St. Brigitta of Ireland

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Tiberius
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St. Brigitta of Ireland

Сообщение Tiberius » 01 фев 2022, 11:13

St. Brigitta of Ireland (451 or c. 453, Fogarth, Ireland - February 1, 525 (or 523), Kildare, Ireland) - Catholic and Orthodox saint, patroness of Ireland. In Orthodox tradition she is the Venerable Brigitta, Abbess of Kildare, Queen of Ireland.

Little authentic information has survived about the life of Saint Brigitta.

There are three hagiographies of Brigitta (one of which was written by Killian of Ireland), preserved in a large number of manuscripts and variants. Two of the hagiographies are written in Latin, commonly referred to as Vita I, or Vita Prima, and Vita II. A third is in Old Irish, Vita III, or Bethu Brigde (BB). All of these texts have a complex manuscript tradition. The first Vita (Vita I) was written between 650 and 725. However, the first Vita is not, according to mediaevalists, the oldest. Its style and the themes it deals with are typical of Irish hagiographic literature of the eighth and following centuries. The second hagiography (Vita II), though smaller in size, is one of the four hagiographic works of the seventh century that had an author, Cogitos of Kildare (lat. Cogitosus, Comm. 18 April).

According to her hagiography, which is largely of a legendary nature, her father was the heathen king of Leinster and her mother was a Picts slave who was converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick. Brigitta is celebrated not only for her miracles, but also for her kindness and charity: she distributes food to the poor and heals the sick, refusing to help anyone.

Brigitta has meat and butter in her hands, treats for guests almost never run out, there is enough food and drink for everyone. These plots echo the evangelical miracle of the five loaves and fishes, on the one hand, and the properties of the pagan goddess of fertility Brigitte, on the other. Her cows are milked three times a day to provide enough milk for all the guests. But her main talent is brewing:

It happened just before Easter: "What should we do? - Brigitta asked her girls. - We have a bag of malt. We must put it to ferment, for we cannot be without beer for Easter. There are eighteen churches in Mag Talach. How can we give them beer for Passover, the feast in honor of the Lord, so that it is a drink and not a meal? Besides, we have no vessels." This was true. There was only one tub and two tubs in the house. "All right. Let's cook." This is what was done: in one vat the wort was prepared, and in the other it was put to ferment; and what was put in the second vat was fermented, and from it the vat was filled and carried to each church in turn and back again, but though they came back quickly, the vat had time to fill up with beer. Eighteen full tubs were scooped out and there was enough for Easter. And there was no shortage of beer in any church on feasts from Easter to Fomin Sunday, thanks to the labors of Brigitta.

It is known that around 468 she converted to Christianity. Around 480, she founded a monastery at Kildare on the site of a former pagan Druid sanctuary (Cill Dara, the Temple of the Oak). Brigitta visited Kildare several times, where she met Briga, who is still revered in the area today. Brigitta was the foster mother of another revered Irish saint, Darlugdah.

She died in the monastery she founded in 525, but is buried in Downpatrick alongside St. Patrick, with whom she is considered the patron saint of Ireland.

The veneration of St. Brigitta quickly spread first throughout Ireland and then throughout the Western Church. Saint Brigitta of Ireland is commemorated in the Catholic Church on February 1, and in the Orthodox Church on January 23, Old Style.
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