St Patrick's Purgatory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Patrick's Basilica |
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| St Patrick's Purgatory | |
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Baisleac Naomh Pádraig
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 Saint Patrick's Basilica
Location in Ireland
Saint Patrick's Basilica
Location in Northern Ireland
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| 54°36′32.30″N 7°52′16.51″W / 54.6089722°N 7.8712528°W | |
| Location | Lough Derg, County Donegal |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Language(s) | English, Irish, Latin |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Tradition | Roman Rite |
| History | |
| Status | minor basilica |
| Dedication | Saint Patrick |
| Dedicated | 12 May 1931 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | William Alphonsus Scott Thomas Joseph Cullen |
| Style | Romanesque Revival, Neo-Byzantine |
| Groundbreaking | 1924 |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Construction cost | IR£80,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | ashlar, stone, marble, lead, stained glass, copper, concrete |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Clogher |
St Patrick's Purgatory is a very old pilgrimage site in Ireland. It is found on Station Island in Lough Derg, which is a lake in County Donegal. People have been visiting this special place for a very long time.
According to an old story, this site started in the 400s. It is said that Saint Patrick was shown a cave on Station Island by Christ. This cave was believed to be an entrance to Purgatory. Purgatory was thought of as a place where souls went to be cleansed before going to heaven.
This site was very important in the Middle Ages. It was mentioned in books as early as 1185. It even appeared on maps from all over Europe by the 1400s. It is the only Irish place shown on Martin Behaim's world map from 1492.
Contents
Discovering Station Island's Location
For a while in the 1800s, people were a bit confused. They weren't sure if St Patrick's Purgatory was on Station Island or Saints Island. Some old maps from the early 1800s even showed it on Saints Island.
However, the tradition of it being on Station Island has continued since the Middle Ages. Old documents from that time clearly show it there. A detailed map from 1666 calls the spot "Caverna Purgatory" on Station Island.
The Legend of Saint Patrick's Cave
The story goes that St. Patrick was trying to teach people about God. But many people doubted him and wanted proof. St. Patrick prayed for help to convince the Irish people.
In response, God showed him a pit in the ground. God called it Purgatory. By showing this place to people, they would believe St. Patrick's teachings. They would understand the joy of heaven and the pain of hell.
There is no direct proof that St. Patrick visited Lough Derg. This legend likely started much later, around the 1100s. However, there is an older story about St. Dabheog. He was a local abbot who led a monastery there during St. Patrick's time. His name is linked to several places in the area.
Exploring the Ancient Cave
The cave itself has been closed since 1632. But we have descriptions from early pilgrims who visited it. They called it a cave, a cellar, or an enclosed pit. The entrance was quite small, about 0.6 meters (2 feet) wide and 0.9 meters (3 feet) high.
Inside, there were about six steps leading down. The cave had two parts. The first part was about 3 meters (9 feet) long. It was probably only high enough to kneel in. After a turn, there was another small space about 1.5 meters (5 feet) long.
Since the site has not been dug up by archaeologists, we only have these old descriptions. It seems likely that this was a very old structure. Some people think it was a souterrain, which was a place to store crops or animals. But the cave's small size makes that unlikely.
A more likely idea is that it was an ancient "sweat house." These were small, enclosed places where people went to breathe in smoke from burning plants. This was done for healing. The word "purgatorium" might have first meant a place for cleansing, like a sauna. The idea of "purgatory" as a place of punishment after death became common much later. So, the cave might have been a place for physical or spiritual healing even before it was linked to St. Patrick.
Monastery Life and Pilgrim Journeys
A monastery probably existed on the islands in Lough Derg from the 400s. It likely had anchorites, who were religious people living alone. They lived in small, round huts called beehive cells. Some of the pilgrim beds on Station Island might be what's left of these old cells.
Around 1130, the monastery was given to a group called Augustinian Canons Regular. These monks welcomed pilgrims who came to pray and show their devotion. They also helped pilgrims get ready to visit the Purgatory.
Pilgrims who wanted to visit the Purgatory needed a letter of permission from a bishop. They would then spend fifteen days fasting and praying to prepare. After this, they would confess their sins and take part in some final rituals. Then, they would be locked in the cave for twenty-four hours. The next morning, if the pilgrim was still alive, they would return to Saints Island for another fifteen days of prayer.
From early times, this area attracted pilgrims from far away. By the 1100s, they came from all over Europe. They would often sail to England and then land in Dublin or Drogheda. From there, they would walk across Ireland, stopping at monasteries along the way. This journey could take about two weeks. Many people who had committed sins or crimes were sent on pilgrimages like this to seek forgiveness. St. Patrick's Purgatory was a popular destination for these pilgrims.
