scotland were the Roman province of Britannia to the south, and later the so-called Gaelic or Columban church, an interlinked system of monasteries and aristocratic networks which combined to spread both Christianity and the Gaelic language amongst the Picts. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus, the Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... Saint Ninian (c. ... Saint Columba sometimes known as (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Latinized version of the Irish name Colmcille (Old Irish Columb Cille) meaning Dove of the church, was the outstanding figure among the Irish missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland and the north of England during the Dark... Northumbria is primarily the name of an Anglian or Anglo-Saxon kingdom which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the earldom which succeeded the kingdom. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ... Whithorn is a small burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. ... Galloway (Scottish Gaelic, Gall-ghaidhealaibh or Gallobha, Lowland Scots Gallowa) today refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in southwest Scotland, but has fluctuated greatly in size over history. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Britannia, the British national personification. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be, more or less, fully reconstructed from extant sources. ...

Celtic church

The so-called Celtic church is a controversial term which is used by scholars both for the Gaelic church and for the religious establishment of northern Britain prior to the twelfth century, when new religious institutions and ideologies of primarily French origin began to take root in Scotland. The typical features of native Scottish Christianity are relaxed ideas of clerical celibacy, intense secularization of ecclesiastical institutions, and the lack of a dioscesan structure. Instead of bishops and archbishops, the most important offices of the native Scottish church were abbots (or coarbs). Some early Scottish establishments are famous for their dynasties of abbots, the most famous being Dunkeld and Brechin; but these existed all over Scotland north of the Forth. Some, such as Portamahomack, Mortlach, and Abernethy suffered diminution in importance in the Norman period and are now not as famous. Celtic Christianity is a term used for the form of Christianity practiced in Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and the Bretagne from the missions of Saint Patrick and Saint Ninian in the 5th century (also known as Old British Church, Celtic Catholic Church, Culdee Church), in Scotland from the mission of Columcille... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Clerical celibacy is the practice of various religious traditions in which clergy, monastics and those in religious orders (female or male) adopt a celibate life, refraining from marriage, sexual relationships including masturbation and impure thoughts (such as sexual visualisation and fantasies). ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ... Dunkeld is a town in Strathtay (= the River Tay valley) on the south edge of the Highlands of Scotland. ... The Royal Burgh of Brechin is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. ... Abernethy is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, situated eight miles south east of Perth. ...

Gaelic Monasticism

Scotland was untouched by continental forms of monasticism until the late eleventh century. Instead, monasticism was dominated by monks called Céli Dé (lit. "vassals of God"), anglicised as culdees. In most cases, these monks were not replaced by new continental monks in the Norman period, but usually survived, even gaining the patronage of Queen Margaret, a figure traditionally seen as hostile to Gaelic culture. At St Andrews, the Céli Dé establishment endured throughout the period, and even enjoyed rights over the election of its bishop. (Barrow, St Andrews) In fact, Gaelic monasticism was vibrant and expansionary for much of the period. For instance, dozens of monasteries, often called Schottenklöstern, were founded by Gaelic monks on the continent, and many Scottish monks, such as St Cathróe of Metz, became local saints. Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... The Culdees formed an ancient monastic order with settlements in Ireland and Scotland. ...

Continental Monasticism

Main article: Abbeys and priories in Scotland

Dundrennan Abbey, founded by Fergus of Galloway, was one of scores of new continental monasteries founded in the twelfth century.

