Celtic Christianity

Celtic Christianity refers to the faith of the people of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Northern England and Brittany in modern France in the period basically from the fall of Rome (410 A.D.) and the period of Viking invasion (from roughly 800 A.D.).

The period is generally seen as starting with Patrick who went on mission to Ireland before the end of the Roman Empire.

It was a period of great spirituality and mission. The Celts are seen as re-evangelising Europe. With the fall of the Christian Roman empire, paganism dominated Europe until the mission of the Celts.

• 410 - Rome sacked by the Visigoths. Turmoil in the Roman empire.

• c415 - Patrick born in Roman Britain.

• 431 - Pope Celestine I sends Palladius to Ireland.

• 460/61 - Patrick returns to Ireland.

• 475 - end of Western Roman empire.

• 492/3 - Patrick dies.

• c500 - Brigid founds Kildare.

• c530 - St Finnian establishes a monastery at Clonard.

• 506 - first Christian king in Ireland. check.

• 540 - Columbanus born.

• 563 - Columba establishes the monastery at Iona, carrying Christianity into Scotland and Northern England. check date 557?

• 575 - Assembly of Druim Ceat in Ireland.

• 590 - Columbanus goes to Gaul. This was the first Celtic mission to continental Europe.

• 597 - Augustine of Canterbury arrives in Britain and alienates British Celtic Christians.

• 597 - Columba dies.

• 603 - Synod of Chalon-sur-Saone - first major clash between Celtic Christians and the Roman Church hierarchy.

• c612 - Columbanus establishes the monastery, Abbazia di San Colombano, at Bobbio, northern Italy.

• 615 - Battle of Chester, massacre of Celtic Christians at Bangor Is y Coed (Bangor-On-Dee).

• 615 - Columbanus dies in Babbio, Italy.

• 635 - Irish mission to English of Northumbria. Foundation of Lindisfarne by Aidan

• 664 - Oswiu, the king of Northumbria calls a synod at Whitby to hear the arguments for Roman and Celtic Christianity and opts for Rome.

• c698 - the Lindisfarne Gospels were copied and illuminated by monks on the Scottish island of Lindisfarne.

• 712 - Iona submits to Roman Church demands.

• 793 - first Viking invasions. Attack Lindisfarne.

• 802-6 - Iona destroyed by Vikings in several raids.

• 841 - beginning of Viking settlements in Ireland.

• 913 - Viking raids destroy Landevennek, main centre of Celtic monasticism in Brittany. Native manuscripts lost.

Other timelines

• http://homepage.eircom.net/~shae/time.htm

• http://justus.anglican.org/resources/timeline/02monks.html

• The Celtic Way: From Patrick To Cuthbert - James Atkinson (Christianity History Institute)