Columbanus
Columbanus | |
|---|---|
Saint Columbanus, stained glass window, Bobbio Abbey crypt | |
| Born | 543 Leinster, Kingdom of Meath |
| Died | 23 November 615 (aged 71–72) Bobium, Kingdom of the Lombards |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 23 November |
Saint Columbanus (Irish: Columbán; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in present-day Italy.
Columbanus taught an Irish monastic rule and penitential practices for those repenting of sins, which emphasised private confession to a priest, followed by penances imposed by the priest in reparation for the sins. Columbanus is one of the earliest identifiable Hiberno-Latin writers.