Saint Columba’s Mission Among the Picts: Around the Hagiographic Convention
Łukasz KOSIŃSKI
Zakład Historii Powszechnej Średniowiecznej, room 319, Instytut Historii, Wydział Humanistyczny, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, plac Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 4a, 20-031 Lublin, Poland , PolandAbstract
Saint Columba (521-597), now considered among the greatest saints in the history of Ireland, became famous in particular through his foundation of the monastery on the island of Iona. For this, he was the leader of the christianization mission among the Picts. While Columba’s mission was not the first one intended to christianize the Picts, it turned out the first successful one. The conversion of the Picts was an important factor for the later development of the Scottish state. Saint Columba is believed to have received support from Conall mac Comgaill, the king of Dál Riata. Columba also succeeded in winning over the support of the Pictish king Brude mac Maelchon. Adamnan’s Vita Sancti Columbae, the oldest preserved biography of St. Columba, describes numerous miracles allegedly performed by the Saint among the Picts. A narrative about the miracles worked by a saint was part of the convention adopted in hagiography, which formed the Irish sanctity pattern.
Keywords:
hagiography, sanctity, Saint Columba, Iona, Picts, Christianity, ScotlandZakład Historii Powszechnej Średniowiecznej, room 319, Instytut Historii, Wydział Humanistyczny, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, plac Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 4a, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
