Chapter 1 #

¹ In the first of these three little books, we have, under the guidance of God, briefly and concisely related, as was mentioned earlier, some of the prophetic revelations. In the second, we have recorded the powerful miracles performed by the blessed man, which, as has often been noted, were generally accompanied by the gift of prophecy.

² But in this third book, which deals with the apparitions of angels, we will recount those which the saint either received concerning others or which others witnessed concerning him. We will also describe some apparitions that were revealed to both parties, though in different ways—that is, to the saint himself in a special and clear manner, but to others in an incomplete and partial way, or, in other words, externally and tentatively, yet still within the same visions, whether of angels or of heavenly light. Whatever apparent discrepancies may at first seem to arise in these visions will be fully clarified as we recount them in their proper context. But now we must begin with the very birth of the blessed man and narrate these angelic manifestations.

Chapter 2 #

¹ On a certain night between the conception and birth of the venerable man, an angel of the Lord appeared to his mother in a dream. Standing beside her, he brought her a robe of extraordinary beauty, in which the most beautiful colors, as if of all flowers, seemed to be displayed. After a short time, he asked for it back and took it from her hands. Raising it and spreading it out, he let it fly through the air. She, saddened by the loss of it, said to the man of venerable appearance, “Why do you take this lovely cloak away from me so soon?” He immediately replied, “Because this mantle is so exceedingly honorable that you cannot keep it with you any longer.”

² When this was said, the woman saw the aforementioned robe gradually receding from her as it flew, and then it expanded until its width exceeded the plains and, in all its dimensions, was larger than the mountains and forests. Then she heard the following words: “Woman, do not grieve, for to the man to whom you have been joined by the marriage bond, you will bear a son of such noble character that he will be regarded among his own people as one of the prophets of God and has been predestined by God to lead innumerable souls to the heavenly country.” At these words, the woman awoke from her sleep.

Chapter 3 #

¹ On another night, Cruithnecan, a priest of blameless life, to whose care the blessed youth had been entrusted, returned home from the church after Mass and found his house illuminated with a bright light. He saw, in fact, a ball of fire hovering over the face of the little boy as he lay asleep. At this sight, he was immediately struck with fear and fell to the ground with his face to the floor in great amazement, fully understanding that this sign indicated the grace of the Holy Spirit poured out from heaven upon his young charge.

Chapter 4 #

¹ For indeed, after the lapse of many years, when St. Columba was excommunicated by a certain synod for some pardonable and very trifling reasons—and indeed unjustly—he later appeared at the end of that same meeting convened against him. When St. Brendan, the founder of the monastery called Birra (Birr, in King’s County) in the Scotic language, saw him approaching from a distance, he quickly arose and, with his head bowed down, reverently kissed him.

² When some of the elders in that assembly withdrew from the rest and began to criticize him, saying, “Why did you not refuse to rise in the presence of an excommunicated person and to kiss him?” he replied to them in this manner: “If,” said he, “you had seen what the Lord has this day been pleased to reveal to me concerning this chosen one of His, whom you dishonor, you would never have excommunicated a man whom God not only does not reject, despite your unjust sentence, but whom He exalts even more highly.”

³ “How,” they asked in response, “does God, as you say, exalt one whom we have excommunicated, and not without reason?” Brendan replied, “I have seen a most brilliant pillar, wreathed with fiery tresses, going before this man of God whom you treat with contempt. I have also seen holy angels accompanying him on his journey across the plain. Therefore, I do not dare to slight him whom I see foreordained by God to lead His people to life.”

⁴ When he said this, they desisted, and, far from daring to hold the saint excommunicated any longer, they even began to treat him with the greatest respect and reverence. This took place in Teilte (Taillte, now Teltown, in Meath).

Chapter 5 #

¹ On another occasion, the holy man went to visit the venerable Bishop Finnio, who had formerly been his preceptor—the youth going to see the man advanced in years. When St. Finnio saw him approaching, he also observed an angel of the Lord accompanying him, and, as it has been handed down to us by well-informed persons, he made this known to certain brethren standing nearby, saying to them: “Behold, look now at Columba as he draws near; he has been deemed worthy to have an angelic inhabitant of heaven as his companion in his wanderings.” Around that same time, the holy man, with his twelve disciples and fellow laborers, sailed across to Britain.

Chapter 6 #

¹ At another time, a stranger from Hibernia came to the saint and stayed with him for several months on the island of Hy (now Iona). One day, the holy man said to him: “At this very moment, one of the clerics from your province, whose name I do not yet know, is being carried to heaven by the angels.” Upon hearing this, the brother began to reflect on the province of the Anterii (Airthir), which is called in Scotic Indairthir (East Oriel, in Ulster), and also tried to recall the name of that holy man. After some thought, he said: “I know a servant of Jesus Christ named Diormit, who founded a small monastery in the district where I lived.” The saint replied, “The man you are speaking of is the very one who has been carried into Paradise by the angels of God.”

² But it must be carefully noted that the venerable man took great care to keep hidden from others many divine mysteries that God revealed to him but concealed from others. He did this for two reasons, as he once hinted to a few of the brethren: first, to avoid vain glory, and secondly, to prevent the spread of his reputation for revelations, which might lead to countless people seeking him out with questions about themselves.

