Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba. He is also the patron saint of Nigeria. Patrick is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion), Lutheranism, and in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is regarded as equal-to-the-apostles and Enlightener of Ireland.
The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty, but there is general agreement that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. Two Latin writings by Patrick survive: the Confessio and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. Patrick writes that when he was sixteen, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland. He writes that he lived there for six years as a herder before escaping and returning to his family. After studying for many years, probably in Gaul, he returned to spread Christianity in Ireland. As a bishop, Patrick converted "thousands" and ordained many priests. Years later, he was summoned to Britain by church leaders to answer various accusations. Patrick issued a lengthy and personal statement denying the accusations and defending himself, which became the Confessio.
The earliest hagiographies of Patrick were written in the seventh century by Muirchú and Tírechán. By this time, he had come to be revered as a patron saint of Ireland. According to tradition, Patrick was the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland (despite evidence of some earlier Christian presence), converting the people from paganism. There are many legends about Patrick, such as him using a shamrock to symbolize the Trinity, banishing snakes and demons from Ireland, and fasting on a mountaintop.
Saint Patrick's Day, considered his feast day, is observed on 17 March, the supposed date of his death. It is celebrated in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora as a religious and cultural holiday. In the Catholic Church in Ireland, it is both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation.
Sources Two Latin works survive which are generally accepted as having been written by St. Patrick: the Declaration ()MacAnnaidh, S. (2013). Irish History. Parragon Books Ltd. and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus (),Both texts in original Latin, various translations and with images of all extant manuscript testimonies on the from which come the only generally accepted details of his life. The Declaration is the more biographical of the two. In it, Patrick gives a short account of his life and his mission. Most available details of his life are from subsequent hagiographies and annals, which have considerable value but lack the empiricism scholars depend on today.
Name
The only name that Patrick uses for himself in his own writings is Pātricius (), which gives and ( or ); English Patrick; ; ; .
Hagiography records other names he is said to have borne. Tírechán's seventh-century Collectanea gives "Magonus, that is, famous; Succetus, that is, god of war; Patricius, that is, father of the citizens; Cothirthiacus, because he served four houses of druids." "Magonus" appears in the ninth-century Historia Brittonum as Maun, descending from British *Magunos, meaning "servant-lad". "Succetus", which also appears in Muirchú moccu Machtheni's seventh-century Life as Sochet, is identified by Mac Neill as "a word of British origin meaning swineherd".Eoin Mac Neill, St. Patrick, Clonmore and Reynolds, 1964, pp. 87–88 Cothirthiacus also appears as Cothraige in the 8th-century biographical poem known as Fiacc's Hymn and a variety of other spellings elsewhere, and is taken to represent a , although this is disputed. Harvey argues that Cothraige "has the form of a classic Old Irish tribal (and therefore place-) name", noting that Ail Coithrigi is a name for the Rock of Cashel, and the place-names Cothrugu and Catrige are attested in Counties Antrim and Carlow.Anthony Harvey, "The Significance of Cothraige", Ériu Vol. 36, 1985, pp. 1–9
Muirchú summarizes that these four names correspond to Patrick's different roles at different periods of this life: "Patrick son of Calforni(us) had four names: Sochet when he was born, Cothriche when he was a slave, Mauonius when he studied, Patrick when he was consecrated."
Dating
The dates of Patrick's life are uncertain; there are conflicting traditions regarding the year of his death. His own writings provide no evidence for any dating more precise than the 5th century generally. His Biblical quotations are a mixture of the Old Latin version and the Vulgate, completed in the early 5th century, suggesting he was writing "at the point of transition from Old Latin to Vulgate", although it is possible the Vulgate readings may have been added later, replacing earlier readings.See The Letter to Coroticus implies that the Franks were still pagans at the time of writing; their conversion to Christianity is dated to the period 496–508.
The Irish annals date Patrick's arrival in Ireland at 432, but they were compiled in the mid-6th century at the earliest. The date 432 was probably chosen to minimise the contribution of Palladius, who was known to have been sent to Ireland in 431, and maximise that of Patrick. A variety of dates are given for his death. In 457 "the elder Patrick" () is said to have died: this may refer to the death of Palladius, who according to the Book of Armagh was also called Patrick. In 461/2 the annals say that "Here some record the repose of Patrick";Hennessy, W. M. (trans.) Annals of Ulster; otherwise, Annals of Senat, Vol. I. Alexander Thom & Co. (Dublin), 1887. in 492/3 they record the death of "Patrick, the arch-apostle (or archbishop and apostle) of the Scoti", on 17 March, at the age of 120.