The continental type of monasticism was first introduced to Scotland when King Máel Coluim III persuaded Lanfranc to provide a few monks from Canterbury for a new Benedictine abbey at Dunfermline (c. 1070). However, traditional Benedictine monasticism had little future in Scotland. Instead, the monastic establishments which followed were almost universally either Augustinians or of the Reformed Benedictine type. The first Augustinian priory was established at Scone by Alexander I in 1115. By the early thirteenth century, Augustinians had settled along side, taken-over or reformed Céli Dé establishments at St Andrews, St Serf's Inch, Inchcolm, Inchmahome, Inchaffray, Restenneth and Iona, and had created numerous new establishments, such as Holyrood Abbey. The most important of the reformed Benedictine orders were the Cistercians, who achieved two important Scottish foundations, at Melrose (1136) and Dundrennan (1142)., and the Tironensians, who achieved foundations at Arbroath and Lindores, as well as Selkirk, Kelso and Glasgow. Cluniacs (e.g. Paisley), Premonstratensians (e.g. Whithorn), Valliscaulians (e.g. Pluscarden) were also important. Abbeys and priories in Scotland is a link page to any abbey, priory, friary or other religious house in Scotland Abbreviations and Key The sites listed are ruins unless indicated thus:- Trusteeship denoted as follows:- (HS) = Historic Scotland (NTS) = National Trust for Scotland (CS) = Church of Scotland Other abbreviations:- Aberdeen... Dundrennan Abbey, in Dundrennan, Scotland, near to Kirkcudbright, was a Cistercian monastery, established in 1142 by Fergus of Galloway, King David I of Scotland, and monks from Rievaulx Abbey. ... Fergus of Galloway was King, or Lord, of Galloway from an unknown date (probably in the 1110s), until his death in 1161. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... King Malcolm III of Scotland, (1031? - November 13, 1093) also known as Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm with the large head), was the eldest son of King Duncan I of Scotland and first king of the House of Dunkeld. ... Lanfranc (d. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England and nominal head of the Anglican Communion. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ... Dunfermline Abbey and Church - illustration from Cassells History of England circa 1902 Dunfermline Abbey is the remains of a great Benedictine abbey founded in 1070 by Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore and granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, King of England. ... Events Hereward the Wake begins a Saxon revolt in the Fens of eastern England. ... The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430), are several Roman Catholic monastic orders and congregations of both men and women living according to a guide to religious life known as the Rule of Saint Augustine. ... Scone Palace. ... Alexander I (Alasdair mac Maíl Coluim) (c. ... Events Clairvaux Abbey is founded by St. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Inchcolm (Scottish Gaelic: Innis Choluim - Island of Columba) is an island in the Firth of Forth, east of the Forth Bridge, south of Aberdour, Fife, and north of the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. ... Image:Holrodab. ... Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ... The original Melrose is a town in the Scottish Borders a region of Scotland in the United Kingdom (see Melrose, Scotland). ... Events Completion of the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum, detailing his relationship with Heloise People of Novgorod rebel against the hereditary prince Vsevolod and depose him Births Amalric I of Jerusalem William of Newburgh, English historian (died 1198) Deaths November 15 - Margrave Leopold III... Events End of the reign of Emperor Sutoku, emperor of Japan Emperor Konoe ascends to the throne of Japan Henry the Lion becomes Duke of Saxony Births Farid od-Din Mohammad ebn Ebrahim Attar, Persian mystical poet (died 1220) Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy (died 1192) Bornin1142, a GameFAQs user... Tironensian monks, of the Order of Tiron, also spelled Thiron - apparently from Latin thironium, a high hill (Guillemin, 1999)- so called after the location of the mother abbey (established in 1109) in the woods of Tiron, Perche (some 35 miles west of Chartres, France). ... The ruined Arbroath Abbey, built from local red sandstone. ... Lindores is a small village in Fife, Scotland, about 2 miles south-east of Newburgh. ... Map sources for Selkirk at grid reference NT469286 The Royal and Ancient Burgh of Selkirk is a town in the Scottish Borders, and historically the county town of Selkirkshire. ... Kelso is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, located where the River Teviot flows into the River Tweed, a place famous for its salmon fishing and rugby club. ... Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary authority area, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... Cluniac Reform was the time of the purification and scourging of the Roman Catholic Church during the 11th century. ... Location Paisley Abbey is sited on the East bank of the river Cart in the center of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire. ... The Premonstratensians, also called Norbertines, and in England the White Canons (from the color of their habit) are a Christian religious order of Augustinian Canons founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, afterwards archbishop of Magdeburg. ... Whithorn is a small burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. ...

Ecclesia Scoticana

The ruins of St Andrews cathedral, the centre of the Ecclesia Scoticana in the Norman period.

