St. Patrick's Purgatory (pilgrimage site)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map of the island by Thomas Carve 1666.

The Purgatory of St. Patrick ( Irish Purgadóir Phádraig , English St. Patrick's Purgatory , Latin Purgatorium Sancti Patricii ) is an old pilgrimage site on Station Island ( Inis an Turais or Oileán na Stáisiún ), an island in Lough Derg , County Donegal , Ireland .

According to legend, the pilgrimage site dates back to the 5th century when Christ showed Saint Patrick a cave (also known as a shaft or spring ), which was an entrance to hell . Its importance in the Middle Ages results from mentions in texts since 1185 and depiction on maps from all over Europe since the 15th century. It is the only named place in Ireland on Martin Behaim's globe from 1492 (as "St Patrci Purgatory").

location

View of Station Island from the shore of Lough Derg

In the 19th century there was confusion about the real location of the purgatory , whether it was on Station Island or Saints Island ( Oileán na Naomh ) in Lough Derg. Irish maps from the early 19th century from the Ordnance Survey (1837–42) locate the purgatory on Saints Island. However, the assumption of its location on Station Island has been an unbroken tradition since the Middle Ages. It is clearly stated in documents from this period and it appears as "Caverna Purgatory" on the detailed map of Station Island in Thomas Carve's book Lyra Hibernica (1666).

basis

Legend has it that Patrick was increasingly discouraged by the doubts of the unconverted who said they would not believe him until they received strong evidence. Patrick prayed for God's help in preaching the word of God and converting the Irish. In response, God showed him a pit in the earth that he called a purgatory. By showing this place to people, they would believe everything he told them. As witnesses to the purgatory, people would know the truth of the joys of heaven and the torments of hell.

Given the sparse documentation for 5th century Ireland, it is not surprising that there is no evidence that Patrick ever visited Lough Derg. The legend also came about late, probably not until the 12th century. There is, however, a more established legend regarding Saint Dabheog , the abbot and possible founder of the monastery during Patrick's lifetime. His name has been associated with a number of places since that time, e.g. B. St. Davoc's Chair on the south bank of the lake, Mount Seedavoc ( Suí Dabheoig , St. Dabheog's seat). One of the islands in Lough Derg was named after him: St. Davoc's Island , possibly identical to Saints Island .

The cave

Chapel, bell tower and penitential posts on Station Iceland. The bell tower stands on a hill at the site of the original cave.

Although the cave has been closed since October 25, 1632, many descriptions of earlier pilgrims have survived. They described it as a cave, basement, or enclosed pit. The closed entrance was narrow: 0.6 m wide and 0.9 m high. Inside was a short 6-step descent. The cave was divided into two parts: the first part was about ten feet long and only high enough to kneel in; after a curve was another niche, about five feet long.

Since there have never been excavations there, there is no confirmation of the descriptions. Based on other archaeological excavations, it appears to be a prehistoric structure. Some have suggested a basement . However, the size of the cave makes this very unlikely. A more plausible idea is that it is one of the so-called sweathouses that were in use in Ireland until the 12th century. People used these places to inhale smoke from medicinal plants burned there. The name “Purgatorium” could initially have been used in the original Latin sense as a place of cleansing and cleansing, in the spirit of the modern sauna. In particular, the modern sense of the word "purgatory" as a place of punishment in the afterlife did not come into use until the 13th century. The cave would then be a place where people came to experience physical or spiritual healing, even before it was associated with Saint Patrick in the 12th century as a place of purely spiritual healing.

The monastery and its functions

The statue of Patrick the Pilgrim near the ferry to Station Island.