Chapter 7 #

¹ On another day, while the holy man was living on the island of Hy (now Iona), he went into the woods seeking a place more secluded from men and suitable for prayer. There, as he began to pray, he suddenly saw, as he later recounted to a few of the brethren, a very dark host of demons attacking him with iron darts. These wicked demons, as the Holy Spirit revealed to the saint, intended to assault his monastery and kill many of the brethren with those same spears. But he said, “Hibernia, the scourge which I suffered on thy account from the angel will bring great disgrace upon them by the hand of God, and the hearts of men will be turned away from them, and their enemies will be greatly strengthened against them.”

² Now this prophecy has been fulfilled in our own times during the Battle of Roth (Magh Rath, fought in 637), when Domnall Brecc, the grandson of Aidan, unjustly and without any provocation, laid waste to the territory of Domnall, the grandson of Ainmuireg. From that day to this, they have been trampled underfoot by strangers—a fate that fills the heart with sorrow and grief.

Chapter 8 #

¹ At another time, while the holy man was staying on the island of Hy (now Iona), one of his monks named Brito, a man devoted to all good works, fell gravely ill and was brought to the brink of death. When the venerable man went to visit him at the hour of his passing, he stood for a few moments by his bedside, gave him his blessing, and then quickly left the house, not wishing to witness his death. Immediately after the holy man departed, the monk passed from this life.

² The distinguished man, walking in the small courtyard of his monastery with his eyes raised to heaven, was deeply lost in awe and amazement for a long time. A certain brother named Aidan, the son of Libir, a truly virtuous and devout man, who was the only one of the brethren present at the time, knelt and asked the saint to explain the reason for such great astonishment. The saint replied, “I have just seen the holy angels battling in the air against the hostile powers; and I thank Christ, the Judge, because the victorious angels have taken the soul of this stranger to the joys of our heavenly homeland. He is the first person to have died among us on this island. But I beg you not to reveal this secret to anyone during my lifetime.”

Chapter 9 #

¹ At another time, a stranger from Hibernia came to the saint and stayed with him for several months on the island of Iona (Hy, now known as Iona). One day, the blessed man said to him, “One of the clerics from your province, whose name I do not yet know, is being taken to heaven by the angels at this very moment.” Upon hearing this, the brother began to search his thoughts regarding the province of the Anterii (Airthir), which is called Indairthir in the Scotic language (East Oriel, in Ulster), and also about the name of that blessed man. After a while, he said, “I know a servant of Jesus Christ, named Diormit, who built a small monastery in the same area where I lived.” The saint replied, “The person you speak of is the one who has been taken into Paradise by the angels of God.”

² But this fact must be carefully noted: our venerable man was very careful to keep many mysterious secrets, which were hidden from others but revealed to him by God, concealed from the knowledge of men. He did this for two reasons, as he once mentioned to a few of the brethren. First, to avoid vanity, and second, to prevent the spread of fame about his revelations, which would attract countless crowds eager to ask him questions about themselves.

Chapter 10 #

¹ On another day, while the holy man was living on the island of Iona (Hy, now known as Iona), he went into the woods to find a more secluded place, far from people, that was suitable for prayer. There, when he began to pray, he suddenly saw, as he later told a few of the brethren, a very dark host of demons attacking him with iron darts. These evil demons, as the Holy Spirit revealed to the saint, intended to assault his monastery and kill many of the brethren with the same spears. But he, alone, fought bravely against such countless enemies, armed with the armor of the apostle Paul.

² Thus, the battle continued on both sides for most of the day, and although the demons were countless, they could not defeat him. Neither was he able, by himself, to drive them from his island until the angels of God, as the saint later told certain people, came to his aid—few in number, but when they arrived, the demons fled in fear. On the same day, when the saint was returning to his monastery after driving the devils from his island, he spoke these words about the same hostile legions: “Those deadly foes, who today, through the mercy of God and the help of His angels, have been driven away from this small piece of land, have fled to the land of the Ethicans (Tiree), and there, as ruthless invaders, they will attack the monasteries of the brethren and bring pestilential diseases, causing many to fall seriously ill and die.”

³ All this came to pass in those days, just as the blessed man had foreseen. And two days after he spoke these words, based on a revelation from the Holy Spirit, “Baithen has wisely, with God’s help, arranged that the congregation of the church over which he has been appointed by God to preside, in the plain of Lunge (Magh Lunge, in Tiree), should be defended by fasts and prayers against the attacks of the demons, and only one person will die on this occasion.” Everything happened as foretold; for while many in the other monasteries on the same island succumbed to that disease, only the one whom the saint had mentioned died in the congregation under Baithen’s care.

