Synod of Kells-Mellifont
Encyclopedia
The Synod of Kells took place in AD 1152, under the presidency of Cardinal Paparoni
, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Rathbreasail
of reforming the Irish church
. The sessions were divided between the abbeys of Kells
and Mellifont, and in later times the synod has been called the Synod of Kells-Mellifont and the Synod of Mellifont-Kells.
Its main effect was to increase the number of archbishop
s from two to four, and to redefine the number and size of diocese
s. The Primacy of Ireland
was granted to the Archdiocese of Armagh.
) was made a priest in 1119, as vicar to Celsus. His first sees
were Down
and Connor
, and he was located at Bangor Abbey
. On the death of Celsus in 1129, Malachy was nominated as his successor at Armagh
, now the prime see in Ireland. An internal church dispute over the succession and proposals for reform obliged him to concede the position to Gelasius. In 1137, Gelasius, lacking papal confirmation of the appointment of Malachy by Rome asked him to secure the archbishop’s pallium
at the hands of the Pope or his legate. Malachy reached Rome but the Pope, Innocent II
, would only grant the pallia to Malachy at the request of an Irish National Synod. To facilitate this, he made Malachy his papal legate. Malachy then returned to Ireland accompanied by a number of Cistercian monks provided by St. Bernard
.
, approved the decrees, and the pallia were conferred by the Papal Legate
Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni
.
Ireland was divided into thirty-six sees, and four metropolitan sees: Armagh, Cashel, Tuam, and Dublin. Armagh was granted Primacy (see Primacy of Ireland
). The diocese of Dublin, ruled by the Ostmen (Danes), seceded from Canterbury and was united with Glendalough. Gregory, the incumbent bishop, accepted the new title and Ostman separatism came to an end.
and Tuam
to archdioceses. The four provinces of Armagh, Cashel, Dublin and Tuam corresponded to the contemporary boundaries of the provinces
of Ulster
, Munster
, Leinster
and Connacht
respectively.
The diocesan structure established by the synod largely survived until the sixteenth century, and still forms the basis of the territorial structure of both the Roman Catholic church and the reformed Anglican Protestant
Church of Ireland
, with many of the sees now merged.
Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni was an Italian Cardinal and prominent papal legate in dealings with Ireland and Scotland.He was created Cardinal by Pope Celestine II in 1143. He presided at the Synod of Kells in 1152, which decided the system of four archbishops for Ireland...
, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Rathbreasail
Synod 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...
of reforming the Irish church
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
. The sessions were divided between the abbeys of Kells
Kells, County Meath
Kells is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. In recent years Kells has grown greatly with many Dublin commuters moving to the town....
and Mellifont, and in later times the synod has been called the Synod of Kells-Mellifont and the Synod of Mellifont-Kells.
Its main effect was to increase the number of archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s from two to four, and to redefine the number and size of diocese
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...
s. The Primacy of 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...
was granted to the Archdiocese of Armagh.
Background
Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (Saint MalachySaint Malachy
Saint Malachy was the Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and a vision of the identity of the last 112 Popes...
) was made a priest in 1119, as vicar to Celsus. His first sees
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
were Down
Bishop of Down
The Bishop of Down was a separate episcopal title which took its name after County Down in Northern Ireland. The see was in the town of Downpatrick where the bishop's seat was located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity....
and Connor
Bishop of Connor
The Bishop of Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Connor in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title is currently used by the Church of Ireland, but in the Roman Catholic Church it has been united with another bishopric....
, and he was located at Bangor Abbey
Bangor Abbey
Bangor Abbey was established by Saint Comgall in 558 in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland and was famous for its learning and austere rule. It is not to be confused with the even older abbey in Wales on the site of Bangor Cathedral. Bangor Abbey was a centre of learning which trained...
. On the death of Celsus in 1129, Malachy was nominated as his successor at Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, now the prime see in Ireland. An internal church dispute over the succession and proposals for reform obliged him to concede the position to Gelasius. In 1137, Gelasius, lacking papal confirmation of the appointment of Malachy by Rome asked him to secure the archbishop’s pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
at the hands of the Pope or his legate. Malachy reached Rome but the Pope, Innocent II
Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...
, would only grant the pallia to Malachy at the request of an Irish National Synod. To facilitate this, he made Malachy his papal legate. Malachy then returned to Ireland accompanied by a number of Cistercian monks provided by St. Bernard
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...
.
The synod of Kells
In 1148 a synod of bishops was assembled at Inispatric. Malachy set out on a second journey to Rome, but died on the way at Clairvaux, France, in November. A synod was summoned to Kells in 1152. This synod approved the consecration of four archbishops. Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, the High King of IrelandHigh King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, approved the decrees, and the pallia were conferred by the 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....
