Saint Iserninus (or ''Isernius'') () was an early Christian missionary of Ireland who is associated with

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 ...

and Saint Auxilius in establishing Christianity in the south of that island. More recent research associates him not with Patrick but with Palladius.

Traditional view

Saint Iserninus is thought to have been a

Briton British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

Irishman The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been co ...

, and is associated with the lands of the Uí Cheinnselaig in Leinster. He was originally named ''Fith'', and he may have been ordained a deacon at

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 ref ...

with Patrick and Auxilius. Old Kilcullen Church and Round Tower 2013 09 05

Iserninus is referred to as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 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, ...

'', and he is recorded as having begun his mission in 439 AD. According to Patrick F. Moran, St. Patrick assigned the valley of the Liffey to Auxilius and Iserninus.

Modern studies

According to historian Charles Thomas, "The weight of current opinion is perhaps in favour of associating

Secundinus Secundinus (fl. 5th century), or Sechnall (Modern Irish: ''Seachnall'') as he was known in Irish, was founder and patron saint of Domhnach Sechnaill, Co. Meath, who went down in medieval tradition as a disciple of St Patrick and one of the firs ...

, Auxilius, and Iserninus with Palladius rather than with Patrick." A tradition at

Aghade Aghade () is a small civil parish, in the barony of Forth, County Carlow, Ireland. It is 3 miles from Tullow Tullow (; , formerly ''Tulach Ó bhFéidhlim/ Tullowphelim'') is a market town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the ...

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Co ...

, holds that Iserninus founded a church there and was later buried there. Iserninus is also called the founder of the church at

Old Kilcullen ''Old Kilcullen'', formerly ''Kilcullen'' (''Cill Chuilinn'', "the Church of the Holly" in Irish), is a townland in County Kildare, Ireland, which includes a noted religious archaeological site within its boundary. As a townland it is rel ...

, where he was reputedly appointed as bishop by St. Patrick, possibly along with St. Mactail. Kilcullen began as a monastic settlement, in the period around 448. The choice of location for the settlement was perhaps related to the nearby Dun Ailinne,Johnston, Susan; Wailes, Bernard (2007), ''Dún Ailinne: Excavations at an Irish Royal Site 1968–1975'', Philadelphia: University Museum Publications, a ceremonial site related to the kings of Leinster.

References

Sources

*Dumville, David N. "Auxilius, Iserninus, Secundinus and Benignus." In ''Saint Patrick, AD 493-1993'', ed. by David N. Dumville and Lesley Abrams. Studies in Celtic history 13. Woodbridge: Boydell, 1993. pp. 89–105. . People from County Carlow 5th-century Irish bishops Christian missionaries in Ireland 5th-century Christian saints Medieval Irish saints {{ireland-saint-stub