A monastery existed on the islands in Lough Derg probably since the 5th century. It probably also included hermits , who each lived in a beehive hut (Irish Clochán ). The remains of six huts were the so-called shape. "Atonement beds" ( penitential beds , leapacha aithrí preserved). They are circular low wall remains with a cross inside. They are stations of pilgrimage. Today they are named after mostly Irish saints ( Dabheog , Molaise, Columcille , Brendan , Brigid and Katharina )

Around 1130, Augustinian Canons received the monastery through the authority of the Archdiocese of Armagh under Saint Malachy . The monastery on Saints Island ( Oileán na Naomh ) offered hospitality to pilgrims who visited the monastery in a spirit of repentance and prayer. It also served as a place where pilgrims could prepare to visit the purgatory. Documents report that pilgrims wishing to visit the purgatory turned up in Armagh with letters of permission from a bishop in their home region or the archbishop.

They then spent fifteen days fasting and praying in preparation for a visit to Station Island, which was a short boat ride away. At the end of the fifteen days, they confessed their sins, received communion, and underwent some final rituals before being locked in the cave for 24 hours. The next morning the prior opened the entrance and if the pilgrim was found alive he was returned to Saints Island for another fifteen days of prayer and fasting.

Since the time of Saint Dabheog, this region seems to have attracted pilgrims from near and far. They have been coming from all over Europe since the 12th century, going ashore in the ports of Dublin or Drogheda and continuing their 14-day journey through Ireland on foot with stops in monasteries along the way. During this time, many sinners and lawbreakers were obliged to make pilgrimages to atone for their deeds and to obtain forgiveness. St. Patrick's Purgatory was a suitable destination for these penitential pilgrims, as communities of hermits were often seen as endowed with special power to deliver pilgrims from their sins.

Pilgrimage was officially forbidden in 1632 by order of the Privy Council of Ireland. The Church of Ireland's Bishop of Clogher , James Spottiswoode, personally oversaw the destruction of the sanctuaries and the closure of the cave. The monastery was closed, although the local rulers apparently allowed the monks to stay there. Thus there was no longer interruption of the flow of Catholic pilgrims. Around 1710, Franciscans were present on the island in the summer to meet the needs of pilgrims. They built the Church of St. Mary of the Angels on the island in 1763 . In 1785 the administration of Station Island came into the hands of the Diocese of Clogher . St. Mary's Church was rebuilt in 1813, but replaced by a neo-Gothic building in 1870.

St. Patrick's Basilica

St. Patrick's Basilica on Station Island

St. Patrick's Church was built in 1780 and subsequently rebuilt several times. Under the direction of Prior Patrick Keown, the foundation stone for the new St. Patrick's Church was laid on July 15, 1925. It was completed in 1929 and opened to pilgrims in 1930. The church consecration took place on May 12, 1931, after which Pope Pius XI. the church was elevated to a minor basilica on August 13th .

The church architect William Alphonsus Scott (1871-1921) designed the building in 1919 in the Irish-Romanesque style. Most of the building is supported by a concrete frame that stands on the rocky floor of the lake. The walls are made of local stone or clad in limestone from a quarry near Carrickmacross with reinforced concrete underneath. On the sides of the entrance there are loggias with seven columns. The octagonal floor plan has a faceted, copper-clad dome. The basilica has a total of 169 windows. In fourteen of these, images of the apostles and the Stations of the Cross were executed in lead glass windows in original designs by Harry Clarke , who is considered one of the most renowned glass painters in Ireland. Repairs to the windows took place in 1988.

Modern pilgrimage

There is no evidence that pilgrimages to the purgatory were ever interrupted for any period. They are still going on today, after 1500 years. The main pilgrimage season begins each year in late May or early June and ends on August 15, the feast of the Assumption . It is a 3-day pilgrimage for pilgrims from all regions who are at least 15 years old, in good health and able to walk and kneel unaided. Pilgrims who should fast since the previous midnight gather at the visitor center on the banks of Lough Derg early in the morning. A boat ferry takes you to Station Island. On the island they are assigned a bedroom and barefoot they begin an almost uninterrupted cycle of prayers and worship services.

These prayers (contained in a small booklet) - the Lord's Prayer , the Ave Maria and the Apostles' Creed - are held at certain stations on the island, including the six "beds" which are remnants of the ancient hermit cells named after Irish saints.

