Assicus
Encyclopedia
Saint Assicus was the first bishop of Elphin
, Ireland
, and venerated as the patron saint
of that place. Converted to Christianity
by Saint Patrick
, he is said to have been Patrick's worker in iron
.
In the Tripartite Life of St Patrick (ed. Whitley Stokes) we read:
St. Assicus was a most expert metal worker, and was also renowned as a bellfounder. Of his last days the following graphic description is given by Archbishop Healy
:
His feast is celebrated 27 April, as is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallaght
under that date.
He is sometimes thought to be the same man as St. Tassac and St. Assam / St. Assan, or both.
Elphin, County Roscommon
Elphin, sometimes spelt Elfin , is a village in north County Roscommon, Ireland. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional roads...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and venerated as the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of that place. Converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
by Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, he is said to have been Patrick's worker in iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
.
In the Tripartite Life of St Patrick (ed. Whitley Stokes) we read:
- Bishop St. Assic was Patrick's coppersmithCoppersmithA coppersmith, also known as a redsmith, is a person who makes artifacts from copper. The term redsmith comes from the colour of copper....
, and made altarAltarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s and square bookcaseBookcaseA bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture, almost always with horizontal shelves, used to store books. A bookcase consists of a unit including two or more shelves which may not all be used to contain books or other printed materials. Shelves may be fixed or adjustable to different positions...
s. Besides, he made our saint's patenPatenA paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated. It is generally used during the service itself, while the reserved hosts are stored in the Tabernacle in a ciborium....
s in honour of Bishop Patrick, and of them I have seen three square patens, that is, a paten in the Church of Patrick in ArmaghArmaghArmagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, and another in the Church of Elphin, and a third in the great-church of Donough-patrick (at Carns near Tulsk).
St. Assicus was a most expert metal worker, and was also renowned as a bellfounder. Of his last days the following graphic description is given by Archbishop Healy
Healy
Healy may refer to:People*Healy Placenames* Healy, Alaska, United States* Healy, Kansas, United States* Healy, Queensland, Australia, a suburb of Mount Isa* Healy Hall, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States...
:
- Assicus himself in shame because of a lie told either by him, or, as others say, of him, fled into DonegalDonegalDonegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, and for seven years abode in the island of Rathlin O'Birne. Then his monks sought him out, and after much labour found him in the mountain glens, and tried to bring him home to his own monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Elphin. But he fell sick by the way and died with them in the wilderness. So they buried the venerable old man in the churchyard of Rath Cunga, now Racoon, in the Barony of Tirhugh, County Donegal. The old churchyard is there still, though now disused, on the summit of a round hillock close to the left of the road from BallyshannonBallyshannonBallyshannon is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne, and claims to be the oldest town in Ireland.-Location:...
to Donegal, about a mile to the south of the village of Ballintra. We sought in vain for any trace of an inscribed stone in the old churchyard. He fled from men during life, and, like MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, his grave is hidden from them in death.
His feast is celebrated 27 April, as is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallaght
Martyrology of Tallaght
The Martyrology of Tallaght, which is closely related to the Félire Oengusso or Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee, is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/or Óengus the Culdee at Tallaght Monastery, near Dublin...
under that date.
He is sometimes thought to be the same man as St. Tassac and St. Assam / St. Assan, or both.
External links
- Assicus at the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
- Profile at the Patron Saints Index