Saint Blane ( Old Irish ''Bláán'', died 590) was a bishop and confessor in Scotland, born on the Isle of Bute, date unknown; died 590. His feast is kept on 10 August. Late (medieval) Scottish texts relate that his mother was Irish and that Saint

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 ...

was her brother. It was Cathan who saw to Blane's education in Ireland under

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

Comgall and Kenneth. Blane became a monk, went to Scotland, and was eventually bishop among the Picts. Several miracles are related to him, among them the restoration of a dead boy to life.O'Malia, Miles Joseph. "St. Blane." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 15 Apr. 2013
/ref> The Aberdeen Breviary gives these and other details of the saint's life, which are rejected, however, by the Bollandists. There can be no doubt that devotion to St Blane was, from early times, popular in Scotland. There was a church of St Blane in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

and another at Kilblane. In

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

, the place name Kilblain is thought to refer to a cell or chapel of St Blane. There is a well in the strath, or valley, called Blane's Well and also a place in the neighborhood called Garcattoun, which might be named after his uncle, St Cathan. His name is recorded on the Scottish landscape at Strathblane in the central lowlands from Loch Lomond to Dunblane. The highest authorities say the saint died in 590. The ruins of his church at

Kingarth Kingarth ( sga, Cenn Garad; gd, Ceann a' Gharaidh) is a historic village and parish on the Isle of Bute, off the coast of south-western Scotland. The village is within the parish of its own name, and is situated at the junction of the A844 and ...

, Bute, where his remains were buried, are still standing and form an object of great interest to antiquarians; St Blane's Chapel is picturesquely situated about 800 metres from

Dunagoil Dunagoil is a vitrified fort or dun on the Isle of Bute – an Iron Age hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are ...

Bay. The bell of his monastery is believed to be preserved at Dunblane.

Dunblane Cathedral Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland. The lower half of the tower is pre- Romanesque from the 11th century, and was originally free-standi ...

is said to have been founded on the site first used by St Blane.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blane 590 deaths History of Argyll and Bute History of Stirling (council area) People from the Isle of Bute 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century Scottish bishops Year of birth unknown Medieval Scottish saints