Saint Patrick

Who is Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British missionary who became the patron saint of Ireland. According to his own autobiographical writings, he was born in Roman Britain, the son of a deacon, and at around sixteen he was captured by raiders and enslaved in Ireland, where he worked as a herdsman for six years before escaping. After returning home and training for the priesthood, he came back to Ireland as a bishop to preach Christianity to the Irish. Two Latin works survive that are genuinely attributed to him: the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and the Epistola (Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus), condemning the enslavement of Irish converts. Much of the popular legend surrounding him — banishing snakes and using the shamrock to explain the Trinity — is later tradition, but his role in Ireland's conversion is historically grounded. His feast day, 17 March, is commemorated worldwide as Saint Patrick's Day.

Sources: Saint Patrick, Confessio (5th century) · Saint Patrick, Epistola ad milites Corotici (5th century) · R. P. C. Hanson, Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career (1968)