Saint Blathmac ( la, Blathmacus, Florentius) was a distinguished Irish monk, born in

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 ...

about 750 AD. He is known as "Blathmac, son of Flann", to distinguish him from the poet and monk

Blathmac mac Con Brettan Blathmac mac Con Brettan was an Irish poet and monk whose floruit was around 760. Blathmac was the son of Cú Brettan mac Congussa (died 740), seemingly a king of the Airthir, one of the Airgíalla kingdoms, situated in modern-day County Armagh ...

. He was killed and became a martyr in

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

, about 825. His biography was written by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, the Benedictine Abbot of Reichenau (824–849), and thus the story of his martyrdom has been handed down.

Early life

Blathmac, the

scion Scion may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Scion, a playable class in the game ''Path of Exile'' (2013) *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scions, an alien race in the video game ''Ba ...

of a noble family, early showed a religious turn of mind. Strabo describes him as a warrior prince, and "a future king of his people" who gave up his patrimony to enter religious life.Breen, Aidan. "Blathmac", ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''
/ref> His name was Latinized ''Florentius'' (from the Irish word '' bláth'' meaning "flower").

Career

He became the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of an Irish monastery, and in 824 left to join the community of

Columban Columbanus ( ga, Columbán; 543 – 21 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in pr ...

monks at

. He was serving as prior or acting abbot in the absence of

Diarmait of Iona Diarmait of Iona was Abbot of Iona (814–832?). Thomas Owen Clancy argues that Diarmait was one of the most important Céli Dé reformers, instrumental to the spread of the movement in Scotland, laying the ground for his successor Indrechtach. ...

, who had taken most of the community to Kells for safety. Anticipating yet another viking raid, Blathmac had what remained of the relics of Columba hidden. Not long afterwards the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

ravaged the island. One morning, as he was celebrating

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, the

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n rovers entered the monastic church. Blathmac refused to point out the shrine of St. Columba, which was the object of plunder. He was hacked to pieces on the altar step. His body was afterwards reverently interred at the scene. Miracles are claimed to have been wrought through his intercession. The date of his death is given by the "

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

" as 825, although

Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon, O.S.B., (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabil ...

places it thirty-six years earlier.

References

External links

Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blathmac, Saint 750s births 835 deaths 9th-century Christian saints 8th-century Irish abbots 9th-century Irish abbots Medieval Irish saints