Saint Columba
Saint Columba, Apostle of the Picts
Apostle of the Picts
Born	December 7, 521(521-12-07), County Donegal, Ireland
Died	June 9, 597 (aged 75), Iona, Scotland
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Church
Major shrine	Iona, Scotland
Feast	June 9
Patronage	floods, bookbinders, poets, Ireland, Scotland
Saints Portal

See Columba (disambiguation) and St Columb for other uses.

Not to be confused with St Columbanus, also Irish and partly his contemporary.

You may be looking for Colomba

Saint Columba (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), sometimes referred to as Columba of Iona, or, in Old Irish, as Colm Cille or Columcille (meaning "Dove of the church") was an outstanding figure among the Gaelic missionary monks who, some of his advocates claim, introduced Christianity to the Kingdom of the Picts during the Early Medieval Period. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Future Byzantine emperor Justinian becomes consul. ... Statistics Province: Ulster Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East, Donegal South West County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Population (2006) 146,956 Website: www. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Saint Augustine is created Archbishop of Canterbury. ... Iona is a small island, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Orthodox icon of Pentecost. ... Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestant Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther. ... Main article: Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is a world-wide affiliation of Anglican Churches. ... Shrine is also used as a conventional translation of the Japanese Jinja. ... Iona is a small island, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... Old book binding and cover Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of separate sheets of paper or other material. ... Poets are authors of poems. ... This article is about the country. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... Columba may mean: Saint Columba of Scotland Saint Columba of Cornwall Saint Columba of Sens Saint Columba of Spain Saint Columba of Terryglass Columba (constellation) Columba (genus) for a genus of doves and pigeons Columba (e-mail client) Source Columba, a World War II intelligence operation involving pigeons Medical Mobile... St Columb may refer to: The celtic saint, Columba St Columbs Cathedral, Londonderry St. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Future Byzantine emperor Justinian becomes consul. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Saint Augustine is created Archbishop of Canterbury. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or, rather, the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed. ... Subfamilies see article text Feral Rock Pigeon beside Weiming Lake, Peking University Dove redirects here. ... “Gael” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Missionary (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... The term Picts refers to a group of pre-Celtic tribes that Mediterranean classical-era writers said lived in Caledonia, which is now part of Scotland. ... Justinians wife Theodora and her retinue, in a 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. ...

Early life in Ireland

Columba was born to Fedlimid and Eithne of the Uí Néill house in Gartan, near Lough Gartan, County Donegal, in Ireland. On his father's side he was great-great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish high king of the 5th century. The Uí Néill (Irish for descendants of Niall Uí pronounced Ee: ) were an Irish dynasty who claimed descent from Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a semi-historical High King of Ireland who died about 405. ... Statistics Province: Ulster Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East, Donegal South West County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Population (2006) 146,956 Website: www. ... Niall of the Nine Hostages (Irish: Niall Noigíallach) was a High King of Ireland who was active in the early-to-mid 5th century, dying - according to the latest estimates - around 450-455. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...

In early christian Ireland the druidic tradition collapsed, with the spread of the new christian faith. The study of latin learning and christian theology in monasteries flourished. Columba became a pupil at the monastic school at Clonard Abbey, situated on the River Boyne in modern County Meath. During the sixth century, some of the most significant names in the history of Irish christianity studied at the Clonard monastery. It is said that the average number of scholars under instruction at Clonard was 3,000.^[2] Twelve students who studied under St. Finian became known as the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, Columba was one of these. He became a monk and was ordained as a priest. The Early Christian Ireland, it can also be called Golden Age of Ireland, refers to the period of Irish history from the beginnings of the Christian conversion of Ireland until the Viking Age, approximately the 5th to 8th centuries. ... For other uses, see Druid (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Monastery of St. ... Clonard Abbey (Irish, Cluain Eraird, or Cluain Iraird, Erards Meadow) was an early medieval monastery situated on the River Boyne, just beside the traditional boundary line of the northern and southern halves of Ireland in modern County Meath. ... Boyne-Valley from Passage tomb The River Boyne (Irish: ) is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about 112 kilometres (70 miles) long. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Navan Code: MH Area: 2,342 km² Population (2006) 162,831 Website: www. ... (5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland) Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... St Finnian of Clonard (Cluain Eraird) (470 - 549) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. ...

Tradition asserts that, sometime around 560, he became involved in a quarrel with Saint Finnian of Moville over a psalter. Columba copied the manuscript at the scriptorium under Saint Finnian, intending to keep the copy. Saint Finnian disputed his right to keep the copy. The dispute eventually led to the pitched Battle of Cúl Dreimhne in 561, during which many men were killed. Columba's copy of the psalter has been traditionally associated with the Cathach of St. Columba. A synod of clerics and scholars threatened to excommunicate him for these deaths, but St. Brendan of Birr spoke on his behalf with the result that he was allowed to go into exile instead. Columba suggested that he would work as a missionary in Scotland to help convert as many people as had been killed in the battle. He exiled himself from Ireland, to return only once again, several years later. Events Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date). ... St Finnian or St. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... A Scriptorium was a room or building, usually within a Christian monastery where, during medieval times, manuscripts were written. ... Clotaire I dies, and the Frankish kingdom is divided; Sigebert I becomes king of Austrasia, Chilperic I becomes king of Neustria, Charibert becomes king of Paris, and Guntram becomes king of Burgundy. ... Text from the Cathach of St. ... This article is about the country. ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ...