The Ecclesia Scoticana (lit. Scottish church) as a system has no known starting point, although Causantín II's alleged Scotticisation of the "Pictish" Church might be taken as one. Before the Norman period, Scotland had little dioscesan structure, being primarily monastic after the fashion of Ireland. After the Norman Conquest of England, the Archbishops of both Canterbury and York each claimed superiority over the Scottish church. The church in Scotland attained independent status after the Papal Bull of Celestine III (Cum universi, 1192) by which all Scottish bishoprics except Galloway were formally independent of York and Canterbury. However, unlike Ireland which had been granted four Archbishoprics in the same century, Scotland received no Archbishop and the whole Ecclesia Scoticana, with individual Scottish bishoprics (except Whithorn/Galloway), became the "special daughter of Rome". The following is a table of Bishoprics present in "Scotland-proper" in the thirteenth century: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... St Andrews cathedral ruins. ... Constantine II (874?–952) was king of Scotland from 900 to 942 or 943. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Papal bull of Pope Urban VIII, 1637, sealed with a leaden bulla. ... Celestine III, né Giacinto Bobone Orsini ( 1106 - January 8, 1198), was Pope from 1191 to 1198. ... // Events The Third Crusade ends in disaster. ...

Outside of Scotland-proper, Glasgow managed to secure its existence in the twelfth century with a vibrant church community who gained the favour of the Scottish kings. The Bishopric of Whithorn was resurrected by Fergus, King of Galloway, and Thurstan, Archbishop of York. The isles, under the nominal jurisdiction of Trondheim (and sometimes York), had its Episcopal seat at Peel on the Isle of Man. Lothian had no bishop. Its natural overlord was the Bishopric of Durham, and that bishopric continued to be important in Lothian, especially through the cult of St Cuthbert; however, once conquered by the Gaels, its diocesan jurisdiction was parcelled out between various Scottish bishoprics. Orkney, also under nominal Norwegian jurisdiction, was governed from Kirkwall. Dunkeld is a town in Strathtay (= the River Tay valley) on the south edge of the Highlands of Scotland. ... Named after Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Royal Burgh of St Andrews is a town on the east coast of Fife, Scotland, and the home of golf. ... The Royal Burgh of Brechin is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. ... Dunblane is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, near Stirling. ... Aberdeens location in Scotland Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain or The Granite City) is Scotlands third largest city, with a population of 212,125, and the greatest part of the unitary council area named the City of Aberdeen, which is surrounded by, but not within, the Aberdeenshire council... Rosemarkie is a village on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, lying a quarter of a mile east of the village of Fortrose. ... Fortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. ... Ross-shire (Siorrachd Rois in Gaelic), or simply Ross, is a traditional county of Scotland bordering on Sutherland, Cromartyshire (of which it contains many enclaves), Inverness-shire and on an exclave of Nairnshire. ... Elgin is a town in Moray the North of Scotland. ... Location within the British Isles The Royal Burgh of Dornoch is a burgh and seaside resort in Sutherland, Highland, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands, and the north shore of the Dornoch Firth. ... Caithness (Gallaibh in Gaelic) is a traditional county and former administrative county within the Highland area of Scotland. ... Lismore can refer to any of the following places: Lismore, Scotland, an island in Scotland Lismore, New South Wales, a city in Australia Lismore, a town in County Waterford, Ireland Lismore, Minnesota, a city located in Nobles County, Minnesota. ... Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary authority area, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Fergus is a popular Irish and Scots Gaelic name meaning man-strength or virility. Some people called Fergus include: Fergus Lethderg (red-side or half-red), a son of Nemed who leads his people against the Fomorians in the Irish Mythological Cycle Fergus mac Róich, a character from the... The Lords of Galloway ruled Galloway from about 1138 to 1234. ... Thurstan, or Turstin (d. ... Arms of the Archbishop of York The Archbishop of York, Primate of England, is the metropolitan bishop of the Province of York, and is the junior of the two archbishops of the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury. ... County Sør-Trøndelag District Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ... Look up Peel and peel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Arms of the Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the officer of the Church of England responsible for the diocese of Durham, one of the oldest in the country. ... Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Location within the British Isles Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, in northern Scotland. ...

