Book Review: Prayer as a Celtic Lay Monk by S.G. Preston; Chap. 2, Section 4

2.4  St. Patrick’s Legacy

Irish Monks Share the Gospel Throughout Europe

Ireland embraced Christianity through Patrick’s ministry.  There would soon be monks and monasteries everywhere throughout the length and breadth of the entire island. 

In 563 A.D., 102 years after the death of St. Patrick, St. Columba, accompanied by 12 monks, would leave Ireland for the island of Iona off the southwest coast of Scotland.  They founded a monastic community, and once settled in, began to convert the pagan Picts of northern Scotland to Christ.

Over the next few hundred years, thousands of other Irish missionary monks would follow Columba’s example, and leave Ireland to preach the Gospel all across the European continent. 

After the Empire 

The Roman Empire began in 753 B.C.  The Western Roman Empire had been overrun by numerous barbarian tribal peoples, including the Goths, Huns, Vandals, and Visigoths, and suffered final collapse in the West on September 4, 476 A.D.  This is the date on which the Germanic barbarian Odoacer began his rule by overthrowing Romulus, the last Roman Emperor in the West. 

Arianism

The Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire would remain in existence for nearly 1,000 years longer, until conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks.  Irish monks, who proliferated after Patrick, because of Patrick, would convert pagan northern Europe to Christianity, and re-convert southern Europe. 

When Bishop Arius of Alexandria was exiled from the Roman Empire, he had taken his heretical teachings; denial of the Trinity and denial of the Deity of Christ; and gone as a missionary to the barbarian tribes.  He converted the Visigoth ruling class to his cult of Arianism. 

This violent tribe was taught by Arius to hate orthodox Christians, and to kill them wherever they found them.  Parts of the Visigoth horde drove through Spain and North Africa, massacring Christians in an attempt to wipe them completely off the face of the earth. 

Many European Cities Began as Irish Monasteries

When the Irish Celtic Christian monks arrived to evangelize Europe, it was a European continent populated by pagan barbarian hordes. These included Huns, Goths, Vandals, and Visigoths: and the Visigoth ruling class consisted of Arian cultists hostile to orthodox Nicene Christianity. 

Celtic Christian monks would lead many to Christ.  They would preserve the lost arts, in the West, of reading and writing.  Copying each individual manuscript by hand; along with the Scribes of Byzantium in the East; they would preserve the Bible for all future generations. 

Irish monks would also establish monasteries all across Europe.  Over twenty Celtic Christian monasteries grew up into well-known European cities.  These include Trier, Auxerre, St. Gall, Regensburg, Wurzburg, Reichenau, Taranto, Salzburg, and Vienna. 

The Film: The Sound of Music 

Salzburg, Austria, is famous as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  I remember that when Linda and I were visiting the monastery grounds there, we were shown where different parts of the movie The Sound of Music had been filmed, in the very places where the events had actually taken place in real life. 

The caves high up in the cliff wall were pointed out to us.  Here the original Irish Celtic monks had first settled and lived, when the entire area was still an uninhabited wilderness.  Irish monks even founded an Irish Celtic Christian monastery in Bobbio, Italy.  It is located in the north of Italy, near the Apennine Mountains.

The monastery in Bobbio is still there, and if you are ever in the area of Milan, you can visit it.