Scotland

In 563 he traveled to Scotland with twelve companions, where according to his legend he first landed at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, near Southend. However, being still in sight of his native land he moved further north up the west coast of Scotland. In 563 he was granted land on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland which became the centre of his evangelising mission to the Picts. However, there is a sense in which he was not leaving his native people, as the Irish Gaels had been colonizing the west coast of Scotland for the previous couple of centuries.^[3] Aside from the services he provided guiding the only centre of literacy in the region^{[citation needed]}, his reputation as a holy man led to his role as a diplomat among the tribes; there are also many stories of miracles which he performed during his work to convert the Picts. He visited the pagan king Bridei, king of Fortriu, at his base in Inverness, winning the king's respect. He subsequently played a major role in the politics of the country. He was also very energetic in his evangelical work, and, in addition to founding several churches in the Hebrides, he worked to turn his monastery at Iona into a school for missionaries. He was a renowned man of letters, having written several hymns and being credited with having transcribed 300 books. One of the few, if not the only, times he left Scotland after his arrival was toward the end of his life, when he returned to Ireland to found the monastery at Durrow. He died on Iona and was buried in the abbey he created. Events Saint Columba, the Irish missionary, founds his mission to the Picts and his monastery on Iona. ... Kintyre shown within Argyll Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland in the south-west of Argyll. ... Southend is the main settlement at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula, Argyll, Scotland. ... Events Saint Columba, the Irish missionary, founds his mission to the Picts and his monastery on Iona. ... Iona is a small island, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... “Gael” redirects here. ... The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the converts previous beliefs; in some cultures (e. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... Bridei (or Brude), called MacMaelchon, was king of the Picts from 556 to 586 after the abdication of his cousin, Galam II. He was baptised by St Columba about 564. ... Fortriu or the the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general. ... This article is about the city in Scotland. ... This article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. ... See also hymn - a program to decrypt iTunes music files. ... Contemporary Western Calligraphy. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Laois-Offaly Dialling Code: 057 Elevation: 77 m Population (2006)  - Town:  - Rural:   7  111 Website: www. ...

Several islands are named after Columba in Scotland - including "Ì Chaluim Chille" (one of the Scottish Gaelic names of Iona), Inchcolm and Eilean Chaluim Chille Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Iona is a small island, in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. ... Inchcolm Abbey. ... Note: Eilean Chaluim Chille is a poetic name for Iona as well Eilean Chaluim Chille is an unpopulated island in the Outer Hebrides. ...

Lasting legacy

Columba is credited as being a leading figure in the revitalization of monasticism, and "[h]is achievements illustrated the importance of the Celtic church in bringing a revival of Christianity to Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire".^[4] Monasticism (from Greek: monachos — a solitary person) is the religious practice in which one renounces worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... Celtic Christianity is Christianity as it was first received and practiced by communities with Celtic backgrounds that observed certain practices divergent from those in the rest of Europe. ...

Most modern Cathedrals in Ireland are based on the design of Iona. Iona College, a small Catholic Liberal Arts college in New Rochelle, NY is named after Columba's most famous monastery. Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York. ... In the history of education, the seven liberal arts comprise two groups of studies, the trivium and the quadrivium. ...

He indirectly gave his name to the Canadian province British Columbia. The Columbia River, for which the province is named, got its name from the ship Columbia Rediviva, named after Columba. Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. ... Columbia Rediviva (commonly known as the Columbia) was a privately owned sloop under Captain Robert Gray, best known for going to the Pacific Northwest for the fur trade. ...

Vita Columbae

The main source of information about Columba's life is the Vita Columbae by Adomnán (also known as Eunan), the ninth Abbot of Iona, who died in 704. Both the Vita Columbae and Bede record Columba's visit to Bridei. Whereas Adomnán just tells us that Columba visited Bridei, Bede relates a later, perhaps Pictish tradition, whereby the saint actually converts the Pictish king. Another early source is a poem in praise of Columba, most probably commissioned by Columba's kinsman, the king of the Ui Neill clan. It was almost certainly written within three or four years of Columba's death and is the earliest vernacular poem in European history. It consists of 25 stanzas of four verses of seven syllables each. Iona Abbey Saint Adomnán of Iona (627/8-704) was abbot of Iona (679-704), hagiographer, statesman and clerical lawyer; he was the author of the most important Vita of Saint Columba and promulgator of the Law of Innocents. The anglicised form of his name is Saint Eunan from... Events Justinian II re-takes the throne of the Byzantine Empire Cenred succeeds to the throne of Mercia after his uncle Aethelred abdicates to become abbot of Bardney Births Deaths Adamnan, abbot of Iona (b. ... In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. ...

