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
Fordoun ( gd, Fordun) (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, t ...
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
Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedication ...
. He was educated at
Candida Casa
Candida Casa was the name given to the church established by St Ninian in Whithorn, Galloway, southern Scotland, in the mid fifth century AD. The name derives from la, casa (meaning hut) and / (meaning shining or glittering white), referring poss ...
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
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 ...
,
[ according to ]Alban Butler
Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer.
Biography
Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...
, Ternan was a monk at Culross
Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, 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
Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.
Prehistory and archaeology
In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist ...
. 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, ...
. 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
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is ...
Image:Arbuthnott St Ternan East Aspect.JPG, St Ternan's, Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott ( gd, Obar Bhuadhnait, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a village and parish in the Howe of the Mearns, a low-lying agricultural district of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of Fordoun (on the A90) and north-west ...
See also
*Trumwine of Abercorn
Trumwine () was the only ever Bishop of the Northumbrian see of the Picts, based at Abercorn.
Trumwine was a contemporary and friend of St. Cuthbert. In 681, during the reign of King Ecgfrith of Northumbria, Trumwine was appointed "Bishop of the ...
References
External links
Banchory Ternan East Parish Parish Church (official website)
{{authority control
6th-century Christian saints
Medieval Scottish saints
5th-century Scottish people