Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/213

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DUBLIN


173


DUBLIN


Christianity, disposed the contending races to more friendly intercourse, and enabled Celt and Dane heneeforwaril to live together in comparative peace. In 1038, little more than twenty years after the battle of Clontarf, we find another King Sitric (II) at Dublin, who, seeing that his subjects had all become Christians, was moved to organize the Church on a proper hiei»- archical basis. Wherefore in that year he founded and endowed a cathedral dedicated to the Holy Trinity (since Queen Elizabeth's time appropriated to Prot- estant worship and known as Christ Church). To minister in his cathedral he had a bishop appointed and consecrated; with this first bishop of the Danish Christians in Dublin, the See of Dublin may be said to have been formally founded. Having received their Christianity from Northumbria, the Danes looked to Canterbury for their spiritual government ; and had their first bishop, Donatus, consecrated by the Arch- bishop of Canterbury. E.xcept in faith and general discipline they were in no way identified with the rest of Christian Ireland.

Donatus died in 1074 and was suc- ceeded by Patrick, who bore commen- datory letters to Lan- franc and was con- secrated by hira in St. Paul's, London. After ruling the dio- cese for about ten years he perished at sea in 1084. Donat O'Haingly, evidently an Iri-shman, came next. He was a Bene- dictine monk in Lan- franc's monastery at Canterbury. By con- sent of the king and of the clergy of Dub- lin, he was conse- crated by Lanfranc


definitely erected into a diocese, but the Danish See of Dublin was ignored, or if referred to, it is described aa being in the Diocese of Glendalough, for the latter came up to the very walls of Dublin and surrounded them on all sides. St. Malachy, consecrated Bishop of Connor about 1 127, followed up the work of Gillebert, and on the occasion of a journey to Rome, besought Innocent II to constitute the Bishops of Armagh and Cashel metropolitans and transmit the pallium to them. Before his request could be fully consid- ered, Malachy on a second journey fell sick on the way, and died at Clairvau.x in the arms of St. Bernard (1148). The object of his journey, however, was not lost sight of, and in 11.51, Eugene III commissioned Cardinal Paparo to proceed to Ireland and establish there four metropolitans, giving hira the palliuras with which each was to be invested. The cardinal on his arrival convoked a general synod at Kells in 1152. M this synod Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuara, were created archi- episcopal sees, with canonical jurisdic- tion over their suf- fragans, and each of the new archbishops received the pallium. In this way Gregory became the fir=,t Archbishop of Dub- lin, and had assigned to him as suffragans the Sees of Kildare, Ossory, Leighlin, Ferns, and Glen- dalough. In a docu- ment drawn up by the then Archbishop of Tuam, in 1214, the cardinal is described as finding on his ar- rival in Ireland, a bishop dwelling in Dublhi, who at the time exercised his episcopal office with- in 1085; he died of the plague in 1095. To him sue- in the walls. "He foimd in the same diocese another ceeded his nephew Samuel O'Haingly, a Benedictine church in the mountains, which likewise had tlie name monk of St. Alban's. He was consecrated at Win- of a city [Glendalough] and had a certain c/!orepj«co;)i«. Chester by Saint Anselm on the Sunday after Easter, But he delivered the pallium to Dublin which was the 1096, and died in 1121. It was to this prelate that best city and appointed that the diocese [Glenda- St. Anselm administered the sharp rebuke for havmg loughjin which both these cities were should be divided,


Street, Dubli.n


removed the monks from his church, from which we may infer that it was at this period that a chapter of .secular canons was established in the cathedral, its clergy having been previously monastic. Gregory was


and that one part thereof should fall to the metropoli- tan." This severed the North County Dublin known as Fingall, from Glendalough Diocese and annexed it to Dublin. Thus was the Church in Ireland reorgan-


chosen as successor. He is described as a wise man ized in strict hierarchical form, and all dependence upon


and well skilled in languages. He was consecrated at Lambeth by Ralph, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Twelfth-century Reforms. — During Gregory's incumbency great and far-reaching changes were wrought in the ecclesiastical organization of Ireland. Up to this time, except in the Danish towns of Dublin


Canterbury was brought to an end.

Archbishop Gregory died in 1161 and was buried in the Holy Trinity Cathedral. To him succeeded Lor- can {\a.tmized Laurentius) O'Toole, son of Muriartach, Prince of Imaile. His mother was an O 'Byrne, so that he was Irish of the Irish. Entrusted at an early


Waterford, and Limerick, the old system of centring age to the care of the Bishop of Glendalough he grew


jurisdiction in the monastery of the clan with a bishop resident, almost universally prevailed, but Gillebert (Gilbert), Bishop of Limerick, who had travelled much, and had made the acquaintance of St. Anselm, received a strong letter from the latter exhorting him to do his utmost, in union with the Irish bishops, to reform certain abu.ses and bring the system of ecclesi


up a pious and exemplary youth and eventually be- came a monk there. When but twenty-five years old he was electetl abbot and a few years later bishop of the see. This choice, however, he successfully with- stood. But his resistance did not long avail him. As soon as the See of Dublin was vacated both clergy and people turned their eyes on the Abbot of Glenda-


astical government more into conformity with the lough and would not be refused. He was consecrated

prevailing practice of Christendom. Whereupon Gil- in Dublin cathedral by Gelasius of Armagh in 1162.

lebert having received legatine powers from Paschal II His first act was to induce the canons of his chapter to

convoked a .synod which met at Rath-Breassail in become canons regular according to the rule of the

1118. At this synod the number of sees was fixed at priory of Aroasia. He himself assumed the religious

twenty-four, Dublin excluded. Glendalough, the habit with them and scrupulously conformed to the

church founded by St. Kevin in the sixth century, was rule. He was indefatigable in his work and boundless