This is a list of saints of Scotland, which includes saints from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, associated with, or particularly venerated in Scotland.

Veneration of saints in Scotland

One of the main features of Medieval Scotland was the Veneration of Saints. Saints of Irish origin who were particularly revered included various figures called St Faelan and St. Colman, and saints Findbar and Finan. Columba remained a major figure into the fourteenth century and a new foundation at the site of his bones was endowed by

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

(r. 1165–1214) at Arbroath Abbey.M. Lynch, ''Scotland: A New History'' (Random House, 2011), , p. 76.B. Webster, ''Medieval Scotland: the Making of an Identity'' (New York City, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1997), , pp. 52–3. In Strathclyde the most important saint was

St Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

, whose cult (under the pet name St. Mungo) became focused in Glasgow.A. Macquarrie, ''Medieval Scotland: Kinship and Nation'' (Thrupp: Sutton, 2004), , p. 46. In Lothian it was

St Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

, whose relics were carried across Northumbria after Lindisfarne was sacked by the Vikings before being installed in Durham Cathedral. After his

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

dom around 1115, a cult emerged in Orkney, Shetland and northern Scotland around

Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney from 1106 to about 1115. Magnus's grandparents, Earl Thorfinn and his wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, had two sons, Erlend and Paul, who were twin ...

Veneration of Saint Andrew

St Andrew is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Scotland and has a long history of veneration there. The cult of St Andrew was established on the east coast at Kilrymont by the Pictish kings as early as the eighth century.G. W. S. Barrow, ''Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 4th edn., 2005), , p. 11. The shrine, which from the twelfth century was said to have contained the relics of the saint brought to Scotland by

Saint Regulus Saint Regulus or Saint Rule (Old Irish: ''Riagal'') was a legendary 4th century monk or bishop of Patras, Greece who in AD 345 is said to have fled to Scotland with the bones of Saint Andrew, and deposited them at St Andrews. His feast day in ...

.B. Webster, ''Medieval Scotland: the Making of an Identity'' (New York City, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1997), , p. 55.

Developments in the Late Middle Ages

By the twelfth century it had become known simply as

St. Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...

and it became increasingly associated with Scottish national identity and the royal family. Queen Margaret was canonised in 1250 and after the ceremonial transfer of her remains to Dunfermline Abbey emerged as one of the most revered national saints. In the late medieval period, as the doctrine of

Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

gained in importance in the period, the number of chapelries, priests and masses for the dead within them grew rapidly,Andrew D. M. Barrell, ''Medieval Scotland'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), , p. 254. along with the number of altars to saints, with St. Mary's in Dundee having perhaps 48 and St Giles' in Edinburgh over 50,P. J. Bawcutt and J. H. Williams, ''A Companion to Medieval Scottish Poetry'' (Woodbridge: Brewer, 2006), , pp. 26–9. as did the number of saints celebrated in Scotland, with about 90 being added to the

missal A missal is a liturgical book containing instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the liturgical year. Versions differ across liturgical tradition, period, and purpose, with some missals intended to enable a pries ...

used in St Nicholas church in Aberdeen.C. Peters, ''Women in Early Modern Britain, 1450–1640'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), , p. 147.

Impact of the Reformation

The

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

made the veneration of saints illegal and removed almost all evidence of saints and shrines from churches,J. D. Mackie, B. Lenman and G. Parker, A History of Scotland (London: Penguin, 1991), , p. 153. although Catholicism continued as a minority religion. The period created only one Catholic saint, the convert and martyr John Ogilvie (1569–1615).J. Buckley, F. C. Bauerschmidt, T. Pomplun, eds, ''The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism'' (London: John Wiley & Sons, 2010), , p. 164.

List of saints

A *

Adomnán Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (, la, Adamnanus, Adomnanus; 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( ; from ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and saint. He was the author of the ''Life of Co ...

* Adrian of May *

Almus Almus is a town and a district of Tokat Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Hasan Hüseyin Arıkan ( AKP). See also *Almus Dam The Almus Dam (Almus Barajı in Turkish) is an earthen embankment dam that is near the town o ...

Andrew the Apostle Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an Apostles in the New Testament, apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He ...

B *

Barvitus Barvitus ( fl. 545) was a supposed Scottish saint. David E. Thornton suggests that he is a manifestation of the cult of St Findbarr, from north-east Ulster. Barvitus is said to have been the disciple of St Brandan, and his companion in his wanderi ...

* Blane *

Saint Findbarr of Barra In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

C *

Cainnech of Aghaboe Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainne ...

Cathan Saint Cathan, also known as Catan, Cattan, etc., was a 6th-century Irish monk revered as a saint in parts of the Scottish Hebrides. Source Material This Saint appears in the ''Aberdeen Breviary'', Walter Bower's ''Scotichronicon'', and the ''Ac ...

Cathróe (bishop of the Scots) Cathróe is the twelfth alleged Bishop of St. Andrews according to the bishop-list of Walter Bower. He is one of 4 bishops-elect listed by Bower; that is, he is the second of Giric, Cathróe, Eadmer and Godric. As with the other 3, Bower is our on ...

Colman Colmán or Colman is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Medieval Irish people * Colmán Bec (died ''c''. 585), Irish dynast * Colmán mac Cobthaig (died ''c''. 622), Irish king * Colmán mac Lénéni (died ''c'' ...

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

Conran of Orkney Saint Conran of Orkney was a 7th-century Bishop of Orkney. His feast day is 14 February. Monks of Ramsgate account The monks of St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate wrote in their ''Book of Saints'' (1921), Butler's account The hagiographer Alban ...