Pilgrims spend the first night in the island basilica praying, only on the second night they can sleep in their bedrooms. Every day on the island, pilgrims are given a simple meal of dry toast, oatcakes, and black tea or coffee. On the third morning they are taken back to the mainland, where they continue to fast until midnight.

There are other programs throughout the year, including rest days, family days, and one-day retreats.

The place of pilgrimage is under the administration of the diocese of Clogher. The staff includes people who can help with both spiritual and practical problems. Facilities include a kitchen, laundry, first aid station and a book and gift shop.

The purgatory in literature

The prior of the monastery lists the torments to the knight Owein that await him in the purgatory of St. Patrick. Woodcut for the translation of Claude Noury: Le voyage du puys sainct Patrix auquel lieu on voit les peines de Purgatoire et aussi les joyes de Paradis , Lyon 1506

The Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii is a report in Latin, written 1179–1190, with a description of the afterlife experience of the knight Owein in the purgatory of St. Patrick. Marie de France translated it into French and expanded it to L'Espurgatoire Seint Patriz (Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick).

Other medieval works include the “Knight of Hungary”, George Grissophan, from 1353, whose visions were first translated into German shortly before 1400, or the “Vision of Louis of France” ( Visio Ludovici de Francia ) from 1358, which “ Vision of Raymond de Perehlos "from 1397, the vision of William of Stranton in English after 1409 and the" vision of Laurent Rathold de Pasztho ", 1411. A fascinating account of a trip to Lough Derg by the Catalan pilgrim Ramon de Perillos the year 1397 is given in Haren's and de Pontfarcy's book, along with various other accounts.

“Station Island” is a lengthy poem written by Séamus Heaney about his pilgrimage experience. Other famous poets such as Denis Devlin and Patrick Kavanagh also wrote works on St. Patrick's purgatory. Irish author William Carleton's “The Lough Derg Pilgrim” recounts the experiences that led him to abandon the idea of ​​a Catholic priestly career. He converted to the Anglican Church of Ireland . Pete McCarthy's 1998 visit is described in McCarthy's Bar.

Jean Froissart's "Chronicles of France, England, Scotland, Brittany, Gascony, Flanders and the neighboring areas" mention the purgatory in the fourth book.

François Rabelais ' Gargantua refers to the purgatory ambiguously as "Saint Patrick's Hole"

Pedro Calderón de la Barca wrote a play about the purgatory in 1640: "El Purgatorio de San Patricio" (the German translation "The purgatory of St. Patricius" appeared in 1824)

pilgrim

Since the on-site records were destroyed in 1632, it is not known exactly how many pilgrims came each year prior to that time. However, records have existed since that time. In 1700 there were 5,000 pilgrims, in 1826 there were 15,000 and in 1846 30,000 just before the start of the great famine. From 1871 to 1903 about 3,000 pilgrims came annually. From 1908 to 1921 the number averaged 8,000. From 1929 until the end of the century, the number never fell below 10,000 pilgrims a year. In some years it was two to three times as high. The place has attracted approximately 30,000 in the main pilgrimage season in recent years.

Known pilgrims:

There were 33 pilgrims between 1146 and 1517 who are still known by name. 32 are recorded at Haren and de Pontfarcy.Francesco Chiericati saw the 33rd's name, Guarino da Durazzo, in a book on Station Island during his visit, before all records were destroyed on October 25, 1632.

