Saint Ceallach
Encyclopedia
Cellach of Armagh or Celsus or Celestinus (1080–1129) was Archbishop of Armagh
and an important contributor to the reform of the Irish
church in the twelfth century. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church
as Saint Cellach. Though a member of the laicized ecclesiastical dynasty of Clann Sínaig, he took holy vows and gained priestly ordination. This put an end to the anomalous state of affairs, in effect since 966, whereby the supreme head of the Irish Church had been a layman. Following the Synod of Ráith Bressail, in which a diocesan
structure for Ireland was established, he became the first metropolitan
primate of all Ireland
.
; head of the church of Armagh) from 1074 to 1091. The Clann Sínaig, of the Uí Echdach sept of the Airthir in Airgialla
, had monopolized the office of abbot of Armagh since 966. In later historiography Clann Sínaig has been associated with the type of secularisation that made a church reform necessary, described by Marie Térèse Flanagan as an "hereditarily entrenched laicized ecclesiastical dynasty" and even less flattering denounced by Bernard of Clairvaux
as that "generatio mala et adultera".
notes that this was done "by the choice of the men of Ireland". Unlike the his lay predecessors/ancestors, he sought priestly ordination, which Flanagan has described as a "decisive reform step". It was in accordance with the first Synod of Cashel (1101), which had legislated against laymen holding ecclesiastical offices. He received orders Saturday 23 September 1105, on "the feast of Adomnán". It passed six weeks from Domnalls death to Cellachs ordination, it has been suggested by Martin Holland that this delay was in order for the ordination to take place on the Saturday-emberday
in September. Holland suggests that this may imply that the consideration for canonicity at Armagh was in "better shape" than other sources might led us to believe.
The incumbent bishop of Armagh, Cáenchomrac Ó Baígill, died in 1106. This offered the opportunity for Cellach to unite the abbatial and episcopal office, and when he the same year visited Munster
he "assumed the orders of a noble bishop by the command of the men of Ireland". That this was done in Munster may be an indication of the influence held by Muirchertach Ua Briain over ecclesiastical matters. The recent bishops of Dublin and Waterford had been consecrated in Canterbury
by the archbishops
Lanfranc
and Anselm
; Gilla Pátraic
in 1074, Donngus Ua hAingliu
in 1085, Samuel Ua hAingliu and Máel Ísu Ua hAinmire in 1096. There is no indication that Canterbury was involved in the consecration of Cellach, and when Gille Espaic was consecrated as the first bishop of Limerick
this was probably done by Cellach. Gilla received a letter from Anselm congratulating him on his elevation to the see of Limerick, and there was no suggestion that Anselm felt Canterbury had been slighted or ought to have been involved.
A number of visitations made by Cellach as bishop (and later archbishop) are recorded in the Irish annals
: He visited Cenél nEógain
in 1106, Munster in 1106 and 1120, Connacht
in 1108 and 1116, and Mide in 1110. The records of the visitations are followed by formulas such as "and he obtained a full tribute" or "brought away his full dues", indicating the official character of ecclesiastical submission embedded in such visitation.His "dues" as Coarb Pátraic are elaborated by glossing hands for his visitations in 1106: "...brought away his full due, i.e. a cow for every six persons or an in-calf heifer for every three or half an ounce for every four, along with many offerings also." (AU 1106.4) and "brought away his full visitation, i.e. seven cows and seven sheep and half an ounce for every cantred in Mumu, along with many valuables also" (AU 1106.6) Cellach also conducted negotiations between rivalling secular rulers, in particular between Muirchertach Ua Briain and the Northern Uí Néill claimant for high-kingship, Domnall Ua Lochlainn of the Cenel nEógain. There are records of Cellach making "a year's peace" between these two in the entries of the Annals of Ulster for 1107, 1109 and 1113.
in 1111. This synod, presided by Gilla Espaic as papal legate
and attended by fifty bishops, three hundred priests and over three thousand laymen, marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church. It established two metropolitan provinces, with archbishoprics at Armagh and Cashel. Prominence was given to Armagh, making Cellach the primate of the church in Ireland. Each province consisted of twelve territorial dioceses.
