Very little is known about St. Patrick and his life. Often times it is difficult to seperate fact and myth becuase of the controversy that surrounds him. This page contains information that is actual fact, and also information that is believed to be true about the patron saint of Ireland.
His real name is believed to be Maewyn Sucatt, and was given the name "PATERCIUS" by Pope Celestine, only after becomming a priest. This name is derived from two Latin words--pater and civium, meaning "THE FATHER OF HIS PEOPLE."
St. Patrick was not actually Irish. It is not known exactly where he was born, but is reported to be England, Scotland, or Wales.
The exact date of his birth is also unknown, but believed to be between the years 370 and 380 AD--roughly 400 years after the birth of Christ.
St.Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th! (It is believed that he was not only born on this day, but also died on this same date...although there is no evidence that supports this).
St. Patrick did not care much for Christianity in his youth, and watched the simplicity of his life slip away after being kidnapped by Irish marauders at the age of 16. He was sold as a slave to the Irish chieftain, Milchu, and the following six years of his life were spent in captivity as a sheep herder, at which time he began to have religious visions. He escaped captivity after being visited by an Angel who told him to leave Ireland by going back to the coast. After a journey of 200 miles, he found a ship that sailed him back to Britain, but after arriving, he had a dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more." It was also at this time that his love for God and his fear of God grew, and lead him to believe that he should be the one to deliver the heathens of Ireland from Paganism to Christianity.
So, he began his studies for the priesthood under St. Germanus, who told him that before he could carry out his mission he would need to be consecrated (made holy). It is said that St. Patrick went to the island of Alanensis to pray, and was given Jesus's own staff on Mount Arnum to hold him up. The recorded evidence that supports this is an engraved stone on the side of the main monastery, which reads: "St. Patrick came here in the fifth century to study the sacred sciences in preparation for his mission to Ireland." Then, at 60 years of age, St. Patrick was consecrated by Bishop Amatorex.
St. Patrick returned to Ireland in 432 AD to carry out his mission, but he was not the first to bring the light of Christianity into a Europe languishing in the Dark Ages, however the principle credit for converting the pagan island and establishing the Celtic church belongs to St. Patrick. It is believed that he was sent to Ireland as Bishop to replace Saint Palladius who had only been there for one year and died in 431 AD, which may be the reason for the erroneous belief that St. Patrick was the first.
It has even been debated as to whether St. Patrick existed at all. There is some confusion concerning two Patricks that seem to have existed during that same time. (I have not had time to research this in depth--will add information when I uncover it). There are two short works of Literature, however, that have survived for a millenium and a half, and are known to have been written by St. Patrick around the year 450 AD. These two documents are the oldest known documents in the history of Ireland.
The first of these documents is known as "The Confessio", which some say he wrote in self-defense concerning certain accusations brought against him by senior clerics of Britain, while others believe that it is a spiritual autobiography in which he recorded parts of his life. In either case, we learn the familiar details of his life and much about what he believed in.
The second of these documents is sometimes referred to as
"The Epistle" or "A Letter to Croticus", which pleads the case of the Christian Irish at the hands of their British conquerors. It was written to a British chieftain whose soldiers had seized certain young Christians belonging to Patrick's flock and enslaved them.
Celtic scholarship pronounces St. Patrick as a good Bishop, but questions his intellectual skills. Unlike so many of the Christian Bishops of his day, he did not receive a formal education. The abduction in his youth no doubt being the cause that robbed him of any oppotunity for university studies.
St. Patrick himself refers to the inability to express his thoughts clearly, and was very conscious about his lack of education. His language was imperfect, and at times almost incomprehensible, but as one authorative on this subject puts it, "He speaks from the heart, for he tells us in no uncertain terms he knows only how to speak the truth!".
St. Patrick's Cathedral , in Dublin, Ireland, is dedicted to this saint and located on a site of great antiquity.
According to ancient writings, St. Patrick baptized a number of his converts at a sacred well on this site during one of his visits. The well was rediscovered in 1901, along with a stone slab which is believed to have covered the well and is now preserved within the Cathedral.
The Cathedral, which is the largest church in Ireland, also stands on the oldest Christian site in Dublin. It was consecrated on St. Patrick's Day, 1192, and dedicated to 'God, Our Blessed Lady Mary and St. Patrick." Officially a collegiate church, it is not known when the church was raised to Cathedral status, but in 1872 became the national Cathedral of Ireland due to the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland. St. Patrick's Cathedral is Protestant in it's beliefs.
The first university in Ireland was founded here in 1320, and continued in some form until the fifteenth century when lack of funds caused it to close.
The last great ceremony held in St. Patrick's was in 1868, when the Prince of Wales was invested as a Knight.
Because of the sacred association with St. Patrick, a church has stood here since 450 AD. The present Cathedral is of Early English Gothic style and has suffered much over the centuries. It is reported that but for the remarkable generosity of Sir Benjamin Guninness, who completely restored the fabric between 1860 and 1864 at a cost of about £160,000, the Cathedral might not be standing today!!
St. Patrick also traveled to Cashel in 448 AD, which is where the Rock of Cashel is located, also known as St. Patrick's Rock. This is one of the most hallowed places in Ireland. Its history spans sixteen centruies and dates back to pre-Christian Ireland. Originally the seat of the Kings of Munster, Cashel was handed over to religious Irealnd in 1101 AD.
During my research I came across many legends associated with St.Patrick that I had not heard, but found them to be fascinating. The two legends that most of us are familiar with are actually myth. One of these is his use of the shamrock in explaining the Trinity as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The shamrock was originally and traditionally worn as a symbol of the Cross! Also, the legend that reports him banishing all snakes from Ireland is probably just a metaphor for his driving the pagens from Ireland, as snakes were often associated with pagan worship, and did not exist in Ireland even before his time.
Another fact that I did find interesting is that St. Patrick is known for being one of the first Christian bishops to call for the abolition of slave trade AND for equality of treatment among the sexes.
However, the most astonishing legend I came across during my research is that concerning his death.
After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering, he died March 17, 461 AD. Tradition has it that the body of Patrick, wrapped in its shroud, was placed upon a cart drawn by two white oxen. The beasts were unreined and wandered to Downpatrick where, it is said, now lies the remains of the Saint. Supposedly at his passing, the sun would not set, but shone in the sky for twelve days and nights; refusing to make a new day without him.
St. Patrick continued his vocation and what he considered to be his life's work for thirty years baptizing tens of thousands of people and establishing hundreds of churches and schools throughout all of Ireland. He is honored as few other Saints!!!
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