Cardinal Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni was an Italian Cardinal and prominent papal legate in dealings with Ireland and Scotland.He was created Cardinal by Pope Celestine II in 1143. He presided at the Synod of Kells in 1152, which decided the system of four archbishops for Ireland...
.
Ireland was divided into thirty-six sees, and four metropolitan sees: Armagh, Cashel, Tuam, and Dublin. Armagh was granted Primacy (see Primacy of 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...
). The diocese of Dublin, ruled by the Ostmen (Danes), seceded from Canterbury and was united with Glendalough. Gregory, the incumbent bishop, accepted the new title and Ostman separatism came to an end.
The diocesan system
The diocesan system was further reorganised, with the number of metropolitan provinces being increased from two to four, by raising the dioceses of DublinRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
and Tuam
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in western Ireland. According to tradition, the "Diocese of Tuam" was established in the sixth century by St. Jarlath...
to archdioceses. The four provinces of Armagh, Cashel, Dublin and Tuam corresponded to the contemporary boundaries of the provinces
Provinces of Ireland
Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...
of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. 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...
, 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...
, Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
and 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...
respectively.
The diocesan structure established by the synod largely survived until the sixteenth century, and still forms the basis of the territorial structure of both the Roman Catholic church and the reformed Anglican Protestant
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
, with many of the sees now merged.
Province of Armagh
- ArdaghBishop of ArdaghThe Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh in County Longford, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839....
: reduced in size by creation of Diocese of Kells - ArmaghArchdiocese of Armagh (Roman Catholic)The Archdiocese of Armagh is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in the northern part of Ireland. According to tradition, the "Diocese of Armagh" was established by St. Patrick about 445 AD. It enjoyed a preeminance in Ireland as the most senior primatial see...
- Clonard: confirmed as see for East Meath
- Connor
- Dar-Luis: status of area uncertain
- Down
- Duleek
- Kells: established as see for the Kingdom of Breifne. Absorbed by Diocese of Meath in 1211
- Louth: see moved from Clogher and area extended at the expense of Armagh. See returned to Clogher by 1192
- Maghera: see transferred to Derry in 1254
- Raphoe: created in the late 12th century subsequent to the synod
Province of Cashel
- Ardfert: lost territory to Scattery Island
- Cashel
- Cloyne: formed from part of Cork
- CorkDiocese of CorkThe Diocese of Cork was established in the seventh century. The diocese of Cork was one of the twenty-four dioceses established at the Synod of Rathbreasail on an ancient bishopric founded by Saint Finbarr in the sixth-century...
: lost territory to Cloyne and Ross - EmlyRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and EmlyThe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in mid-western Ireland. The diocese is in the secular province of Munster. The Diocese of Cashel was established in 1111 by the Synod of Rathbreasail and promoted to the status of a Metropolitan Province in 1152 by the...
- Kilfenora: formed from part of Diocese of Killaloe; corresponded with the sub-kingdom of Corco Mruiad
- Killaloe: lost territory to new dioceses of Kilfenora, Roscrea and Scattery Island
- Limerick: lost territory to Scattery Island
- LismoreBishop of Lismore, IrelandThe Bishop of Lismore was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the town of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland.-History:The diocese of Lismore was one of the twenty-four dioceses established by the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. The see of Ardmore was incorporated with Lismore in...
: formed from part of Waterford - Roscrea: formed from part of Killaloe, only existed until the 1160s
- RossDiocese of RossThe Diocese of Ross was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Ross, and was based at Fortrose. The diocese had only one Archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Ross, first attested in 1223 with the appearance of...
: formed from part of Cork - Scattery Island: formed from parts of Ardfert, Killaloe and Limerick. Incorporated into Limerick by end of 12th century
- Waterford: lost territory to create Lismore
Province of Dublin
- DublinRoman Catholic Archdiocese of DublinThe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
- Ferns
- Glendalough: united to Dublin in 1216
- KildareRoman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and LeighlinThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin...
- Kilkenny
- Leighlin
Province of Tuam
- Achonry
- Clonfert
- Killala
- Kilmacduagh
- Mayo: merged with Tuam 1202
- RoscommonDiocese of ElphinThe Diocese of Elphin was established following the Synod of Rathbreasail in the year 1111. In that year the see for east Connacht was moved from Roscommon. Elphin was the traditional site of a monastic house established by St Patrick c.450, although there are no remains of that date.Following the...
moved to Elphin 1156 - TuamRoman Catholic Archdiocese of TuamThe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in western Ireland. According to tradition, the "Diocese of Tuam" was established in the sixth century by St. Jarlath...
- Annaghdown was created circa 1179