The see of Dublin was not included, as Dublin hitherto had been under primacy from Canterbury,The see of Waterford however, where the incumbent bishop Máel Ísu Ua hAinmire also had been consecrated in, and taken vows of obedience to, Canterbury, was moved to Lismore, and Máel Ísu chosen as the first archbishop of Cashel. but according to Martin Holland, a place was left open for it, in the sense that only eleven dioceses was declared under Cashel. Flanagan however, asserts that "the decrees of the Synod of Ráith Bressail... ...had envisaged the absorption of Dublin into the newly created adjacent diocese of Glendalough".
When bishop Samuel of Dublin died in 1121 A.D, Cellach claimed supremacy for Armagh over Dublin. The Annals of Ulster state that he "assumed the bishopric of Áth Cliath [Dublin]" and adds that this was "by the choice of foreigners and Irish", i.e. with the support of both the Norse and Irish population. There was obviously some significant resistance against this in Dublin however, subdeacon called Gréne was quickly bishop by a party in the city and sent to Canterbury, where he was consecrated by archbishop Ralph d'Escures
2 October 1121. According to Holland, it took Gréne some years before he gained possession of the see after his return, but when he did Dublin "stood apart from the newly organized Irish church". Flanagan gives a different interpretation, that Gréne was accepted as bishop of Dublin as part of some subsequent agreement, "probably in return for acknowledging the primacy of Cellach".
at his own request.
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
and an important contributor to the reform of the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
church in the twelfth century. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
as Saint Cellach. Though a member of the laicized ecclesiastical dynasty of Clann Sínaig, he took holy vows and gained priestly ordination. This put an end to the anomalous state of affairs, in effect since 966, whereby the supreme head of the Irish Church had been a layman. Following the Synod of Ráith Bressail, in which a diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
structure for Ireland was established, he became the first metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
primate of all Ireland
Primacy of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
.
Early life and background
Cellach was the son of Áed mac Máele Ísu meic Amalgada of the Clann Sínnaig. Áed had been abbot of Armagh and Coarb Pátraic ("heir" or "successor" of Saint PatrickSaint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
; head of the church of Armagh) from 1074 to 1091. The Clann Sínaig, of the Uí Echdach sept of the Airthir in Airgialla
Airgíalla
Airgíalla or Airgialla was the name of an Irish federation and Irish kingdom which first formed around the 7th century...
, had monopolized the office of abbot of Armagh since 966. In later historiography Clann Sínaig has been associated with the type of secularisation that made a church reform necessary, described by Marie Térèse Flanagan as an "hereditarily entrenched laicized ecclesiastical dynasty" and even less flattering denounced by Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
as that "generatio mala et adultera".
Coarb Pátraic
Following the death of his granduncle Domnall mac Amalgada in August 1105, Cellach succeeded as abbot of Armagh and Coarb Pátraic. The Annals of UlsterAnnals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
notes that this was done "by the choice of the men of Ireland". Unlike the his lay predecessors/ancestors, he sought priestly ordination, which Flanagan has described as a "decisive reform step". It was in accordance with the first Synod of Cashel (1101), which had legislated against laymen holding ecclesiastical offices. He received orders Saturday 23 September 1105, on "the feast of Adomnán". It passed six weeks from Domnalls death to Cellachs ordination, it has been suggested by Martin Holland that this delay was in order for the ordination to take place on the Saturday-emberday
Ember days
In the liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer...
in September. Holland suggests that this may imply that the consideration for canonicity at Armagh was in "better shape" than other sources might led us to believe.
The incumbent bishop of Armagh, Cáenchomrac Ó Baígill, died in 1106. This offered the opportunity for Cellach to unite the abbatial and episcopal office, and when he the same year visited Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
he "assumed the orders of a noble bishop by the command of the men of Ireland". That this was done in Munster may be an indication of the influence held by Muirchertach Ua Briain over ecclesiastical matters. The recent bishops of Dublin and Waterford had been consecrated in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
by the archbishops
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
Lanfranc
Lanfranc
Lanfranc was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombard by birth.-Early life:Lanfranc was born in the early years of the 11th century at Pavia, where later tradition held that his father, Hanbald, held a rank broadly equivalent to magistrate...
and Anselm
Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
; Gilla Pátraic
Gilla Pátraic
Gilla Patráic , also known as Patricius, was the second Bishop of Dublin. Gilla Patráic was elevated to the see of Dublin following bishop Dúnáns death in 1074, He was consecrated by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury...
in 1074, Donngus Ua hAingliu
Donngus Ua hAingliu
Donngus Ua hAingliu , also known as Donatus and Donat O'Haingly, was the third Bishop of Dublin. Donngus was elevated to the see of Dublin following bishop Gilla Pátraics death in 1084...
in 1085, Samuel Ua hAingliu and Máel Ísu Ua hAinmire in 1096. There is no indication that Canterbury was involved in the consecration of Cellach, and when Gille Espaic was consecrated as the first bishop of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
this was probably done by Cellach. Gilla received a letter from Anselm congratulating him on his elevation to the see of Limerick, and there was no suggestion that Anselm felt Canterbury had been slighted or ought to have been involved.
