Saint Mochta (or Mochtae, Mahew, Mochteus, Maucteus, Mauchteus; died 20 August 535, or A.D. 537), was the last surviving disciple of
Saint Patrick.
Life
Mochta was, like Patrick, a native of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. His name is British, and
Adomnán's ''Life of
Columba'' describes him as "a certain British stranger, a holy man and a disciple of the holy bishop Patrick". Adomnán presents Mochta as having prophesied the birth of
Colm Cille.
[Dumville, David. ''Saint Patrick'', Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1999]
According to one account, Mochta was brought to Ireland as a child, along with his parents, by a druid named Hoam. The druid settled in County Louth, where Mochta was brought up as a member of the family. He went to Rome to continue his studies, and there the Pope consecrated him bishop and sent him back to Ireland with twelve companions. The first church he founded was at
Kilmore.
[Healy, John. ''Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum'', Sealy, Bryers & Walker, Dublin, 1908]
/ref> Departing from Kilmore, he left all his possessions to the monks, taking only "the fountain at the door". He followed the stream, (or according to the ''Vita'', the stream followed him) to Louth. This became the river Fane.
He is said to have founded a 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 whi ...
in Louth Louth may refer to:
Australia
*Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia
* Louth, New South Wales, a town
* Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia
**Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality
Canada
* Louth, Ontario
Ireland
* Cou ...
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 ...
. Louth was originally the site of a shrine to the Celtic god Lugh. Mochta's monastery gained a nationwide reputation. Mochta was an accomplished scholar, especially learned in Sacred Scripture. He wrote a rule for monks, but no trace of it has survived. He began a series of annals at Louth, which was continued by his successors, and became known as the ''Book of the Monks''. In his old age, Patrick came and spent some time with Mochta. After Patrick's death, Mochta took charge of Armagh for a brief period before turning it over to Benignus.[
One story has him restoring to life the daughter of the druid Hoam. The young woman then became a nun who made vestments and altar-cloths.][
Both monastery and village were burned and plundered frequently by the Danes in the period 829-968.]["A Gathering of Irish Saints", AOH Division 61, Philadelphia]
/ref> A round tower, built for protection, was blown down in 981. An oratory, built in the late 12th century, bears the name St. Mochta's House
St. Mochta's House is a medieval Oratory (worship), oratory and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument in County Louth, Ireland.
Location
St. Mochta's House is located to the northwest of Louth, County Louth, Louth village.
History
M ...
and may have housed his relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...
.
The '' Annals of Ulster'' report his death twice, in 535 and 537, which points to him being considerably younger than Patrick, whose death the ''Annals'' date to 493. Scholars believe that he, the last of Patrick's disciples then alive, died at the age of 90.[ The entry for 535 dates his death to the 13th of the ]Calends
The calends or kalends ( la, kalendae) is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word " calendar" is derived from this word.
Use
The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a ...
of September, i.e. 20 August, and quotes the opening of a letter written by him: "Mauchteus, a sinner, priest, disciple of St Patrick, sends greetings in the Lord." However neither the rest of this letter nor any other compositions of his have survived.[Ó Crónín, "Hiberno-Latin Literature to 1169", in ''A New History of Ireland vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', p. 372]
Notes
References
*Anderson, Alan O. & Majorie O. Anderson (eds.). ''Adomnan's Life of Columba''. Edinburgh, 1961.
*Ó Crónín, Dáibhí. ''Early Medieval Ireland: 400-1200''. Longman, 1995.
*Ó Crónín, Dáibhí. "Hiberno-Latin Literature to 1169". In Dáibhí Ó Crónín (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005.
*
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5th-century births
535 deaths
British Christian missionaries
Romano-British saints
6th-century Christian saints
Medieval saints of Meath
Disciples of Saint Patrick
Christian missionaries in Ireland