Saint Ternan (''fl.'' fifth or sixth century) is venerated as the "Bishop of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

". Not much is known of his life. Different historians place him either at the mid-fifth century or the latter part of the sixth. Those who place him in the earlier period, associate him with Palladius.

Life

Ternan, is believed to have been born in Fordoun in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, and may have been converted by the followers of Ninian. He was educated at Candida Casa in

Whithorn Whithorn ( �ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian ...

and baptised by a Celtic cleric named Paulinus. A contemporary of Saint Serf, according to Alban Butler, Ternan was a monk at Culross, which had been founded by

St. Serf Saint Serf or Serbán (''Servanus'') () is a saint of Scotland. Serf was venerated in western Fife. He is called the apostle of Orkney, with less historical plausibility. Saint Serf is connected with Saint Mungo's Church near Simonburn, Northumbe ...

. Ternan established a small monastery on the north side of the River Dee near the current graveyard in what is now the town of Banchory. As well as preaching the Christian gospel, he and his followers taught the local people farming, arts and crafts."St. Ternan", Banchory Community Website
Churches in Banchory and surrounding area bear the name of St Ternan. Ternan became bishop of the southern Picts, and lived at

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, a ...

. He ordained

Irchard Saint Irchard (or Erchard, Erthad, Merchard, Yarcard, Yrchard) was a Scottish missionary and bishop. Barrett's account According to Dom Michael Barrett (1848-1924), a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict at St. Benedict's Abbey, Fort Augustus, Sc ...

, who assisted him in his missionary labors. The story of Ternan features two key artifacts, his copy of Matthew's Gospel and his bell or "Ronnecht": *The "Aberdeen Martyrology" mentions "the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...

belonging to St. Ternan", which was enshrined in a metal case or ''

cumdach A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book they contain, often by several c ...

'' (book shrine).Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Ternan." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 9 December 2021 *The bell has an altogether more interesting story. It is said to have been brought to Banchory from Rome by Ternan, and is last recorded as being transferred to the custody of Alexander Symson, vicare of Banquhoriterne in 1491. When the glebe being excavated for the railway in 1863 an old bronze bell was found. It is not clear if this really is Ternan's bell, but it now hangs on the front wall of

Banchory Ternan East Church Banchory Ternan East Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, a member of the Presbyterian Church. The church building is located in Station Road, Banchory, Kincardineshire, Scotland. The church today serves the east parish of ...

as a visible reminder of the debt that is owed to this early pioneer of Christianity in Scotland.About Banchory - A New Descriptive and Historical Guide, Dr Gordon Walkden, 1987 He is mentioned, along with Saints Brendan, Michael etc., in some blessings and incantations, such as the milking croon of South Uist, collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Hebrides in the 1880s. St Ternan's

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is 12 June and he is still celebrated on this holiday in Banchory with St Ternan's

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

which is held on the closest Saturday. There was a chapel dedicated to Saint Ternan on

Taransay Taransay ( gd, Tarasaigh, ) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It was the host of the British television series '' Castaway 2000''. Uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers, Taransay is the largest Scottish island without a p ...

, but it was destroyed by

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

in the 1970s. Image:Belfry of St Ternan's Banchory - geograph.org.uk - 1126152.jpg, St Ternan's, Banchory Image:St Ternans Episcopal Church (geograph 4407317).jpg, St Ternans Episcopal Church, Muchalls Image:Arbuthnott St Ternan East Aspect.JPG, St Ternan's, Arbuthnott

References

External links

Banchory Ternan East Parish Parish Church (official website)
{{authority control 6th-century Christian saints Medieval Scottish saints 5th-century Scottish people

Life

See also

References

External links