Chapter 11 #

¹ A certain blacksmith, deeply devoted to works of charity and full of other good deeds, lived in the midlands of Scotia (Ireland). When the aforementioned Columb, surnamed Coilrigin, was dying in a good old age, even at the very moment of his departure from the body, St. Columba, who was then on the island of Iona (Hy, now known as Iona), spoke to a few of the senior brethren who were standing around him: “Columb Coilrigin, the blacksmith, has not labored in vain, for he has had the happiness, as he wished, to earn eternal rewards through the labor of his hands. Behold, at this moment, his soul is being carried by the holy angels to the joys of the heavenly homeland, because he spent all that he could earn by his trade on alms for the poor.”

Chapter 12 #

¹ In a similar manner, on another occasion, while the holy man was living on the island of Iona (Hy, now known as Iona), he suddenly raised his eyes to heaven and said, “O happy woman—happy because of your virtues; the angels of God are now carrying your soul to paradise.” These words from the saint’s mouth were heard by a certain religious brother, a Saxon named Genere, who was at that moment working at his trade as a baker.

² And on the same day of the month, at the end of the same year, the saint spoke to the same Genere the Saxon and said, “I see a wonderful thing; behold, the woman of whom I spoke in your presence last year now meets in the air the soul of her husband, a poor and holy man, and together with the holy angels, she engages in a battle for it against the hostile powers. Through their united assistance, and by the virtuous character of the man himself, his soul is rescued from the attacks of the demons and brought to the place of eternal rest.”

Chapter 13 #

¹ On another day, while the venerable man was residing on the island of Iona (Hy, now known as Iona), he called early in the morning for his attendant, Diormit, so often mentioned before, and commanded him, saying, “Prepare quickly for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, for today is the birthday of blessed Brendan.” His attendant replied, “Why do you order such solemnities of the Mass to be prepared today? No messenger has come to us from Scotia (Ireland) to inform us of the death of that holy man.” The saint responded, “Go; it is your duty to obey my commands. For last night, I saw the heavens suddenly open, and choirs of angels descend to meet the soul of the holy Brendan. So great and incomparable was the brightness that, in that same hour, it illuminated the entire world.”

Chapter 14 #

¹ On another day, while the brethren were putting on their sandals in the morning and preparing to go about their various duties in the monastery, the saint, on the contrary, instructed them to rest that day and prepare for the holy sacrifice, also ordering that an addition be made to their dinner, as on the Lord’s Day. He said, “I must, though unworthy, celebrate today the holy mysteries of the Eucharist in honor of that soul which last night ascended to paradise, beyond the region of the stars in the heavens, carried there among the holy choirs of angels.”

² At these words, the brethren obeyed, and, as directed, rested that day. After preparing for the proper celebration of the sacred rite, they accompanied the saint to the church in their white robes, as on a festival. It happened that, during the chanting of the offices, when the prayer was being sung as usual in which St. Martin’s name is commemorated, the saint suddenly turned to the chanters at the mention of the name and said, “Today you must pray for St. Columban, bishop.” All the brethren present then understood that Columban, a bishop in Leinster and a dear friend of Columba, had passed to the Lord. Shortly afterward, some people arrived from the province of Leinster and confirmed that the bishop had indeed died on the very night the saint had made it known.

Chapter 15 #

¹ At another time, while the venerable man was living in the Louan island (Hy, now Iona), he suddenly became agitated and summoned the brethren together by the sound of the bell. “Now,” he said, “let us assist by our prayers the monks of Abbot Comgell, who are at this moment in danger of drowning in the Lake of the Calf (Loch Laodh, now Belfast Lough). Behold, they are now contending with hostile powers in the air, striving to rescue the soul of a stranger who is also drowning alongside them.” After weeping and praying fervently, he rose quickly and stood before the altar with a joyful expression, while the brethren remained prostrate in prayer. “Give thanks to Christ,” he said, “for the holy angels, coming to the aid of the holy souls, have now rescued this stranger from the attacks of the demons and carried him off in triumph like victorious warriors.”

Chapter 16 #

¹ At another time, when the saint was traveling beyond the Dorsal Ridge of Britain (Drumalban), near the lake of the River Nesa (Loch Ness), he was suddenly inspired by the Holy Spirit and said to the brethren accompanying him, “Let us go quickly to meet the holy angels who have been sent from the highest realms of heaven to carry away the soul of a heathen. They are now awaiting our arrival so that we may baptize him in time before his death. This man, despite being a heathen, has preserved his natural goodness throughout his life, even to an extreme old age.”

² Having said this, the holy old man hurried his companions as much as he could and walked ahead of them until he arrived at a district called Airchart-dan (Arochdan, now Glen Urquhart). There, he found an aged man named Emchat, who, upon hearing the word of God preached by the saint, believed and was baptized. Immediately afterward, full of joy and safe from evil, he passed to the Lord, accompanied by the angels who had come to meet him. Emchat’s son, Virolec, also believed and was baptized along with his entire household.

Chapter 17 #

¹ At another time, while the holy man sat in his small cell writing, his expression suddenly changed, and he cried out from his pure heart, “Help! Help!” Two of the brothers who were standing at the door, namely Colga, son of Cellach, and Lugne Mocublai, asked him what had caused such a sudden outcry. The venerable man replied, “I commanded the angel of the Lord, who was just now standing among you, to go quickly to the aid of one of the brothers who is falling from the highest point of a large house that is currently being built in the Oakwood Plain (Derry).”