Changes Over Time
In 1497, there was a big change to the pilgrimage. The bishop of Clogher, Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa, wanted to make it more about penance (showing sorrow for sins). The idea of a journey to the underworld was no longer supported. To make this change happen, a fake Papal order was created. This helped ensure the pilgrimage would continue, but in a new way.
The monastery was officially closed in 1632. However, the local lord allowed the monks to stay. By 1710, Franciscan monks were on the island in the summer to help pilgrims. They built a church, St. Mary of the Angels, on Station Island in 1763. In 1785, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher took over running Station Island.
Modern Pilgrimage to Lough Derg
The pilgrimage to St. Patrick's Purgatory has never stopped. It has continued for over fifteen hundred years! Today, the main pilgrimage season runs from late May/early June to mid-August. It ends on August 15th, which is the feast of the Assumption of Mary.
People of all religions (or none) can go on this three-day pilgrimage. Pilgrims must be at least fifteen years old, healthy, and able to walk and kneel without help. They start fasting at midnight the day before. In the morning, they gather at the Visitor Centre on the shore of Lough Derg. A boat then takes them to Station Island.
Once on the island, pilgrims get a dormitory room. They walk barefoot and follow a continuous cycle of prayers and services. These prayers, like the Our Father and Hail Mary, are done at special 'stations' around the island. These stations include six 'beds,' which are the remains of ancient cells or beehive huts. They are named after famous saints.
Pilgrims spend the first night praying in the island's basilica. They can only sleep in the dormitory on the second night. Each day, they have one simple meal: dry toast, oatcakes, and black tea or coffee. On the third morning, they return to the mainland and continue their fast until midnight.
Other programs are offered throughout the year, like Quiet Days and Family Days. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher looks after the site. There are staff members to help with spiritual and practical needs. The facilities include a kitchen, laundry, first-aid station, and a gift shop.
The pilgrimage was closed in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in 2022 with a new "Pilgrim Shelter Museum."
Stories and Poems About the Purgatory
Many writers have been inspired by St. Patrick's Purgatory.
- Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii is a 12th-century Latin story about a pilgrimage there. Marie de France later translated and expanded it into French.
- Other medieval works include "The Knight of Hungary" and "The Vision of Louis of France."
- Sir James Ware, an Irish historian, gave a detailed description of the cave in his 1654 book, De Hibernia.
- Station Island is a long poem by Séamus Heaney about his own pilgrimage experience. It was published in 1984.
- Other famous poets like Denis Devlin and Patrick Kavanagh also wrote about St. Patrick's Purgatory.
- "The Lough Derg Pilgrim" by William Carleton tells his story of visiting the site. It led him to change his religious path.
- Pete McCarthy described his 1998 visit in his book McCarthy's Bar.
- Froissart's Chronicles mentions it in one of its books.
- The famous writer Rabelais jokingly referred to it as "Saint Patrick's hole" in his book Gargantua.
- "The Pilgrim" by W. B. Yeats is also about the pilgrimage to Station Island.
Pilgrims Through the Ages
We don't know exactly how many people visited each year before 1632, because the records were destroyed. But after that, we have numbers:
- In 1700, 5,000 pilgrims visited.
- By 1826, the number grew to 15,000.
- In 1846, just before the Great Famine, it reached 30,000.
- From 1871 to 1903, about 3,000 pilgrims came each year.
- From 1908 to 1921, the average was over 8,000.
- From 1929 to the end of the 1900s, the number was always above 10,000. Many years it was two or three times that number.
- In 2011, 8,000 people completed the pilgrimage.
Some well-known people who have been pilgrims include:
- Georgius Ungarus, a knight from Hungary.
- Malatesta Ungaro, an Italian military leader.
- Laurence Rathold of Pászthó, a courtier from Hungary.
- Jan I van Brederode, a Dutch noble.
- Guillebert de Lannoy, a chamberlain and knight.
- Francesco Chiericati, a representative of the Pope.
- Mary McAleese – a former President of Ireland.
- Frank Duff – the founder of the Legion of Mary.
- Seamus Heaney – the famous poet.
We know the names of thirty-three pilgrims who visited between about 1146 and 1517. Most of them are listed in a book by Haren and de Pontfarcy.
Images for kids
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The 'Patrick the Pilgrim' statue near the ferry dock for Station Island.
See also
In Spanish: Purgatorio de San Patricio para niños
