Celtic saints

Throughout the Celtic world, in Britain, Ireland and France, the legacy of the Celtic saints remains visible. Churches, place-names, standing stones, healing springs and local lore stand as a testament to those who helped to establish the Christian Church in their native lands. But who were these saints, and what drove their search for spiritual fulfilment? Using archaeological and literary evidence, Elizabeth Rees presents the stories of the Celtic saints - St Bridget, who built a ‘city of the poor’ in Kildaire, Ireland, St Bueno, a monk and also a powerful druid, St Columba, a successful warrior-prince in Scotland - as well as those of lesser-known monks, nuns, missionaries and martyrs. From St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, through Wales with its monastery of Llanilltyd Fawr to Lindisfarne in the north, we are taken on a spiritual tour of the places where the saints chose to pray, preach and study - dramatic headlands, sheltered valleys, forest clearings, holy springs and peaceful lakeshores. In exploring these mystical sites, many of which still remain, the Celtic saints of legend are brought vividly to life.