The earliest recorded example of the name Arthur in a British document occurs, as Arturius, in Adomnan's vita. There it occurs as the name of a prince among the Scots, the son of Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riata from AD 574, far from the legendary King Arthur's familiar haunts in the southwest. Look up Arthur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Vita or VITA can refer to any of a number of things: Vita (Latin for life) can also refer to a brief biography, often that of a saint (i. ... Satellite image of northern Britain and Ireland showing the approximate area of Dál Riata (shaded). ... Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Goidelic kingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland and the northern coasts of Ireland, situated in the traditional Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Argyll, Bute and County Antrim. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ...

The vita of Columba is also the source of the first known reference to a Loch Ness Monster. According to Adomnan, Columba came across a group of Picts who were burying a "poor little man"^[5] who had been killed by the monster, and saved a swimmer with the sign of the Cross and the imprecation "You will go no further", at which the beast fled terrified, to the amazement of the assembled Picts who glorified Columba's God. Whether or not this incident is true, Adomnan's text specifically states that the monster was swimming in the River Ness -- the river flowing from the loch -- rather than in Loch Ness itself. For other uses, see Loch Ness Monster (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sign of the cross (disambiguation). ... The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. ... This article is about the body of water in Scotland. ...

Through the reputation of its venerable founder and its position as a major European center of learning, Columba's Iona became a place of pilgrimage. A network of Celtic high crosses marking processional routes developed around his shrine at Iona. This article is about the religious or spiritual journey. ... High Cross, Dysert, Co. ...

Columba is historically revered as a warrior saint, and was often invoked for victory in battle. His relics were finally removed in 849 and divided between Alba and Ireland. Relics of Columba were carried before Scottish armies in the reliquary made at Iona in the mid-8th century, called the Brecbennoch. Legend has it that the Brecbennoch, was carried to Bannockburn by the vastly outnumbered Scots army and the intercession to the Saint helped them to victory. It is widely thought that the Monymusk Reliquary is this object. Events Births Deaths August 18 - Walafrid Strabo, German monk and theologian Categories: 849 ... The centre of Bannockburn Telfords circular roadbridge over the Bannock Burn Bannockburn is a village immediately south of the city of Stirling in Scotland. ... 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. ...

O Columba spes Scotorum... "O Columba, hope of the Scots" begins a 13th century prayer in the Antiphoner of Inchcolm, the "Iona of the East". An Antiphonary, Antiphonal, or Antiphoner (Latin antiphonarium, antiphonarius, antiphonarius liber, antiphonale; Greek ’antíphonon, antiphon, antiphone, anthem) is one of the present liturgical books intended for use in choro (i. ...

St Columba's feast day is June 9 and with Saint Patrick, March 17, and Saint Brigid, February 1, is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. Prior to the battle of Athelstaneford, he was the sole patron saint of Scotland. He is also venerated within the Orthodox faiths as a saint and Righteous Father.^[6] The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... St Patrick redirects here, for other uses, see St. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Brigid of Ireland Saint Brigid of Ireland (Bridget, Bridgit, Brigit; in English St. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Scottish Saltire Athelstaneford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Eastern Christianity. ...

References

See also

• Early Christian Ireland
• Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
• List of people on stamps of Ireland
• Sainte-Colombe has many dedications in France
• Old High St Stephen's Church, Inverness

The History of Ireland began with the first known human settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from Britain and continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. ... This is a list of people on the postage stamps of the Republic of Ireland, including the years when they appeared on a stamp. ... Sainte-Colombe is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Sainte-Colombe, in the Hautes-Alpes département Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente département Sainte-Colombe, in the Charente-Maritime département Sainte-Colombe, in the Côte-dOr département Sainte-Colombe, in the Doubs département Sainte... Old High St Stephens Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. ...

Further reading

• Nigel Tranter, Columba, Hodder & Stoughton (1987).
• Adomnan of Iona, Life of St Columba (tr. & ed. Richard Sharpe) (Penguin, 1995) ISBN 0-14-044462-9 [1]
• Dauvid Broun & Thomas Owen Clancy (eds.) Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots. Saint Columba, Iona and Scotland (T & T Clark, 1999) ISBN 0-567-08682-8
• Cambridge Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
• Paths of Exile: Narratives of St. Columba and the Praxis of Iona by James Lewis (2007) ISBN 978-1-929569-24-3

Nigel Tranter is a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters. ...

External links

• CELT: On the Life of Saint Columba (Betha Choluim Chille) (tr. W. Stokes)
• CELT: The Life of Columba, written by Adamnan (tr. W. Reeves)
• Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Columba
• BBC: St Columba
• Columba of Kells and Iona
• The Church of St Michael and All Angels website: St Columba of Iona, Apostle to the Picts
• St Columba on SaintsAlive