² And the saint added these words, saying, “How wonderful and almost indescribable is the speed of angelic motion, which I imagine to be like the swiftness of lightning. For the heavenly spirit who just now departed from us when that man began to fall arrived there to support him, as it were, in the blink of an eye, before his body touched the ground. The man who fell felt neither fracture nor bruise. How marvelous, I say, is that most swift and timely help, which could be given so quickly, even though such a great expanse of land and sea lay between!”

Chapter 18 #

¹ Another time also, while the blessed man was living on the island of Iona (formerly Hy), he made this known to the assembled brethren with great seriousness, saying, “Today I wish to go alone to the western plain of this island; therefore, let none of you follow me.” They obeyed, and he went alone, as he had desired.

² But a brother, who was cunning and of a curious disposition, took another route and secretly placed himself on the summit of a small hill overlooking the plain, as he was eager to discover the blessed man’s reason for going out alone. While the observer on the hill watched him standing on a mound in the plain, with arms stretched upward and eyes lifted to heaven in prayer, a remarkable and astonishing scene unfolded. By what I believe to be the will of God, this brother witnessed it with his own eyes from his position on the nearby hill, so that the saint’s name and the reverence owed to him might, even against his own desire, be more widely known among the people through this vision. For holy angels, the citizens of the heavenly kingdom, clothed in white garments and moving with extraordinary swiftness, appeared and stood around the saint while he prayed. After a brief conversation with the blessed man, that heavenly host, as if aware of being observed, swiftly ascended again to the highest heavens.

³ The blessed man himself, after his encounter with the angels, returned to the monastery and, calling the brethren together a second time, asked with stern rebuke and reproof which of them had disobeyed his command. When all declared that they knew nothing of the matter, the brother, aware of his inexcusable transgression and no longer able to hide his guilt, fell to his knees before the saint in the midst of the assembled brethren and humbly begged for forgiveness.

⁴ The saint, taking him aside, commanded him under severe threats, as he knelt, never to reveal to anyone, during the saint’s lifetime, even the slightest part of the secret concerning the angels’ visit. It was only after the saint had departed from the body that the brother recounted the vision of the heavenly host and solemnly attested to its truth. Hence, even to this day, the place where the angels gathered is called by a name that testifies to the event that occurred there. In Latin, it is known as “Colliculus Angelorum,” and in Scotic, “Cnoc Angel” (now called Sithean Mor).

⁵ Hence, we must take note of and carefully consider the extent and nature of these sweet visits of angels to the blessed man, which occurred mostly during the winter nights, when he kept vigil and prayed in solitary places while others slept. These visits were undoubtedly numerous and could in no way become fully known to other men. While some of these encounters, whether by night or day, might have been discovered by one means or another, they must have been very few compared to the many angelic visions that were, of course, entirely hidden from human knowledge. The same observation applies equally to other radiant apparitions, which have so far been investigated by few and which will be described later.

Chapter 19 #

¹ Another time, four holy founders of monasteries came from Scotia (Ireland) to visit St. Columba, and they found him on the island of Hinba (Eilean-na-Naoimh). The names of these distinguished men were Comgell Mocu Aridi, Cainnech Mocu Dalon, Brenden Mocu Alti, and Cormac, grandson of Leathain. They all agreed with one accord that St. Columba should consecrate the holy mysteries of the Eucharist in their presence in the church. The saint complied with their express wish and entered the church with them on Sunday, as usual, after the reading of the Gospel.

² During the celebration of the solemn offices of the Mass, St. Brenden Mocu Alti saw— as he later told Comgell and Cainnech— a ball of fire, like a brightly burning comet, resting on the head of Columba as he stood before the altar, consecrating the holy oblation. The fiery light continued to burn and rise upward like a column for as long as Columba remained engaged in the most sacred mysteries.

Chapter 20 #

¹ At another time, when the saint was living on the island of Hinba (Eilean-na-Naoimh), the grace of the Holy Spirit was communicated to him abundantly and ineffably, dwelling with him in a marvelous manner. For three whole days and nights, without eating or drinking, he allowed no one to approach him and remained enclosed in a house that was filled with heavenly light. Yet, during the night, rays of surpassing brilliance were seen streaming out of the house through the chinks of the doors and the keyholes.

² Certain spiritual songs, which had never been heard before, were heard coming from him. He revealed afterwards, in the presence of only a very few, that many secrets hidden from men since the beginning of the world had been fully disclosed to him. Certain very obscure and difficult passages of sacred Scripture were also made completely clear and brighter than light to the eye of his pure heart. He lamented that his beloved disciple, Baithen, was not with him, for had he been present during those three days, he could have received from the saint’s own lips explanations of mysteries regarding past or future ages, unknown to the rest of mankind, as well as interpretations of certain passages from the Sacred Scriptures. However, Baithen was then detained by contrary winds on the island of Eigg (Egean) and was therefore unable to be present until the three days and nights of that glorious and ineffable visitation had ended.