A number of visitations made by Cellach as bishop (and later archbishop) are recorded in the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
: He visited Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEóġain is the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Eógan mac Néill , son of Niall Noígiallach who founded the kingdom of Tír Eoghain in the 5th century...
in 1106, Munster in 1106 and 1120, Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
in 1108 and 1116, and Mide in 1110. The records of the visitations are followed by formulas such as "and he obtained a full tribute" or "brought away his full dues", indicating the official character of ecclesiastical submission embedded in such visitation.His "dues" as Coarb Pátraic are elaborated by glossing hands for his visitations in 1106: "...brought away his full due, i.e. a cow for every six persons or an in-calf heifer for every three or half an ounce for every four, along with many offerings also." (AU 1106.4) and "brought away his full visitation, i.e. seven cows and seven sheep and half an ounce for every cantred in Mumu, along with many valuables also" (AU 1106.6) Cellach also conducted negotiations between rivalling secular rulers, in particular between Muirchertach Ua Briain and the Northern Uí Néill claimant for high-kingship, Domnall Ua Lochlainn of the Cenel nEógain. There are records of Cellach making "a year's peace" between these two in the entries of the Annals of Ulster for 1107, 1109 and 1113.
Synod of Ráith Bressail and Dublin
Cellach attended and played a prominent part in the Synod of RathbreasailSynod of Rathbreasail
The Synod of Ráth Breasail took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church...
in 1111. This synod, presided by Gilla Espaic as papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
and attended by fifty bishops, three hundred priests and over three thousand laymen, marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church. It established two metropolitan provinces, with archbishoprics at Armagh and Cashel. Prominence was given to Armagh, making Cellach the primate of the church in Ireland. Each province consisted of twelve territorial dioceses.
The see of Dublin was not included, as Dublin hitherto had been under primacy from Canterbury,The see of Waterford however, where the incumbent bishop Máel Ísu Ua hAinmire also had been consecrated in, and taken vows of obedience to, Canterbury, was moved to Lismore, and Máel Ísu chosen as the first archbishop of Cashel. but according to Martin Holland, a place was left open for it, in the sense that only eleven dioceses was declared under Cashel. Flanagan however, asserts that "the decrees of the Synod of Ráith Bressail... ...had envisaged the absorption of Dublin into the newly created adjacent diocese of Glendalough".
When bishop Samuel of Dublin died in 1121 A.D, Cellach claimed supremacy for Armagh over Dublin. The Annals of Ulster state that he "assumed the bishopric of Áth Cliath [Dublin]" and adds that this was "by the choice of foreigners and Irish", i.e. with the support of both the Norse and Irish population. There was obviously some significant resistance against this in Dublin however, subdeacon called Gréne was quickly bishop by a party in the city and sent to Canterbury, where he was consecrated by archbishop Ralph d'Escures
Ralph d'Escures
Ralph , also known as Ralph d'Escures from the family estate Escures, near Sées in Normandy, was a medieval Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester and then Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the school at the Abbey of Bec. In 1079 he entered the abbey of St Martin at Séez, and became abbot there...
2 October 1121. According to Holland, it took Gréne some years before he gained possession of the see after his return, but when he did Dublin "stood apart from the newly organized Irish church". Flanagan gives a different interpretation, that Gréne was accepted as bishop of Dublin as part of some subsequent agreement, "probably in return for acknowledging the primacy of Cellach".
Death
In 1129 on a visitation of Munster he died and was buried in LismoreLismore, County Waterford
Lismore is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. It is located where the N72 road crosses the River Blackwater.-History:It was founded by Saint Mochuda, also known as Saint Carthage. In the 7th century, Lismore was the site of the well-known Lismore Abbey. It is also home to Lismore Castle, the...
at his own request.