While some modern historiansDumville, pp. 116–; accept the earlier date of for Patrick's death, scholars of early Irish history tend to prefer a later date, . Supporting the later date, the annals record that in 553 "the relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille" (emphasis added). The death of Patrick's disciple Mochta is dated in the annals to 535 or 537, and the early hagiographies "all bring Patrick into contact with persons whose obits occur at the end of the fifth century or the beginning of the sixth". However, E. A. Thompson considers that none of the dates given for Patrick's death in the Annals are reliable. A recent biography suggests that a late fifth-century date for the saint is not impossible.
Life Early life and captivity
Patrick was born in Britain at the end of Roman rule. He came from a family of Romano-Britons, i.e. Romanized Celtic Britons. He would have spoken British Celtic as his mother tongue, the Irish language, and some Latin. In his Confessio, Patrick writes that his father, Calpurnius, was a decurion (senator and tax collector) of an unnamed Romano-British town, and also a deacon in the Church; his grandfather Potitus was a priest. However, Patrick writes that he was not religious in his youth, and considered himself in that period to be "idle and callow".
His birthplace is not known with any certainty, but it is believed to be near the Irish Sea (as he was captured by Irish pirates) and near a large Roman town (as his father was a decurion).See Patrick writes that his family hailed from the vicus of Bannavem Taburniae, and that his father had a small villa nearby. Several places have been proposed. One is the Roman fort Banna (Birdoswald) on Hadrian's Wall, which is near Luguvalium (Carlisle) in Cumbria. Another is Banwen in south Wales, noting that the western coasts of southern Scotland and northern England held little to interest a raider seeking quick access to booty and numerous slaves, while the southern coast of Wales offered both. In addition, the region was home to Uí Liatháin and possibly also Déisi settlers during this time, so Irish raiders would have had the contacts to tell them precisely where to go to quickly obtain booty and capture slaves. MacNeill also suggests a possible home town in Wales based on naming similarities but allows that the transcription errors in manuscripts make this little more than an educated guess. which was the site of a Roman marching camp. The West Country has also been proposed; particularly Banwell-Wint Hill, and Avonmouth, both in Somerset. It has been suggested that the last part of Bannavem Taburniae refers to the Severn (Sabrina) or that it is made up of the Celtic banna (promontory) venta (town) and berniae (a pass or gap). The Roman town of Bannaventa in Northamptonshire is phonically similar to the name Patrick gave, but is probably too far from the sea.; Muirchú's 7th century Life of Patrick says that he was born at a place called Nemthor, which in the following centuries was identified with a place near Dumbarton in Strathclyde. Nearby is Kilpatrick, another proposed birthplace.
According to his Confession, he was captured at the age of sixteen from his family's villa at Bannavem Taburniae by a group of Irish pirates. They took him to Ireland where he was enslaved and held captive for six years. Patrick writes in the Confession that the time he spent in captivity was critical to his spiritual growth. He says that God gave him the opportunity to be forgiven his sins and to grow in his faith through prayer.
As a slave, Patrick worked as a herder and was introduced to the Irish culture that would define his life and reputation. Patrick does not say where in Ireland he worked. However, in his Confessio, he recounts a dream he had many years later, where the people near "the wood of Foclut" ( or Vocluti), which is "next to the western sea", beseech him to "come and walk again amongst us". This suggests that Foclut was in the area of his captivity. Patrick writes that after six years of captivity, he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled 200 Roman miles (about 188 statute miles or 300 km) to a port, presumably on the eastern or southern coast, where he found a ship and persuaded the captain to take him aboard. It is generally believed that Foclut refers to Foghill (, meaning "under-wood") near Killala Bay in Connacht. However, Patrick's hagiographer Muirchú said it was in the area of Slemish mountain () in Ulster.
Patrick says that they sailed for three days before reaching land. The likelihood that they set sail from the eastern or southern coast, and the length of the journey, suggests that they may have sailed to Gaul, perhaps Armorica. All apparently disembarked and then walked for 28 days in a "wilderness", becoming faint from hunger. Patrick prayed for sustenance, and about the sixteenth day, they came upon a herd of wild boar and were able to feed themselves. Eventually they reached civilization. Patrick's account of his escape from slavery is recounted in his Confessio.
Return to Britain and education After a few years (), Patrick says he returned home to his family in Britain, now in his early twenties.; ; Confessio; 17–19 Patrick then began his ecclesiastical training. Muirchú says that Patrick studied at Auxerre in central Gaul for thirty years. J. B. Bury suggests that Amator ordained Patrick to the diaconate at Auxerre.Bury, J.B., "Sources of the Early Patrician Documents", The English Historical Review, (Mandell Creighton et al, eds.), Longman., July 1904, p. 499 It is suggested that Saint Germanus of Auxerre, a bishop of the Western Church, ordained him to the priesthood, while Maximus of Turin is said to have consecrated him as bishop. However, Tírechán says that Patrick studied for thirty years at Lérins Abbey off the south coast of Gaul.