Chapter 21 #

¹ One winter’s night, the aforementioned Virgnous, burning with the love of God, entered the church alone to pray while the others were asleep. He prayed fervently in a small side-chamber attached to the walls of the oratory. After about an hour, the venerable Columba entered the same sacred house, and with him came a golden light descending from the highest heavens, which filled that part of the church. Even the secluded recess of the side-chamber, where Virgnous was trying to conceal himself as much as possible, was filled—much to his alarm—with some of the brilliance of that heavenly light, which burst through the slightly open inner door of the chamber. And just as no one can look directly at or gaze steadily upon the summer sun in its noonday splendor, so Virgnous could not bear the heavenly brightness that he saw, due to the overwhelming and unspeakable radiance that dazzled his sight.

² The brother mentioned was so terrified by the splendor—almost as dreadful as lightning—that he was left completely without strength. After a short prayer, St. Columba left the church. The next day, he summoned Virgnous, who was still deeply shaken, and spoke to him with these consoling words: “You are weeping with good reason, my child, for last night you were very pleasing in the sight of God by keeping your eyes fixed on the ground when you were overwhelmed with fear at the brightness. Had you not done so, that priceless light would have blinded your eyes. This, however, you must carefully observe: never disclose this great manifestation of light while I live.”

³ This event, which is both remarkable and worthy of being remembered, became widely known after the saint’s death through the account of Virgnous himself. Comman, the nephew of Virgnous and a respected priest, gave me, Adanman, a solemn assurance of the truth of the vision I have just described. Furthermore, he stated that he had heard the story directly from the lips of Abbot Virgnous, his own uncle, who, as far as he was able, had witnessed that vision.

Chapter 22 #

¹ Another night, one of the brothers named Colga, the son of Aid Draigniche, of the descendants of Fechrech mentioned in the first book, happened to come to the gate of the church while the other brothers were asleep and stood there praying for some time. Suddenly, he saw the entire church filled with a heavenly light, which flashed before his eyes and vanished more quickly than he could describe. He was unaware that St. Columba was praying in the church at that moment. After witnessing this sudden appearance of light, he returned home in great fear. The following day, the saint called him aside and sternly rebuked him, saying: “Take care, my child, not to attempt to spy upon or investigate too closely the nature of that heavenly light, which was not meant for you and fled from your sight. And do not tell anyone what you have seen during my lifetime.”

Chapter 23 #

¹ At another time, the blessed man gave strict orders one day to Berchan, called Mesloen, a student learning wisdom among them, saying: “Take care, my son, not to come near my little hut this evening, as you are accustomed to do.” However, Berchan, despite hearing this command, went against it and approached the blessed man’s dwelling in the dead of night while others were at rest. Cunningly, he lowered his eyes to the level of the keyhole, hoping that, as it happened, some heavenly vision might be revealed to the saint inside.

² And at that very moment, the little hut was filled with a light of heavenly brightness, which the disobedient young man was unable to look upon, and so he immediately fled from the spot.

³ The next day, the saint took him aside and, rebuking him sternly, said: “Last night, my son, you sinned before God, and you foolishly imagined that the prying of your secret inquisitiveness could be hidden or concealed from the Holy Spirit. Did I not see you at the very hour when you came near the door of my hut and when you departed from it? Had I not prayed for you at that moment, you would have fallen dead before the door, or your eyes would have been torn out of their sockets. Yet, for my sake, the Lord has spared you this time. Be assured of this also: while you are living in luxury in your own land of Hibernia, your face will burn with shame all the days of your life. Yet, through my prayers, I have obtained this favor from God: that, as you are my disciple, you will do heartfelt penance before death and thus obtain the mercy of God.”

⁴ All these things, as the blessed man had foretold, came to pass for him later.

Chapter 24 #

¹ At another time, while the blessed man was living on the island of Hy (now Iona), his holy countenance was suddenly illuminated with an extraordinary joy; and, lifting his eyes to heaven, he was filled with delight and rejoiced greatly. After a few moments, however, that sweet and wondrous joy turned into profound sadness.

² The two men who were standing at the door of his hut at that same hour—one being Lugne Mocublai, and the other a Saxon named Pilu—were deeply moved and afflicted along with him. The hut was built on higher ground, and they asked him the reason for the sudden joy and the sorrow that had followed. The saint replied to them, “Go in peace, and do not ask me now to explain the cause of either that joy or that sadness.” Hearing this, they knelt before him in tears, their faces bowed to the ground, and humbly pleaded with him to grant their request to know something about the matter which had been revealed to him at that same hour.

³ Seeing their deep sorrow, he said, “Because of my love for you, I do not wish you to be in sadness; but you must first promise me never to reveal to anyone during my lifetime the secret you wish to know.” They immediately gave their promise, as he had requested.

