Saint Clement of Ireland (Clemens Scotus) ( 750 – 818) is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Biography

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 ...

, he founded a school for boys under the patronage of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

and figures in the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the State church of the Roman Emp ...

of learning. A monk of St. Gall, usually identified as

Notker the Stammerer Notker the Stammerer ( – 6 April 912), Notker Balbulus, or simply Notker, was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall active as a poet, scholar and (probably) composer. Described as "a significant figure in the Western Church", Notker m ...

, who wrote a ''Life of Charlemagne'' dedicated to

Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...

(d. 888), says that Clement with his unnamed companion, both "Scots of Ireland" travelling in the company of traders, arrived on the coast of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

"in the moment when

had begun to reign as sole king" (i.e. ca 771); they set themselves up in the market as venders of learning. Word of them reached the ear of Charlemagne, who sent for them to come to his court. Ailbe, Clement's companion, was then given the direction of the "monastery of Saint Augustine" near

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

, identifiable as the Abbey of

San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (Italian for "Saint Peter in Golden Sky") is a Catholic basilica (and a former cathedral) of the Augustinians in Pavia, Italy, in the Lombardy region. Its name refers to the mosaics of gold leaf behind glass tesserae that ...

, "sometimes named after Saint Augustine, because it contained many of his relics".Lewis Thorpe, ed. ''Einhard and Notker the Stammerer: Two lives of Charlemagne'' :1969:189 note 3 on Notker, ''Life'', §1. Clement was requested to remain in France as the master of a school of learning for boys both noble and common, that was established and supported by Charlemagne. These events may have taken place in the winter of the year 774, after Charlemagne had been in Italy. Clement was regent of the palace school at Paris until his death. It was not until 782 that

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...

became master of the royal school at

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

, but even the fame of Alcuin in no wise diminished the acknowledged reputation of Clement. Though St. Clement is no longer claimed as founder of the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, the fact remains that this remarkable Scots-Irish scholar planted the seeds of learning at Paris. Many anecdotes are related of St. Clement's life, especially as regards his success as a teacher of youth. Among his pupils were Bruno, Modestus, and Candidus, who had been placed under his care in 803 by

Ratgar Ratgar was a controversial abbot at the famous Benedictine monastery of Fulda during the early ninth century. Life Ratgar was abbot of the monastery of Fulda from 802 until 817. He was from a noble family in Germania, and was sent by his parent ...

, Abbot of

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

. When Alcuin retired to

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

in 796, his post as rector of the School of the Palace was naturally given to Clement. In 803, as an old man, Alcuin wrote from his retirement to Charlemagne, querulously commenting on "the daily increasing influence of the Irish at the School of the Palace". Alcuin died 19 May 804, and Charlemagne survived till 28 January 814.
The 17th-century hagiographer

John Colgan John Colgan, OFM (Irish ''Seán Mac Colgan''; c. 1592 – 15 January 1658), was an Irish Franciscan friar noted as a hagiographer and historian. Life Colgan was born c. 1592 at Priestown near Carndonagh. He joined the Franciscan Order and w ...

, in his ''

Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae ''Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae'' is the abbreviated title of a celebrated work on the Irish saints by the Franciscan, John Colgan (Leuven, 1645). Aided by Father Hugh Ward, O.F.M., Father Stephen White, S.J., and Brother Míchél Ó Cléirigh, O.F. ...

'' (Louvain, 1645) says that he was living in 818, and gives the date of Clement's death as 20 March and the place as

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

, where he was interred in the church of Saint-Amator.

References

External links

CLEMENT of Ireland
at Patron Saints Index {{DEFAULTSORT:Clement Of Ireland 8th-century Irish writers 9th-century Irish writers Medieval Irish saints Saints from the Carolingian Empire 750s births 818 deaths Year of birth uncertain 8th-century Latin writers Irish expatriates in France Irish Christian missionaries 9th-century Latin writers Irish Latinists Missionary linguists