Saint Assicus ''(Asicus, Assic)'' was the first bishop of

Elphin Elphin may refer to: Places Canada * Elphin, Ontario, a hamlet in North Sherbrooke, Lanark County Ireland * Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland * Diocese of Elphin, a diocese in Ireland * Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Scotland * Elphin, Highl ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and venerated as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of that place. He was also an artisan metalworker.

Tradition

Assicus was a friend of St. Patrick, and a skilled metal worker in brass and copper. Converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) 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 be ...

, he is also said to have been Patrick's worker in

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

.Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Assicus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 31 Dec. 2012
/ref> At Elphin, Patrick built a church, called through centuries, "Tempull Phadruig" (Patrick's church). There he established an episcopal monastery, one of the first monasteries founded by him. He appointed Assicus as abbot-bishop, and with him left Bite, son of the brother of Assicus, and Cipia, mother of Bite.
/ref> Assicus was of the family of Hono, a druid of wealth and influence, from whom Patrick obtained the land.

Artisan

Under the Brehon Law, craftsmen were well respected in ancient Ireland. The first bishop of Elphin is described in the "Book of Armagh" as the ''cerd'', (the wright or goldsmith) of St. Patrick. Assicus made chalices, patens, and metal book-covers for the churches founded by Patrick. In the ''Tripartite Life of St Patrick'' is stated: :''Bishop St. Assic was Patrick's coppersmith, and made altars, tables, and square

bookcase A bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture with horizontal shelves, often in a cabinet, used to store books or other printed materials. Bookcases are used in private homes, public and university libraries, offices, schools, and bookst ...

s. Besides, he made our saint's

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

s in honour of Bishop Patrick, and of them I have seen three square patens, that is, a paten in the Church of Patrick in

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

, and another in the Church of Elphin, and a third in the great-church of Donough-patrick (at Carns near Tulsk).''Joyce, P.W., ''A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland'', Dublin,(1906)
/ref> Assicus was an expert metal worker, and was also renowned as a

bellfounder Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting ...

. Following the example of their masters, the successors and spiritual children of St. Assicus founded a school of art and produced beautiful objects of Celtic workmanship in the Diocese of Elphin.

Death

Of his last days the following graphic description is given by Archbishop Healy: :''Assicus himself in shame because of a lie told either by him, or, as others say, of him, fled into

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

, and for seven years abode in the island of Rathlin O'Birne. Then his monks sought him out, and after much labour found him in the mountain glens, and tried to bring him home to his own

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

at Elphin. But he fell sick by the way and died with them in the wilderness. So they buried the venerable old man in the churchyard of Rath Cunga, now Racoon, in the Barony of

Tirhugh Tirhugh (; ) is a barony in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Local ...

, County Donegal. The old churchyard is there still, though now disused, on the summit of a round hillock close to the left of the road from

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

to Donegal, about a mile to the south of the village of Ballintra. We sought in vain for any trace of an inscribed stone in the old churchyard. He fled from men during life, and, like

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

, his grave is hidden from them in death.'' His feast is celebrated 27 April, as is recorded in the ''

Martyrology of Tallaght The ''Martyrology of Tallaght'', which is closely related to the '' Félire Óengusso'' or ''Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee'', is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/o ...

'' under that date.

Identities

Assicus is sometimes thought to be the same man as St. Tassac and St. Assam / St. Assan, or both.

References

External links

"St. Assicus - Drumholm", Parish of Drumholm

Kelly, J.J., "St. Assicus", ''The Irish Ecclesiastical Record'', 1902
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assicus People from County Roscommon People from County Donegal 5th-century Irish bishops Irish metalsmiths Irish goldsmiths 5th-century Christian saints Medieval Irish saints Converts to Christianity from pagan religions