⁴ When the promise was made, the venerable man spoke to them, saying: “On this very day, thirty years of my sojourn in Britain have been completed, and for many days past I have been devoutly praying to my Lord to release me from my dwelling here at the end of this thirtieth year and to call me to my heavenly homeland. This was the cause of the joy you saw in me, which you have sorrowfully asked about. For I saw the holy angels sent down from the lofty throne to meet my soul when it is taken from the flesh. But now, behold, they are suddenly stopped and stand upon a rock on the other side of the Sound of our island, evidently desiring to come near me and deliver me from the body. Yet they are not permitted to come closer because that which God had granted me after I prayed with all my strength—that I might leave the world for Him on this day—He has now changed. This change is in response to the prayers of so many churches on my behalf. Without doubt, these churches have prayed as the Lord has allowed, so that, although it is against my fervent desire, four more years from this day are added for me to remain in the flesh. Such a sorrowful delay is what caused my grief today. At the end of these four years, however, through God’s favor, I will pass away suddenly, without any preceding bodily illness, and I will depart with joy to the Lord, accompanied by His holy angels, who will come to meet me at that hour.”

⁵ According to these words, which the venerable man spoke with much sorrow, grief, and even many tears, he remained in the flesh for four years thereafter.

Chapter 25 #

¹ Towards the end of the aforementioned four years, knowing well in advance as a true prophet that his death would follow the conclusion of that period, the aged man, worn out by years, went in a cart one day in the month of May, as mentioned in the preceding second book, to visit some of the brethren who were at work. Finding them laboring on the western side of the island of Hy (now Iona), he spoke to them that day, saying, “During the paschal solemnities in the month of April just past, I greatly desired to depart to Christ the Lord, as He had permitted me, if I chose it. But, so that the joyous festival might not be turned into mourning for you, I thought it better to delay my departure from this world a little longer.” The beloved monks, deeply afflicted by this sorrowful news, listened in sadness, while he did his best to console them with words of comfort.

² Then, having done this, he turned his face to the east, still seated in his chariot, and blessed the island and its inhabitants. From that day to the present, as stated in the previously mentioned book, the venomous reptiles with three-forked tongues have been unable to harm either man or beast. After pronouncing these words of blessing, the saint was carried back to his monastery.

³ Then, a few days later, while he was celebrating the solemn offices of the Mass as usual on the Lord’s Day, the face of the venerable man, as his eyes were lifted to heaven, suddenly appeared bathed with a ruddy glow, for, as it is written, “A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance”. At that very hour, he alone saw an angel of the Lord hovering above within the walls of his oratory. The lovely and tranquil presence of the holy angel, which brings joy and exultation to the hearts of the elect, was the cause of the sudden joy that filled the blessed man.

⁴ When those present on the occasion asked him the reason for the evident joy that had inspired him, the saint, looking upwards, replied, “Wonderful and unspeakable is the subtlety of the angelic nature! Behold, an angel of the Lord, who was sent to demand a certain deposit dear to God, has just looked down upon us within the church, blessed us, and then returned through the roof of the church without leaving any trace of his passage.” Thus spoke the saint.

⁵ But none of the bystanders could understand what kind of deposit the angel had been sent to demand. However, our patron referred to his own soul, entrusted to him by God, as a holy deposit. Six days later, as will be further related, he departed to the Lord on the night of the Lord’s Day.

⁶ At the end of that same week, on the Sabbath day, the venerable man and his faithful attendant, Diormit, went to bless the barn that was nearby. When the saint had entered and blessed it, along with the two heaps of winnowed grain it contained, he gave thanks, saying, “I heartily congratulate my beloved monks that this year also, if I must depart from you, you will have a sufficient supply for the year.”

⁷ On hearing this, Diormit, his attendant, began to feel sad and said, “Father, this year, at this time, you often trouble us by frequently speaking of your departure from us.” But the saint replied to him, “I have a small secret to share with you, and if you promise me faithfully not to reveal it to anyone before my death, I will speak to you more freely about my departure.” When his attendant had knelt and made the promise as the saint requested, the venerable man continued, “This day, in the Holy Scriptures, is called the Sabbath, which means rest. And this day is indeed a Sabbath for me, as it is the last day of my present laborious life, and on it, I rest from the toils of my labors. This night, at midnight, which begins the solemn Lord’s Day, I will, according to the words of Scripture, go the way of our fathers. For already my Lord Jesus Christ graciously invites me; and to Him, I say, I will depart in the middle of this night at His invitation. For this has been revealed to me by the Lord Himself.” The attendant, hearing these sorrowful words, began to weep bitterly, and the saint sought to console him as best he could.

⁸ After this, the saint left the barn and, on his way back to the monastery, stopped halfway to rest at a spot where a cross, later erected and still standing, is fixed into a millstone by the roadside. While the saint, bowed down with old age, sat there to rest a little, a white pack-horse approached him. This was the same horse that willingly carried the milk vessels from the cowshed to the monastery. Remarkably, it came up to the saint and laid its head on his chest—an act inspired, I believe, by God, as each creature is granted understanding according to the will of its Creator. Knowing that its master was soon to leave it and that it would see him no more, the horse began to cry plaintively. Like a human being, it shed abundant tears on the saint’s bosom, foaming and wailing deeply.