further reading

  • Eileen Gardiner, The Pilgrim's Way to St. Patrick's Purgatory. New York, Italica Press, 2010. Describes a route for the modern pilgrim from Dublin to Lough Derg with visits to major medieval monuments along the route and full descriptions of Station Island and Saints Island.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bieler, Ludwig. "St. Patrick's Purgatory: Contributions towards an Historical Topography." The Irish Ecclesiastical Record 93 (1960): 137-44.
  2. ↑ Leslie, Shane, ed. Saint Patrick's Purgatory: A Record from History and Literature. London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1932
  3. ↑ Historical map
  4. ↑ http://www.italicapress.com/index411.html#BuildingsPast
  5. ↑ Eileen Gardiner, Visions of Heaven and Hell before Dante. New York, Italica Press, 1989, pp. 135-36
  6. ↑ Michael Haren and Yolande de Pontfarcy (eds.) The Medieval Pilgrimage to St Patrick's Purgatory, Lough Derg and the European Tradition. Enniskillen, Clogher Historical Society, 1988, pp. 8-9.
  7. ^ Peter Harbison, Pilgrimage in Ireland: The Monuments and the People. Syracuse, Syracuse University Press, 1995.
  8. ↑ http://www.italicapress.com/index407.html#Dabheoc
  9. ↑ http://www.italicapress.com/index411.html#BuildingsPast
  10. ↑ http://www.irishmegaliths.org.uk/sweathouses.htm
  11. ^ Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1984.
  12. ↑ Eileen Gardiner, The Pilgrim's Way to St. Patrick's Purgatory . New York, Italica Press, 2010, p. 139.
  13. ↑ Gardiner , pp. 24 and 35.
  14. ↑ Gardiner , p. 39.
  15. ↑ Gardiner , pp. 39-40.
  16. ↑ Gardiner , pp. 21-23.
  17. ↑ 1500 Years of Christian Witness in the Diocese of Clogher , website of the Anglican Diocese of Clogher, accessed on March 12, 2014
  18. ↑ Gardiner , p. 150.
  19. ↑ Gardiner , p. 139.
  20. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Patrick's Purgatory
  21. ↑ St Patrick's Basilica at www.loughderg.org
  22. ↑ Gardiner , pp. 153-54.
  23. ^ Jean-Michel Picard and Yolande de Pontfarcy Saint Patrick's Purgatory: A Twelfth Century Tale of a Journey to the Other World Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1985.
  24. ↑ Hammerich, LL, ed. Visiones Georgii: Visiones quas in Purgatorio Sancti Patricii vidit Georgius Miles de Ungaria, AD MCCCLIII. Copenhagen, Høst & Søn, 1931.
  25. ↑ Nikolaus von Astau (Ostau). In: Author's Lexicon . Volume VI, Col. 1040 f.
  26. ↑ Hammerich, LL, ed. “Le pelerinage de Louis d'Auxerre au Purgatoire de S. Patrice.” Romania 5: 118 ff.
  27. ^ Jeanroy, A., and A. Vignaux. Voyage au Purgatoire de St. Patrice: Visions de Tindal et de St. Paul: texts languedociens du quinzième siècle. Bibliothèque méridonale, ser. 1, vol. 8. Toulouse, E. Privat, 1903; Reprint New York, Johnson Reprint, 1971.
  28. ↑ Easting, RB, ed. St. Patrick's Purgatory. Early English Text Society 298. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991.
  29. ↑ Delehaye, Hippolytus, ed. “La Pèlerinage de Laurent de Paszthou au Purgatoire de S. Patrice.” Analecta Bollandiana 27 (1908): 35-60; and Yonge, Jacobus. Le Pèlerinage de Laurent de Pászthó au Purgatorie de S. Patrice. Brussels: Société des Bollandists, 1908.
  30. ↑ pp. 99-119.
  31. ↑ http://www.worldcat.org/title/father-butler-the-lough-dearg-pilgrim/oclc/65662793
  32. ↑ ( http://www.worldcat.org/title/mccarthys-bar-a-journey-of-discovery-in-the-west-of-ireland/oclc/45893432 )
  33. ↑ http://www.italicapress.com/index410.html#IndividualAccounts
  34. ↑ http://www.italicapress.com/index410.html#IndividualAccounts
  35. ↑ in Hungarian: [1]
  36. ↑ Haren and de Pontfarcy , pp. 5-6.

Web links

Commons : Station Island  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 54 ° 37 ′  N , 7 ° 52 ′  W