This document summarizes the spread of Christianity to Wales, Ireland, and Scotland from the Roman era through the medieval period. It discusses the pre-Christian religious beliefs of these regions, including druidism and polytheism. It then outlines the Roman influence on Britain/Wales and the missions of various saints in the 5th-7th centuries who helped establish monasteries and churches. These included St. Patrick in Ireland and St. Columba in Scotland and Ireland. The document also examines early Christian art like the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels that blended Irish, Pictish, and Anglo-Saxon styles. In later centuries, reforms established more centralized church authority in Ireland and Scotland.

1. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and
Scotland
• Pre-Christian religious belief
– Priestly class = druids
• From Indo-European words for ‘oak’ (drus) and ‘know’ (wid)
– Sacred places = nemed
– Belief in the afterlife
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Transmigration of the soul (in works by Pythagorus)
Tir inna mbeo “Land of the living”
Tir tairn giri “Land of promise”
Tir inna mban “Land of women”
Mag Mell “Plain of sports”
Caer Feddiwid “Court of intoxication”
Preiddeu Annwn, “The Spoils of Annwn”
– Annwn = unworld or deep place
– Polytheism

2. Newgrange, Ireland

3. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• Britain/Wales
– Influence of Rome
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Death of Jesus, 33 AD
Death of Saints Peter and Paul, 60-66 AD
Establishment of Catholic orthodoxy, circa 200 AD
Constantine the Great’s Edict of Milan, 313 AD
Pelagius, fl. 400 AD
Withdrawal of Roman legions, 409/410 AD
Visit from Bishop Germanus of Auxerre, c. 429, to combat
Pelagianism
– Gildas, fl. 540 AD
• De Excidio Britanniae (On the Ruin of Britain)
– Nennius, fl. 900 CE
• Historia Brittonum (History of Britain), mentions King Arthur bearing
a symbol of the Virgin Mary into battle (usually translated as a
shield)

4. Glastonbury Tor, England
(associated with Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail)

5. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
•
The challenge to Christianity in
Britain
– Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and
Frisians
– Irish and Picts
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The mission to the Angles and
Saxons
– The monastery of Iona
– Pope Gregory the Great, r. 590604 and mission of St. Augustine
of Canterbury
– The Synod of Whitby, 664
– Bede the Venerable, d. 735
• History of the English Church and
People
– The “Celtic Church”

6. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• St. David (Dewi Sant), fl. 600-650 AD
– Llan- place names = religious centers
• Llanbadarn = church of Padarn
• Llanfair = church of Mary
• Llandewi = church of David
• St. Samson of Dol, fl. 550-600

7. • Documented
religious centers in
early Wales

8. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• The influence of Rome in
Ireland
– Loughshinny
– Emain Macha
– Ogam/ogham

9. Ogam script

10. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• Missionaries to Ireland
– Palladius of Auxerre, mid-5th century?
• Killashee (from Cell Auxili, Cell of Auxilius)
• Dun Shaughlin (from Dun Sechlainn, fort of Secundinus)
• Earliest Easter table in Ireland was based on the 4th century
teachings in Gaul and northern Italy
– St. Patrick, late 5th century?
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Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus
Confessions
Muirchiu’s Life of Patrick, 7th century
Tirechan’s Life of Patrick, 7th century
Armagh

11. St. Patrick, from Tara, Ireland

12. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• Irish saints
– St. Columba, d. 597
• Iona
– St. Brigit, fl. 6th century
• Kildare

13. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• Structure of the Irish church
– Monasteries and cities
– Kil- prefix indicates a church settlement
• Kilkenny, Killarney, Kildare
– Liber Angeli (Book of the Angel), 7th century
– Asceticism
• Skellig Islands
– Peregrinatio
• St. Columbanus, d. 615

14. Skellig Michael

15. Skellig Michael stairway

16. Skellig Michael monastery

17. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• Continuity of religious
sites
– Emain Macha (twins of
Macha) and Armagh
(Ard Macha, heights of
Macha)
– Glendalough
– Clonfert
– Molua (from Mo Lug)

18. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
Image of Cross of Brigit
• Continuity of religious
beliefs
– St. Brigit
• Brigantia
• Imbolc, February 1st
• Brigit’s sacred fired
– St. Declan
– Cain Adomnan, Law of
Adomnan, 7th -9th
centuries

19. “How the Irish Saved Civilization”
• Thomas Cahill, How
the Irish Saved
Civilization, 1995

20. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
• The mission to the Picts
– Picts, from Latin Picti, “painted people”
– Irish Cruthni, British Pretani, “people of designs” (Pretani »
Britain)
– St. Columba, d. 597 AD
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Oswald of Northumbria, r. 633-642
Lindisfarne Monastery
Oswiu of Northumbria, r. 642-670
Peada of Mercia, r. 653-656
– Mission of St. Augustine, 597
– Synod of Whitby, 664
– Fusion of Irish, Anglo-Saxon, and Christian artistic motifs
• Lindisfarne Gospel, late 7th to early 8th century
• Book of Kells, mid-8th to 9th century

22. • Kintore Stone. Class
1 Pictish stone. V
and crest with dolphin
or other sea animal.

23. • Other side of Kintore
Stone. Salmon and
rod with double discs.

24. • Aberlemno 1. Class 1
stone. Serpent,
double disc, and z
rod, with mirror.

25. • Brandsbutt stone,
Class 1. Ogham,
serpent, v and
crest.

26. • Aberlemno 2. Battle
of Nechtansmere,
685. Class 2. Mixed
Christian and Pictish
symbols. Class 2
also reliefs, not
inscriptions.

27. Meigle 4 Stone. Class 2 or 3. Pictish riders,
dolphin, wolf, v and crest. Other side a cross.

28. • Meigle 2. Class 2 or
3. Pictish riders and
Daniel in the Lions’
Den. Other side is a
cross.

29. • Aberlemno cross.

30. • Lindisfarne Gospel.
Front page, Book of
Matthew. Dated to 7th
century. Produced in
northern England, but
with Irish influences.

31. • Lindisfarne Gospel.
Carpet Page.

32. • Book of Kells. Initial
page. Dated to mid
—8th or early 9th
century. Irish,
Celtic, and
Germanic
influences. Script
characteristic of
Northumbrian
monasteries.

33. • Image from Gospel
of Luke, Book of
Kells.

34. Christianity in Wales, Ireland, and
Scotland
• Reforming “Celtic” Christianity
• Scotland
– Malcolm III r. 1058-1093
• Margaret and St. Andrew
• Ireland
– Synod of Kells, 1152
• Established Archbishop of Armagh as primate of Ireland
– Pope Adrian IV, r. 1154-1159
• Papal bull Laudabiliter
• Wales and Ireland
– Gerald of Wales, d. 1223
• History and Topography of Ireland
• Journey Through Wales/Description of Wales