⁹ The attendant, seeing this, began to drive the weeping mourner away, but the saint stopped him, saying, “Leave it alone, as it is so fond of me—let it pour out its bitter grief into my bosom. Behold, you, as a man with a rational soul, can know nothing of my departure except what I have just told you; but to this brute beast, devoid of reason, the Creator Himself has evidently made it known in some way that its master is about to leave it.” Saying this, the saint blessed the work-horse, which then turned away from him in sadness.

¹⁰ Then, leaving this spot, he ascended the hill overlooking the monastery and stood for a short time on its summit. As he stood there with both hands uplifted, he blessed his monastery, saying:

¹¹ “Small and humble though this place is, it will be held in great and extraordinary honor, not only by the kings and people of Scotland but also by rulers of foreign and barbarous nations and by their subjects. Even the saints of other churches will regard it with uncommon reverence.”

¹² After these words, he descended the hill and, having returned to the monastery, sat in his hut transcribing the Psalter. When he reached the verse in the 33rd Psalm where it is written, “They that seek the Lord will lack no good thing”, he said, “Here, at the end of the page, I must stop; and what follows, let Baithene write.” The last verse he had written was very fitting for the saint, who was about to depart and for whom eternal blessings would never be lacking. The verse that follows is equally fitting for the father who succeeded him, the instructor of his spiritual children: “Come, you children, and listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord”. Indeed, Baithene succeeded him, as the saint had recommended, not only in teaching but also in writing.

¹³ Having written the aforementioned verse at the end of the page, the saint went to the church for the nocturnal vigils of the Lord’s Day. When the service was over, he returned to his chamber and spent the remainder of the night on his bed, which consisted of a bare flagstone as his couch and a stone for his pillow. This stone remains to this day as a kind of monument beside his grave.

¹⁴ While he was reclining there, he gave his final instructions to the brethren, in the hearing of his attendant alone, saying: “These, O my children, are the last words I address to you: that you be at peace and have sincere charity among yourselves. If you follow the example of the holy fathers in this way, God, the Comforter of the good, will be your Helper. I, abiding with Him, will intercede for you, and He will not only provide sufficient for the needs of this present life but will also bestow upon you the good and eternal rewards that are laid up for those who keep His commandments.”

¹⁵ Thus far have the final words of our venerable patron, as he prepared to leave this weary pilgrimage for his heavenly home, been preserved for recounting in this brief narrative. After these words, as the blessed hour of his departure drew near, the saint became silent. Then, as soon as the bell tolled at midnight, he rose hastily and went to the church. Running more quickly than the others, he entered alone and knelt in prayer beside the altar. At that same moment, his attendant Diormit, who followed more slowly, saw from a distance that the entire interior of the church was filled with a heavenly light surrounding the saint. As Diormit approached the door, the light he had seen—and which was also witnessed by a few other brethren standing at a distance—suddenly disappeared.

¹⁶ Diormit, entering the church, cried out in a mournful voice, “Where are you, father?” Feeling his way in the darkness—since the brethren had not yet brought in the lights—he found the saint lying before the altar. Raising him up a little, he sat down beside him and rested the saint’s holy head on his bosom. Meanwhile, the rest of the monks hurried in together with their lights, and, seeing their dying father, they broke out into lamentations. As we have been told by some who were present, even before his soul departed, the saint opened his eyes wide and looked around from side to side with a face full of extraordinary joy and gladness, undoubtedly seeing the holy angels coming to meet him. Then Diormit raised the saint’s holy right hand so that he might bless his gathered monks. The venerable father himself moved his hand as well as he could—so that, though unable to speak as his soul was departing, he might at least, by the movement of his hand, visibly bless his brethren. Having given them his holy blessing in this manner, he immediately breathed his last. After his soul left the tabernacle of his body, his face remained ruddy and was wonderfully brightened by his vision of the angels, to such an extent that he appeared not so much dead as alive and merely sleeping. Meanwhile, the whole church resounded with loud cries of grief.

¹⁷ I must not omit to mention the revelation made to a certain saint of Ireland at the very moment the blessed soul departed. In that monastery which, in the Scotic language, is called Clonifinchoil (now Eosnarea, in the parish of Knockcommon, Meath), there was a holy man named Lugud, son of Tailchan, who had grown old in the service of Christ and was renowned for his sanctity and wisdom. This man had a vision, which he recounted at early dawn in great distress to a fellow servant of Christ named Fergnous.

¹⁸ “In the middle of this last night,” he said, “Columba, the pillar of many churches, passed to the Lord. At the moment of his blessed departure, I saw in the spirit the entire island of Iona—where I have never been in the body—radiant with the brightness of angels. The whole heavens above it, even to the very zenith, were filled with the brilliant light of these heavenly messengers, who descended in countless numbers to carry away his holy soul. At the same moment, I also heard the loud hymns and indescribably sweet canticles of the angelic host as his holy soul was borne aloft amidst the ascending choirs of angels.”

¹⁹ Virgnous, who about this time came over from Scotia (Ireland) and spent the rest of his life on the island of Hinba (Eilean-na-Naoimh), very often related to the monks of St. Columba the vision of angels, which, as mentioned, he undoubtedly heard from the lips of the old man to whom it had been granted. This same Virgnous, having lived for many years without reproach in obedience among the brethren, later led the life of an anchorite, as a victorious soldier of Christ, for twelve additional years in the hermitage of Muirbulcmar. This vision, as mentioned above, we have not only found recorded in writing but have also heard recounted with the greatest freedom by several well-informed elders to whom Virgnous himself had related it.