Saints

The Monymusk Reliquary, or Brecbennoch as it was called, dates from c. 750, and purportedly enclosed bones of Columba, the most popular saint in medieval Scotland. It was carried by the Scots into the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Like every other Christian country, one of the main features of Scottish Christianity is the Cult of Saints. Saints were the middle men between the ordinary worshipper and God. Every locality, church and burgh tended to have its own particular saint. Burgh saints tended to be continental or simply biblical, as in the case of St John at Perth. Typically, local saints were ones associated with the area, as with St Duthac in Easter Ross. In Scotland north of the Forth, these local saints were either Pictish or Gaelic. The national saint of the Scottish Gaels was Colum Cille or Columba (in Latin, lit. dove), in Strathclyde it was St Kentigern (in Gaelic, lit. Chief Lord), in Lothian, St Cuthbert. Image File history File links Brecbennoch. ... Image File history File links Brecbennoch. ... The Monymusk Reliquary is an eighth century Scotish reliquary made of wood and metal characterised by a Hiberno-Saxon fusion of Gaelic and Pictish design and Anglo-Saxon metalworking, probably by Ionan monks. ... Events Last Umayyad caliph Marwan II (744-750) overthrown by first Abbasid caliph, Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah Bold textItalic textLink title GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM GARY CANT SWIM... Saint Columba sometimes known as (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Latinized version of the Irish name Colmcille (Old Irish Columb Cille) meaning Dove of the church, was the outstanding figure among the Irish missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland and the north of England during the Dark... The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Events June 24 - Battle of Bannockburn. ... In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... Easter Ross is a loosely defined area in the east of the administrative county of Ross and Cromarty. ... The River Forth meanders over fertile farmlands near Stirling The River Forth, 47 km (29 miles) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland. ... Saint Columba sometimes known as (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Latinized version of the Irish name Colmcille (Old Irish Columb Cille) meaning Dove of the church, was the outstanding figure among the Irish missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland and the north of England during the Dark... Saint Mungo, also known as Saint Kentigern, traditional apostle to Strathclyde and patron saint and alleged founder of the city of Glasgow. ... Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c. ...

Later, owing to learned confused between the Latin words Scotia and Scythia, the Scottish kings adopted St Andrew, a saint who had more appeal to incoming Normans and was attached to the ambitious bishopric that is now known by the saint's name, St Andrews. However, Columba's status was still supreme in the early fourteenth century, when King Robert I carried the brecbennoch (or Monymusk reliquary) into battle at Bannockburn. Around the same period, a cleric on Inchcolm wrote the following Latin poem: Scotia was originally the Latin name for Ireland (also known to the Romans as Hibernia). ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ... Saint Andrew (Greek: Andreas, manly), the Christian Apostle, brother of Saint Peter, was born at Bethsaida on the Lake of Galilee. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... Robert I, (Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic, Raibeart Bruis in modern Scottish Gaelic and Robert de Brus in Norman French), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (July 11, 1274 – June 7, 1329), was King of Scotland (1306 – 1329). ... The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Inchcolm (Scottish Gaelic: Innis Choluim - Island of Columba) is an island in the Firth of Forth, east of the Forth Bridge, south of Aberdour, Fife, and north of the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. ...

The poem illustrates both the role of saints, in this case as the representative of the Scottish (or perhaps just Gaelic) people in heaven, and the importance of Columba to the Scottish people.

Notes

1. ^ , Clancy, "The real St Ninian", (2001).
2. ^  Broun & Clancy, Spes Scottorum, (1999), p. 1.

References

• Barrow, G.W.S., The Kingdom of the Scots, (Edinburgh, 2003)
• Barrow, G.W.S., Kingship and Unity: Scotland, 1000-1306, (Edinburgh. 1981)
• Broun, Dauvit & Clancy, Thomas Owen (eds.),Spes Scottorum: Hope of the Scots, (Edinburgh, 1999)
• Clancy, Thomas Owen, "The real St Ninian", in The Innes Review, 52 (2001)
• Dumville, David N., "St Cathróe of Metz and the Hagiography of Exoticism," in Irish Hagiography: Saints and Scholars, ed. John Carey et al. (Dublin, 2001), pp. 172-6
• Foster, Sally, Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic Scotland, (London, 1996)
• Stringer, Keith J., “Reform Monasticism and Celtic Scotland,” in Edward J. Cowan & R. Andrew McDonald (eds.), Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, (East Lothian, 2000), pp. 127-65