Constantine of Strathclyde Constantine was reputedly the son and successor of King Riderch Hael of Alt Clut, the Brittonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde. (The modern English name of Alt Clut is Dumbarton Rock.) He appears only in the '' Life of St. Kentigern'' by Joce ...

* Conval *

Curetán Saint Curetán ( Latin: ''Curitanus'', ''Kiritinus'', or ''Boniface'') was a Scoto-Pictish bishop and saint, (fl. between 690 and 710). He is listed as one of the witnesses in the ''Cáin Adomnáin'', where he is called "Curetan epscop". In the ...

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

D *

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

Donald of Ogilvy St. Donald of Sheridan, also known as Donivald or Domhnall, was an eighth-century Scottish saint who lived at Ogilvy, in the former Forfarshire. Life Upon the death of his wife, Donald converted his home into a hermitage where he lived a mon ...

* Donnán of Eigg *

Dotto ''Dotto'' was a 1958 American television game show that was a combination of a general knowledge quiz and the children's game connect the dots. Jack Narz served as the program's host, with Colgate-Palmolive as its presenting sponsor. ''Dotto'' ...

Drostan Saint Drostan (d. early 7th century), also Drustan, was the founder and abbot of the monastery of Old Deer in Aberdeenshire. His relics were translated to the church at New Aberdour and his holy well lies nearby. Biography Drostan was a Scotti ...

* Duthac E * Magnus * Ernan F * Fergus * Finan of Lindisfarne * Fillan of Pittenweem * Fillan *

Finbarr of Cork Finbar is an Irish given name that may also be spelled Finbarr, Finbarre, or Finnbar. It is derived from ''Fionnbharr'', an old Irish word meaning "fair-headed one". The anglicised, shortened translation of Finbar is Barry. Finbar may refer to: P ...

G *

Gervadius Saint Gervadius (Garnat, Garnet, Gerardin, Gerardine, Gernard, Gernardius, Gervardius, Gervat) (d. ~934 AD) was an Irish saint. His feast day is celebrated on 8 November. He was an Irishman who established himself as a hermit in Scotland, near ...

Gilbert de Moravia Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245), later known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch, or Gilbert of Caithness, was the most famous Bishop of Caithness and founder of Dornoch Cathedral. His name may suggest that he came from the semi-Gaelicized family of Fl ...

H *

Himelin Saint Himelin (Hymelin, Himelinus) (died Vissenaken, c. 750 AD) was an Irish or Scottish Paul Kempeneers. Toponymie van Vissenaken. priest who, returning from a pilgrimage to Rome, fell ill when passing through Vissenaken (in present-day part ...

I * Inan K *

Kessog Saint Kessog was an Irish missionary of the mid-sixth century active in the Lennox area and southern Perthshire. Son of the king of Cashel in Ireland, Kessog is said to have worked miracles, even as a child. He left Ireland and became a missio ...

* Ronald of Orkney L *

Ludan Ludan, also known as Ludain or Luden, was a Scottish pilgrim to Jerusalem. On his return he died at Scherkirchen, near the city of Strasbourg, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in ...

M * Machan * Machar * Máel Ruba * Margaret of Scotland *

Marnock Marnock or Marnock of Kilmarnock (died AD 625), also known as Marnan of Narnach, Marnanus, Marnocalso or originally Ernin () was a Scottish monk, bishop and saint. Biography Details on the life of Marnock that have survived to the present da ...

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...

Mirin is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the fermentation pro ...

* Modan *

Molaise of Leighlin Saint Molaise of Leighlin, also Laisrén or Laserian (died ca. 639), was an early Irish saint and abbot of Lethglenn or Leithglenn, now Old Leighlin in Co. Carlow, who is supposed to have lived in the 6th and 7th centuries. Life Born in Irela ...

Moluag Saint Moluag (c. 510 – 592; also known as ''Lua'', ''Luan'', ''Luanus'', ''Lugaidh'', ''Moloag'', ''Molluog'', ''Molua'', ''Murlach'', ''Malew''

* Monan * Mungo * Munn N * Nathalan * Ninian O * Oda *

Odran of Iona Oran or Odran (Gaelic ''Oran''/''Odran''/''Odhrán'', the ''dh'' being silent; Latin ''Otteranus'', hence sometimes Otteran; died AD 548), by tradition a descendant of Conall Gulban, was a companion of Saint Columba in Iona, and the first C ...

* John Ogilvie P * Psalmodius R *

Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Re ...

* Rufus S *

Serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

T *

Teneu Teneu (or Thenew ( la, Theneva), Tannoch, Thaney, Thanea, Denw, etc.) is a legendary Christian saint who was venerated in medieval Glasgow, Scotland. Traditionally she was a sixth-century Brittonic princess of the ancient kingdom of Gododdin ( ...

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

* Triduana W *

Wendelin of Trier Saint Wendelin of Trier ( la, Vendelinus; 554 - 617 AD) was a hermit and abbot. Although not listed in the Roman Martyrology, his cultus is wide-spread in German-speaking areas. He is a patron of country folk and herdsmen. He is honored on O ...

William of Perth Saint William of Perth (died c. 1201), also known as Saint William of Rochester was a Scottish saint who was martyred in England. He is the patron saint of adopted children. Following his death, he gained local acclaim and was canonised by Pop ...

References

{{Catholic Church in Scotland