²⁰ Another vision, given at the same hour but under a different form, was related to me—Adamnan—when I was a young man, by one who had seen it and solemnly assured me of its truth. He was a very old man, a servant of Christ, whose name in Latin may be called Ferreol, but in the Scotic tongue was Ernene, of the race of Mocufirroide. Being himself a holy monk, he is buried in the Ridge of Tomma (now Drumhome, County Donegal), among the remains of other monks of St. Columba, and awaits the resurrection with the saints.

²¹ He said: “On the night when St. Columba, by a happy and blessed death, passed from earth to heaven, while I and others with me were fishing in the valley of the river Fend (the Finn, in Donegal), which abounds in fish, we saw the entire vault of heaven suddenly illuminated. Struck by the suddenness of the miracle, we raised our eyes and looked towards the east, and, behold, there appeared something like an immense pillar of fire. It seemed to us, as it ascended upwards at that midnight hour, to illuminate the whole earth like the summer sun at noon. After that column penetrated the heavens, darkness followed, as if the sun had just set. Not only did we, who were together in the same place, observe with great astonishment the brightness of this remarkable luminous pillar, but many other fishermen, who were scattered here and there in different deep pools along the same river, were greatly terrified, as they later related to us, by an appearance of the same kind.”

²² These three miraculous visions, then, which were seen at the very hour of our venerable patron’s departure, clearly show that the Lord has bestowed upon him eternal honors. But let us now return to our narrative.

²³ After his holy soul had departed, and the matin hymns were finished, his sacred body was carried by the brethren, chanting psalms, from the church back to his chamber, from which he had shortly before come alive. His obsequies were then celebrated with all due honor and reverence for three days and three nights. When these sweet praises of God were concluded, the venerable body of our holy and blessed patron was wrapped in a clean shroud of fine linen. After being placed in the coffin prepared for it, it was buried with all due veneration, to rise again with glorious and eternal brightness.

²⁴ And now, near the close of this book, we will recount what has been told to us by persons familiar with the facts regarding the three days during which his obsequies were celebrated in proper ecclesiastical form. On one occasion, a certain brother, speaking with great simplicity in the presence of the holy and venerable man, said to him, “After your death, all the people of these provinces will row across to the island of Iona (Hy) to celebrate your obsequies, and the island will be entirely filled by them.”

²⁵ Hearing this, the saint immediately replied: “No, my child, the event will not turn out as you say; for a promiscuous throng of people will by no means be able to come to my obsequies. None but the monks of my monastery will perform my funeral rites and grace the last offices bestowed upon me.” The fulfillment of this prophecy was brought about immediately after his death by God’s almighty power. A storm of wind, without rain, arose and blew so violently during those three days and nights of his obsequies that it completely prevented anyone from crossing the Sound in their little boats. Immediately after the interment of the blessed man, the storm was quelled at once, the wind ceased, and the entire sea became calm.

²⁶ Let the reader therefore consider the immense honor in which our illustrious patron was held by God, seeing that, while he was still in this mortal body, God granted his prayers to still the storms and calm the seas; and again, when he required it, as on the occasion just mentioned, the winds arose at his command, and the sea was stirred into tumult. This storm, as has been said, was immediately transformed into a great calm as soon as his funeral rites were completed. Such, then, was the conclusion of our illustrious patron’s life, and such is the evidence of all his merits.

²⁷ And now, in accordance with the words of Holy Scripture, he shares in eternal triumphs, joined to the patriarchs, united with the prophets and apostles, and numbered among the countless white-robed saints who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. He follows the Lamb wherever He goes; a virgin pure, unblemished, and free from all stain, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father, be honor, power, praise, glory, and eternal dominion, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

²⁸ After reading these three books, let the diligent reader reflect on the immense merit and the exalted honor in the sight of God to which our holy and venerable abbot must have been deemed worthy: how frequent and glorious were the visits of angels to him, how full he was of the prophetic spirit, how great was his power to perform miracles in God, how often and to what extraordinary degree he was surrounded by a halo of heavenly light while still in this mortal body; and how, even after the departure of his kind and holy soul from the tabernacle of the flesh, the place where his sacred bones rest has, to this day, been repeatedly visited by holy angels and illumined by the same heavenly brightness, as has been revealed to certain chosen individuals.

²⁹ This unique favor has been granted by God to this man of blessed memory, so that, though he lived on this small and remote island in the British sea, his name has not only become renowned throughout all of Scotia (Ireland) and Britain, the largest island of the world, but has also extended as far as triangular Spain, Gaul, Italy beyond the Pennine Alps, and even to Rome itself, the chief of all cities. This great and honorable fame is one of the many marks of divine favor bestowed upon this saint by God, who loves those who love Him, and who raises them to immense honor, glorifying ever more those who magnify and truly praise Him, who is blessed forevermore. Amen.