April Saints
Feast days of Scotland's saints.
April 1st
St Gilbert of Caithness 1185 - 1245AD
St Gilbert was a scion of the De Moravia family, more specifically the Culbin (Nairnshire) branch and origins of the name of the county of Morayshire. The Moravia’s, who eventually became known as Moray or Murray had originally come north invited by David 1 in the early 12th century, first being given land near Linlithgow (Strabrock) and then in what became Morayshire as Lords of Duffus near Elgin. Their progenitor, Freskyn, may have have been Flemish; had helped put down a rebellion by Mael Coluim and King Oengus of Moray on behalf of David I. The King rewarded Freskyn De Moravia with these new lands, Freskyn taking up his seat near Spynie on the outskirts of Elgin, leaving us with his church dedicated to St Peter.
Gilbert is recorded in 1207 as an Archdeacon of Moray, which is a Bishops lieutenant. However in 1211 he was gifted lands in Sutherland by Hugh Freskyn Lord of Sutherland, a grandson of the original Freskyn. This gift is recorded in a charter by William the Lion and confirmed by the son of Hugh of Sutherland.
Later Gilbert became Bishop of Caithness in 1222 after the murder of the previous Bishop, Adam of Melrose. He had been burned to death by a group of angry landholders in an episode that came to be known throughout Europe. Gilbert inherited the See of the Bishopric in Halkirk but then had been moved to the southernly portion of Caithness to Dornoch and what became known as Dornoch Cathedral. The cathedrals statues were modelled on Morays, which had been itself taken from the Cathedral of Lincoln.
St Gilbert was known for eloquent preaching, founding of hospices for the poor and gifted in administration. A number of miracles were attributed to him, including slaying a local dragon, animating tools to build his new cathedral in Dornoch, the healing of a mute man and the restoration of burned account books. He also aided a fisherman in netting many Salmon by washing his holy hands in the water. He died in 1245 in Scrabster at his Palace and interred in Dornoch. He was declared a saint by acclamation becoming the last canonized Scottish saint prior to the reformation. Dornoch Cathedral in his time was dedicated to our Lady, but after his death was known as St Mary’s and St Gilberts. His remains were destroyed during the reformation period and lie unmarked somewhere around the Cathedral.
April 4th
St Conval, 9th Century
Listed as a good King that received the commendation of St Columba. However a King Convallus who reigned between 819-824AD is recorded in the Dunkeld Litany.
April 11th
St Mahew/Macceus, 534AD?
This Saint is hard to pin down to an actual person. Both Forbes and Barrat cite him as a companion of St Patrick and venerated at Kilmahew in Argyll. It was also the site of a former seminary. Forbes speculates that he could also be mistaken for St Aidan of Ferns or even St Mazota.
April 16th
St Magnus, 1075-1116AD, Martyr
These were the days when Orkney was under Norwegian control and the British Isles still at this time buffeted by Scandinavian powers. It is in Orkney that only one of two pre-reformation Scottish Cathedrals lay undisturbed by the violence of the 16th century. In 1137 the great Cathedral was put up over the body of St Magnus by his nephew, St Rognvald, and it is quite possible it is still there to this day. St Magnus was of noble Norwegian birth, son of the Earl of Orkney.
The King of Norway chose Magnus as his attendant and accompanied him on pillaging in the Western Isles before turning to the Isle of Anglesey where the Norwegians slaughtered the Norman armies of Chester and Shrewsbury. However, St Magnus did not accompany the King in this slaughter and remained on the boat praying. After this he escaped to the court of King Malcolm III of the Scots, remaining there until the king of Norway died, which meant Magnus could take up his claim of the Earldom of Orkney.
However St Magnus was opposed by his cousin, Haakon, and so to prevent war Magnus went to meet his cousin to work things out peacefully, but Haakon had no intention of an amicable settlement. Haakon's forces surrounded Magnus, who became aware of the treachery too late and so Magnus took death with great fortitude, partaking of the Sacraments and prayer before being murdered. Magnus took the title of Martyr and has been held up as an example of one who seeks peace rather than war. He is also an example to us in the way he faced his death.
April 17th
St Donan, 617AD
St Donan (Donnan) was Irish and although some have thought he was connected with St Columba and Iona there is evidence that points to him being of a non-Dalriadic Scot origin. His Muinntir (Monastic Community) was based near modern day Kildonan by the Helmsdale River in Sutherland. From there he and his missionaries began daughter churches in Fordyce (St Talorcan) and Strathmore (St Ciaran) and a number in Sutherland itself. There is also a Church at Auchterless in Aberdeenshire with a special connection to him as it was said his Staff resided here prior to the Reformation.
St Donan evangelised the Isle of Eigg and established a Muinntir that was found in 2012 by Archaeologists from Birmingham University. It was Eigg that it is said he and 52 other monks were martyred for their faith, which was actually a rare moment of Christian blood being spilled on Scottish ground. Scotland saw relatively few episodes of this sort of martyrdom in its history of evangelisation.
Please also see OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE article on the Saint.
April 21st
April 24th
St Egbert of Iona, 7th - 8th Century.
Please see a wonderful summary of his life on OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE.