Saint Magnus d'Orkney
Prince viking,
martyr (+ 1115)
Ses reliques sont dans la cathédrale
de Kirkwall (site en anglais).
Saint patron des îles des
Orcades et des Shetland.
Fils d’un viking, prince
des Orcades, il fut d’abord pirate, mais embrassa bientôt la foi chrétienne.
Échappant à l’emprise du roi de Norvège et à ses raids sur les côtes, il vécut
comme un pénitent, puis, devenu à son tour prince des Orcades, il partagea le
pouvoir avec son cousin Hakon mais, celui-ci se saisit de lui, désarmé, dans
une église et le fit traîtreusement assassiner.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/990/Saint-Magnus-d-Orkney.html
Statue of St Magnus, St Magnus-the-Martyr church, City of London
Statue of St Magnus, St Magnus-the-Martyr church, City of London
Also
known as
Magnus Erlendsson of
Orkney
Magnus Erlendsson
Magnus the Martyr
Mans…
13
December (translation of relics)
Profile
Born to a Viking family,
son of Erlend Thorfinnsson, Earl of Orkney; related to King Olav
II and King Harald
II of Norway.
He was raised as a pagan and lived as a pirate. Convert to Christianity,
which made him unpopular in the Norwegian royal court especially
when he refused to fight Christians.
Earl of the Orkney Islands from 1108 to 1115.
Killed during a political struggle with the pagan Norwegian elements for
control of the Christian areas
under his rule, and thus considered a martyr.
Two sagas have been written about his life.
Born
c.1075 in
the Orkney
Islands, Scotland
struck in
the head with an axe in 1115 at
Egilsay Island, Scotland
his last words were
reported to a prayer asking
for forgiveness of his killer
buried in
Christ Church, Birsay, Orkland, Scotland
re-interred in cathedral of
Saint Magnus in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland in 13
December 1137
relics rediscovered
during excavations in 1919
Norway (proclaimed
on 7
March 1941 by Pope Pius
XII)
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Calendar
of Scottish Saints, by Father Michael Barrett
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
Roman Martyrology, 3rd Turin edition
other
sites in english
images
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Magnus of
Orkney“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 April 2024. Web. 1 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-magnus-of-orkney/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-magnus-of-orkney/
Stained
glass of St Magnus, St Magnus-the-Martyr church, City of London
Book of Saints –
Magnus – 16 April
(Saint) Martyr (April
16) (12th
century) A native of the Orkneys, over which he was set as Governor by the
King of Norway, the then Overlord of the islands. Saint Magnus was plotted
against and in the end cruelly murderecl. He offered up his life for the good
of his people and entered into his rest A.D. 1116.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Magnus”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
15 November 2014. Web. 2 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-magnus-16-april/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-magnus-16-april/
Magnus of Orkney M
(AC)ORKNE
Died on Igilsay Island,
Norway, 1116.
Earl Magnus Erlendsson of
Norway, son of Erling, ruled over half the Orkney Islands. He was killed by his
cousin Haakon, who ruled over the other half. Magnus is venerated as the
protector of Scotland and a martyr, even though as a young man he participated
in the Viking raids on Scotland.
As a young man, Magnus
visited Wales at least twice and had friends there, including a bishop, because
he was related to the Scottish royal family. Haakon and Magnus travelled with
King Magnus Barelegs in 1098 to raid the western islands of Scotland: Lewis,
Uist, Skye, Tiree, and Mull. As the raiding party continued on to Wales, Magnus
Erlendsson refused to participate saying, "I have no quarrel with any man
here."
Needless to say, this did
not endear him with his Viking brethren. The king ordered him below decks. But
Magnus insisted that God would shield him. He stood on the prow singing Psalms
and prayers in a loud voice. Companions saw this as cowardice, as did the king.
While at anchor, Magnus left the ship one night and hid on shore. He made his
way to the court of King Malcolm and Queen Margaret of Scotland, where the
Gospel message was taken seriously. Here he became fast friends with
Prince Edgar.
Magnus was made earl of
Caithness. In 1105, he married a Scottish woman. After Magnus Barelegs was
killed in 1102 at Ulster, Ireland, Magnus returned to Norway to find Haakon had
taken over his earldom, too, with aggression and violence to his subjects.
Magnus sought and gained the support of the Norwegian Thing (council) and went
to the newly crowned King Eystein to gain a royal judgement in his favor.
Peace reigned for many
years. Magnus was no pacifist--he fought off Viking chief Dufnjal when
attacked. At that time Magnus and Haakon worked together to defend their people.
Tensions again rose between the cousins when Magnus forbade his people from
joining raiding parties. When Magnus went to the court of King Henry I of
England for a year, Haakon seized control of Magnus's earldom and much of
Caithness. Once again the dispute was settled by the Thing.
During Easter week,
Haakon and Magnus met on the island of Egilsay, which belonged to the Church.
The stated intention was reconciliation, but Haakon arrived with eight
warships. Magnus prayed throughout the night and he refused the protection of
his few men. He received Communion and waited for his cousin.
Magnus was taken prisoner
by Haakon's men, judged during a mock trial, and was killed by Haakon's chef,
Lifolf. Magnus was eventually buried in Kirkwall cathedral, which is dedicated
in his honor. After his death, devotion grew for Magnus. He was honored for his
virtue and piety, but there appears to be no reason why he should have been
called a martyr.
His name was invoked in
time of danger, and for the sick who were cured. Later, Haakon made a
pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. Thereafter he ruled well, though he never
tolerated open devotion to the cousin he murdered. Magnus stood against wanton
violence and racism against foreigners. He is another model for our times. An
account concerning Magnus is included in the final portion of the Orkney Saga,
which is published in English by Penguin (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia,
Markus, Mooney).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0416.shtml
Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubøur,
Streymoy, Faroe Islands.
Magnus-Kathedrale in Kirkjubøur, Streymoy, Färöer Inseln.
Kirkjubøur on Streymoy, Faroe
Islands
Die
Domruine (Magnuskathedrale) von Kirkjubøur/Färöer, im Hintergrund der
traditionsreiche Hof aus dem 11. Jahrhundert.
Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubøur,
Streymoy, Faroe Islands.
Magnus-Kathedrale in Kirkjubøur, Streymoy, Färöer Inseln.
Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubøur,
Streymoy, Faroe Islands.
Magnus-Kathedrale in Kirkjubøur,
Streymoy, Färöer Inseln.
April 16
St. Mans, or Magnus,
Bishop and Martyr
IN the reign of Duncan,
king of Scotland, an army of savage Pagan Norwegians, under Hacon, ravaged the
isles of Orkney. To stop the butchery of the inhabitants, Mans, the zealous
bishop, met the barbarians, and when they threatened him with death, boldly
replied: “I am ready to die a thousand times over for the cause of God and his
flock: but in his name I command you to spare his people.” Commending his soul
to his Redeemer, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, St. Palladius and
St. Servanus, patron of that diocess, he presented his head to be struck off by
the executioner. He suffered in the year 1104, in the isle of Eglis, one of the
Orcades, and was buried in the same. His tomb became famous for the reputation
of miracles, and the devotion of pilgrims. See Hunter, de Viris Illustr.
Scotiæ; Lesley, Descr. Scot. p. 40. King; the ancient hymn in his honour, &c.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/166.html
Calendar
of Scottish Saints – Saint Magnus, Martyr, A.D. 1116
The noble Cathedral of
Kirkwall rose over the tomb of Saint Magnus one of the most popular of the
pre-Reformation saints of Scotland. It was founded by the nephew of the martyr,
twenty years after he suffered, and to it were translated the remains of Saint
Magnus, which had hitherto reposed in a more humble sanctuary at Birsay. In all
probability they still rest undisturbed in the cathedral which bears the name
of the saint.
Like many of the early
English saints, Magnus received the title of martyr rather from the popular
voice than by the decision of ecclesiastical authority. As his story shows, he
merited the title by shedding his blood not so much in defence of the Christian
Faith as in behalf of the virtues of a Christian life, whose brilliancy excited
the jealous anger of his enemies.
Saint Magnus was the son
of Erlin, Earl of Orkney. He was distinguished from childhood by an uprightness
of life which indicated his future sanctity. Erlin was opposed by Magnus
Barefoot, King of Norway, who made him prisoner and seized his possessions, carrying
off the young Magnus to act as his personal attendant. After ravaging the
Western Isles the Norwegian king encountered, off the Island of Anglesey, the
forces of the Norman Earls of Chester and Shrewsbury, and defeated them with
much slaughter. The young Magnus refused to take any part in the unjust
warfare, and remained in his ship engaged in prayer throughout the battle. He
was soon after able to escape to the court of Malcolm III, where he remained
for some time in safety.
Magnus bitterly lamented
for the rest of his days the excesses into which he had fallen in the life of
constant warfare and strife which had been his lot with the Norwegians;
whatever their guilt may have been, it was his constant endeavour to atone for
them by penance and prayer.
The family possessions in
the Orkneys were regained on the death of Barefoot, but fresh contests were
stirred up when Haco, cousin of Saint Magnus, laid claim to them for himself.
To avoid bloodshed Saint Magnus agreed to a meeting with Haco in the island of
Egilshay that thus the dispute might be settled in a friendly manner. Haco,
however, was a traitor; and caused his own forces to be drawn round the unarmed
Magnus to compass his destruction. The latter, made aware of the treachery, and
unable to make any defence, prepared for his conflict by a night of prayer in
the church, and the reception of the Sacraments. Then, when morning dawned, he
advanced courageously to confront his murderers, and met a barbarous death with
Christian fortitude. The only Catholic cathedral in Scotland which remains
entire still shelters the body of a saint. It may be that God has spared it to
restore it to Catholic worship through the merits of Saint Magnus. The feast,
known in the Middle Ages as “Magnusmas,” was restored by Pope Leo XIII. His
fair was formerly held at Watten-Wester in Caithness. A holy well at Birsay, in
Orkney, bears his name.
MLA
Citation
Father Michael
Barrett, OSB.
“Saint Magnus, Martyr, A.D. 1116”. The Calendar of
Scottish Saints, 1919. CatholicSaints.Info.
9 March 2014. Web. 2 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/calendar-of-scottish-saints-saint-magnus-martyr-a-d-1116/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/calendar-of-scottish-saints-saint-magnus-martyr-a-d-1116/
The
ruins of St Magnus Church on the island
of Egilsay in Orkney, Scotland. St
Magnus Kirk, Egilsay The kirk was built towards the end of the 12th century and
consists of a nave and small chancel. The tall round tower on the western end
is a notable landmark, being visible from Rousay and the Orkney mainland. The
church lost its roof sometime in the 19th century. It is dedicated to St
Magnus, who was slaughtered on Egilsay in 1114.
History of Saint MAGNUS
of ORKNEY
The following abridged
account of St Magnus is taken from the “Orkneyjar”
website (by kind permission). There is further analysis on this excellent site.
The story of Magnus
Erlendsson - Orkney's Saint Magnus - begins in 1098 - a time when the Orkney
earldom was divided between two brothers, the earls Paul and Erlend. Magnus was
the eldest son of Earl Erlend, while his cousin, Hakon, was the son of Paul. In
1098, the Norwegian king,. Magnus "Barelegs", arrived suddenly in
Orkney. He unseated both earls and made his illegitimate son, Sigurd, overlord
of the islands. Earls Paul and Erlend were instructed to go to Norway, where
they both died before winter's end. With Sigurd in place as "king" of
Orkney, King Magnus left Orkney on a raiding expedition, making sure he took
Hakon and the 18-year-old Magnus with him. Heading down the west coast of
Scotland, the raiders travelled as far south as Anglesey.
The raid on Anglesey
According to the sagas,
on the voyage south, young Magnus would not fight during the raids. When the
Vikings attacked the Welsh rulers of Anglesey, Magnus refused to participate.
Instead, we are told he chose to remain on the ship singing psalms - overtly
Christian behaviour that did not please the Norwegian King, who already
disliked Magnus, who he regarded a coward, intensely.
This episode, although
perfectly setting up the saintly image of Magnus, could have a number of
explanations.
Firstly, it is highly
possible that the account is a later addition, specifically introduced to
emphasise Magnus' piety. The lack of references to Magnus in other historical
accounts of the raiding voyage has prompted suggestions that his inclusion in
the Orkneyinga Saga version of events was purely fictional.
However, if we assume
that Magnus was part of the raiding party, his refusal to fight could have been
for purely political reasons rather than spiritual. The historian William
Thomson points out in his New History of Orkney, that Magnus had a
"surprisingly frequent involvment in Welsh affairs".
Whatever the truth, the
Orkneyinga Saga goes on to explain that Magnus escaped from the king's ship.
Slipping overboard one night, he swam to the shore of Scotland, where he
"disappeared" until the death of King Magnus in Ireland in 1102. We
know little about this time in hiding.
Magnus becomes Earl
By the time Magnus
reappears in the Orkneyinga Saga, Sigurd Magnusson had returned to Norway to
become joint ruler, leaving Magnus' cousin Hakon in the position of earl. A few
years later, and after making representations to the Norwegian throne, Magnus
was granted his share of the earldom. At first there was a good relationship
between the two earls, and their reign, from 1105 until 1114, was said to be a
just and pleasant one. However, this "Golden Age" did not last.
The earls' quarrel
The Orkneyinga Saga is
not clear on the reason the cousins turned on each other. It simply states that
men of "evil disposition" began stirring trouble between Hakon and
Magnus. Hakon, says the saga, was jealous of Magnus’ popularity and was
therefore "more disposed to listen to these miserable men".
Whatever their motives,
the agitators succeeded in creating enmity between Magnus and Hakon, so much so
that they drew up for battle at a "thing" - an assembly - on the
Orkney Mainland. The site of this meeting has been suggested as being Tingwall
(from the Old Norse thingvollr - Assembly Field) in the Mainland parish of
Rendall. But a battle was averted.
Neutral parties managed
to persuade the two earls to make peace. A further meeting was arranged to
finalise this treaty, with the earls to meet on Egilsay at Easter, each
bringing only "two ships and an equal number of men". At the allotted
time, and with the agreed number of men, Magnus set out for Egilsay.
Approaching the island in
calm water, says the saga, a great wave rose up and struck Magnus' ship. This,
it recounts, was taken to be an omen of the earl's death. “No wonder that you are
surprised by this," said Magnus to his men, "Indeed, I take this as a
foreboding of my death."
Betrayal on Eglisay
Magnus was the first to
arrive on Egilsay, where he waited for the arrival of his cousin. When, later
that day, eight warships came into view it became clear that treachery was
afoot. Hakon and his men landed on Egilsay the following morning. After first
ransacking the church, Hakon sought out Magnus, who had "gone to another
part of the island, to a certain hiding place".
After a search, Magnus
was found, captured and brought before an assembly of local chieftains. There,
the saga stresses, Magnus was concerned only for the welfare of his deceitful
cousin's immortal soul. Magnus made three suggestions that would save Hakon from
breaking his oath by killing an unarmed man. The first, that Magnus would go on
a pilgrimage and never return to Orkney, was rejected, as was the second, that
Magnus be exiled to Scotland and imprisoned. The final suggestion was that
Hakon should "have me mutilated in anyway you choose, rather than take my
life, or else blind me and lock me in a dungeon".
Hakon deemed this
acceptable, but the assembly were not so keen. The chieftains leapt to their
feet and announced that one of the earls had to die. They had had their fill of
joint-rule in Orkney. Hakon smugly informed the dissenters that, as he
preferred ruling and was not ready to die, Magnus should be slain. Magnus put
forward no argument so "was doomed to death". Informing his followers
they were not to die defending him, Magnus stepped forward to accept his fate.
The martyrdom of Earl
Magnus
With Magnus’ fate sealed,
Hakon ordered Ofeig, his standard-bearer, to execute the eark. But the warrior
refused angrily. Enraged, Hakon turned to his cook, Lifolf, and instructed him
to kill Magnus. According to the saga, Lifolf wept loudly but Magnus spoke
comforting words and forgave him for the acts he must carry out: "Be not
afraid, for you do this against your will and he who forces you sins more than
you do."
So Magnus knelt before
Lifolf and asked to be struck hard on the head, rather than beheaded like a
common criminal: "Stand thou before me, and hew on my head a great wound,
for it is not seemly to behead chiefs like thieves. Take heart, poor wretch,
for I have prayed to God for thee, that He be merciful unto thee."
Lifolf struck the blow
and cleaved the Earl's skull in two.
The Orkneyinga Saga
declares this act took place "1,091 winters after the birth of
Christ" but this date does not tie in with documented events and is
definitely incorrect. Magnus was killed many years later - on 16th April in
what was most likely 1118.
Initially, Magnus was
denied a Christian burial by Earl Hakon and simply buried where he fell.
Miraculous happenings
Shortly afterwards, the
miracles began.
The Orkneyinga Saga
recounts that the site of Magnus’ murder was originally rocky and overgrown,
but after his death "God showed that he had suffered for righteousness'
sake" and the area was miraculously transformed into a green field.
Magnus' mother, Thora,
pled with Hakon to allow her son a Christian burial. Hakon relented and allowed
Magnus’ corpse to be retrieved. It was transferred to Birsay, where it was
interred at Christchurch, the church Magnus’ grandfather, Thorfinn Sigurdsson,
had built. The exact location of this church remains uncertain today. Although
it is generally thought to have either been on Brough o' Birsay or the site of
the current St Magnus Kirk on Mainland Birsay. Recent investigations seem to
favour the latter. Wherever he was laid to rest, from the day of his burial a
bright, heavenly light was said to have been seen above Magnus' grave. This
holy light was accompanied by a "heavenly fragrance".
Before long, as the cult
of Magnus grew, other stories began to spread, each detailing the miraculous
happenings around about the Earl's gravesite. The Orkneyinga Saga recounts in
great detail the numerous miraculous healings that resulted from visits to the
Magnus' resting place.
Sainthood
Initially, the Bishop of
Orkney, William the Old, tried to suppress the growing cult of Magnus,
dismissing the alleged miracles and warning that it was "heresy to go
about with such tales". But then, in an episode described in the
Orkneyinga Saga, Bishop William was suddenly convinced of Magnus’ holiness
after being struck blind in his Birsay cathedral. Falling upon Magnus’ grave,
and praying, the bishop’s sight was miraculously restored. Intriguingly the
bishop's change of heart seems to have coincided with a visit to Norway
Although the saga makes no mention of the purpose of this journey, the
historian William Thomson suggests that, in Norway, the bishop had met with the
future Earl Rognvald, the man who would later found St Magnus Cathedral after
the Orkney earldom. If this were so, Bishop William's sudden promotion of the
cult of Magnus could have had political reasons - Rognvald's plans to acquire
the earldom centred on the popularity of the Magnus cult.
Whatever the reason, 21
years after their burial, Bishop William had Magnus’ remains exhumed, washed
and tested in consecrated fire. Their holiness confirmed, Magnus was proclaimed
a saint and his remains enshrined above the Birsay kirk's altar.
The relics stayed in
Birsay "for a long time" until Magnus supposedly appeared to a
Westray man, Gunni, in a dream. Magnus told Gunni that Bishop William should be
told that Magnus wished to leave Birsay and move east to the growing town,
Kirkjuvagr – the Kirkwall we know today.
SOURCE : http://www.stmagnusmartyr.org.uk/history/history-st-magnus-orkney
St
Magnus Church, Birsay, Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. East window with Saint
Magnus in the Battle of Anglesay (left) and Saint Magnus praying in Christ's
Kirk in Birsay (right).
St
Magnus Church, Birsay, Mainland, Orkney-eilanden, Schotland. Het oostelijke
raam met St Magnus in de Slag van Anglesay (links) en St Magnus biddend in
Christ's Kirk in Birsay (rechts).
St Magnus of Orkney
April 23, 2009 by Mark Armitage
Earl Magnus Erlendsson of
Orkney ruled between 1108 and c. 1115, his life-story being well-attested
(albeit in documents that come under the heading of Norse sagas rather than
biographical histories in the modern sense) in the Shorter and Longer Magnus’
Saga and in the Legend of St Magnus.
In order to understand
the story of Magnus, we need to know something of his immediate genealogy.
Magnus’s grandparents on one side were Earl Thorfinn and Ingiborg Finnsdottir
(whose father was related to Kings Olav II and Harald II of Norway) who gave
birth to twin sons, Erlend and Paul.
One of these sons, Erlend
Thorfinnsson became Earl of Orkney, and in 1075 he gave birth to Magnus. Magnus
served King Magnus III of Norway, who in 1098 deposed Erlend (young Magnus’s
father) and Paul (his brother) when taking possessing of the Orkney Islands.
However, Paul’s son (and
Magnus’s cousin), Haakon Paulsson, was appointed to act as regent on behalf of
Sigurd, a Prince of Norway, and Haakon was created an earl in 1105.
Magnus Erlendsson,
meanwhile, was struggling to strike the right balance between the political and
military expectations which attended on in his circumstances with his
burgeoning Christian piety. On one occasion (in 1098) Magnus sailed with
Haakon and the wonderfully named King Magnus Barelegs to pillage (with all that
that involved) the islands off the west coast of Scotland, including: Lewis,
Uist, Skye, Tiree and Mull.
The party then decided to
sail down the west coast of Britain and raid Wales, but Magnus Erlendsson, who
seems to have had friends in Wales, proclaimed “I have no quarrel with any man
here”, and, refusing to participate in the Welsh raid, remained on deck praying
the Psalms in a very loud voice.
His fellow Vikings
perceived this is both cowardly and treacherous, and, while the ship was at
anchor, Magnus prudently made his way to shore and went into hiding, eventually
taking refuge in the courts of King Malcolm and Queen Margaret of Scotland,
where the Catholic faith was not only tolerated but positively nurtured.
When Haakon Paulsson
became Sigurd’s regent in 1005, Magnus Erlendsson, motivated either by duty or
by ambition (or, more likely, by a combination of the two), returned to Orkney
with a view to disputing the succession. He was assisted in this by King
Eystein II of Norway who established him as Earl of Orkney and arranged for him
to rule jointly with Haakon.
This arrangement was
initially successful, but, inevitably, the rivalry between the two factions
grew more and more divisive, and a Thing (assembly) was organized in order to
resolve the escalating dispute. It was agreed that the two Earls should bring
two ships to the isle of Egilsay and there make peace, but the duplicitous
Haakon arrived with eight ships and took Magnus captive.
Magnus volunteered to
accept either prison or exile, but the chieftains, probably calculating that,
even if one of them were exiled, the existence of two earls was always going to
by a catalyst for political machinations and even civil war, decreed that one
or other of the earls should die.
Haakon deputed his
standard-bearer, Ofeigr, to execute Magnus, but Ofeigr was so appalled at what
was happening that he refused, so the task eventually fell to a certain Lifolf,
who was, in effect, Haakon’s personal chef. Praying for his executioners,
Magnus was killed by a blow to the head with an axe shortly after Easter on
April 16th, and was buried at the place of his execution – a rocky landscape
which, after his burial, was miraculously transformed into a green pasture.
He was subsequently
re-buried in a Church at Birsay (on the north west of the Orkney mainland), and
a cultus soon developed, accompanied my numerous manifestations of the
miraculous. When the Bishop of Orkney, William the Old, who regarded
aspects of thr new cultus as frankly heretical, condemned the stories of
miraculous cures which were growing up around the shrine, he was himself struck
blind, before receiving a miraculous cure of his own after praying at Magnus’s
tomb.
Rognvald Kali Kolsson,
who was a nephew of Magnus, determined to honour his uncle by building a stone
minster at Kirkwall (now St Magnus Cathedral), and the relics of St Magnus were
transferred there in 1137.
Magnus has often been
venerated as a martyr, even though he died because of local politics (and
family feuding) rather than for his faith. In truth, his sanctity consists in
the fact that, in the midst of all the casual cruelty of the Dark Age Viking
world, he bore witness in his own life to the higher ideals of Christian piety
and nobility – a light in the darkness shining even at this most wild and
distant edge of Christendom.
SOURCE : https://saintsandblesseds.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/st-magnus-of-orkney/
Lerwick Town Hall, stained glass from 1882; Magnus and Harald window
San Magno di Orkney
(delle Orcadi) Conte e martire
Festa: 16
aprile
Isole Orcadi, Regno
Unito, 1075 – Egilsay, Regno Unito, 1116
Nasce attorno al 1075 da
Erling, uno dei due gemelli vichinghi che furono conti delle Isole Orcadi nella
seconda metà del secolo XI. Viene coinvolto nelle battaglie causate, assieme ai
norvegesi, dal cugino esiliato, Haakon. Magno, però, non vuole combattere e
viene fatto prigioniero. Riesce però a fuggire in Scozia dove inizia un cammino
di conversione e di penitenza. Quando Haakon tenta ancora di impadronirsi
illegittimamente del potere Magno guida un esercito contro di lui. Per breve
tempo i due riescono a coabitare in una tregua. Ma Haakon, pur sempre
intenzionato ad eliminare il cugino, lo invita ingannevolmente ad una
conferenza di pace. Riesce così a farlo uccidere ad Egilsay e Magno, rifiutando
di difendersi, muore pregando per i suoi assassini. (Avvenire)
Patrocinio: Isola
delle Orcadi
Emblema: Palma, Nave
Martirologio
Romano: In Scozia, san Magno, martire, che, conte delle isole Orcadi,
abbracciò la fede cristiana; respinto dal re di Norvegia per aver protestato
contro l’arroganza del suo popolo, fu poi trucidato con malvagio inganno mentre
si recava inerme a trattare la pace con il cugino suo rivale nel dominio
dell’isola.
Magno nacque nel 1075 circa da Erling, uno dei due gemelli vichinghi che furono conti delle Isole Orcadi nella seconda metà del secolo XI. Pare sia stato un pirata anteriormente alla sua conversione al cristianesimo. Invece Haakon, figlio dell’altro gemello Paolo, fu esiliato presso la corte di Norvegia al fine di interdirlo nel suo vizio di immischiarsi nella politica della sua patria. Questi meditò però di vendicarsi e convinse il sovrano norvegese ad intraprendere una battaglia contro le Orcadi. Magno si vide così costretto a partecipare a violente incursioni sulle coste occidentali della Scozia e dell’Inghilterra. Giunta sino ad Anglesey, la flotta norvegese si scontrò con quelle inglese e gallese, ma Magno si riservò di non combattere contro chi non aveva alcuna colpa nei suoi confronti. Fatto dunque prigioniero in una delle navi, riuscì fortunatamente a scappare in Scozia. Pentitosi della sua vita precedente, iniziò un periodo all’insegna della preghiera e della penitenza.
Resosi vacante il governo delle Orcadi, Haakon tentò di impadronirsi illegittimamente del potere e Magno non esitò allora a guidare un esercito contro di lui. Per breve tempo i due riuscirono a coabitare in una tregua non propriamente pacifica. Ma Haakon, pur sempre intenzionato ad eliminare il cugino, lo invitò ingannevolmente ad una conferenza di pace. Riuscì così a farlo uccidere ad Egilsay e Magno, rifiutando di difendersi, morì in atteggiamento di preghiera verso i suoi assassini. Da tale episodio ebbe origine la venerazione nei suoi confronti come “martire” e la vicenda di San Magno divenne dunque paragonabile a quella di altri santi sovrani, in cui il concetto di martirio è stato dunque esteso a casi di morte violenta a causa della giustizia, “per testimonium caritatis heroicis”.
Inizialmente sepolto nella Christ Churc di Birsay e nel 1136 le sue reliquie
furono traslate nella cattedrale di Kirkwall, nelle Orcadi, che gli fu
dedicata. Qui furono rinvenute delle ossa durante gli scavi compiuti nel 1919 e
furono ritenute essere proprio di San Magno. Il suo culto è diffuso in Scozia,
in Islanda e nelle Isole Faer Oer, ove numerosi miracoli furono lungo i secoli
attribuiti alla sua potente intercessione.
Autore: Don Fabio Arduino
The Church of St Magnus, Bessingby, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
In un tempo come il nostro, in cui nella vecchia Europa la fede cristiana arretra sempre di più nei confronti di nuove forme di paganesimo, ovvero di idolatria, è impressionante vedere come invece in tempi antichi, nel “buio” Medioevo, l’annuncio cristiano arrivò negli angoli più sperduti del continente, del mondo allora conosciuto. Oggi va di moda parlare di periferie, ma già mille anni fa i cristiani sapevano bene che l’annuncio della Buona Novella andava portato fino agli estremi confini della terra, con un mandato missionario che veniva da Gesù Cristo stesso.
Avvenne così anche nell’estremo nord dell’Europa, nelle affascinanti Isole Orcadi situate a nord della Scozia. Verdi isole fredde, spazzate dal gelido vento del nord, dove la terra ha poco da offrire ai suoi abitanti, contadini e pescatori. Qui nasce attorno al 1075 Magnus, ovvero Magno, figlio di una famiglia di nobili guerrieri vichinghi, che avevano occupato da tempo quelle isolette. Suo padre, Erling, era uno dei due gemelli vichinghi che furono conti delle Isole Orcadi nella seconda metà del secolo XI. Pare fosse stato un pirata prima della sua conversione al cristianesimo. Aveva un cugino, di nome Haakon, figlio del gemello di suo padre, con forti ambizioni politiche. Fu dunque esiliato presso la corte di Norvegia al fine di impedirgli di tessere le sue trame di potere ai danni dei suoi stessi parenti.
Haakon tuttavia meditò di vendicarsi e convinse il sovrano norvegese a intraprendere una battaglia contro le Orcadi. Magno si vide così costretto a partecipare a violente incursioni sulle coste occidentali della Scozia e dell’Inghilterra. Giunta sino ad Anglesey, nel Galles, la flotta norvegese si scontrò con quelle inglese e gallese, ma Magno si riservò di non combattere contro chi non aveva alcuna colpa nei suoi confronti. Fatto dunque prigioniero in una delle navi, riuscì fortunatamente a fuggire in Scozia. Pentitosi della sua vita precedente, iniziò un periodo all’insegna della preghiera e della penitenza. Un tipo di scelta che ritroviamo spesso nella storia della Chiesa, da Martino di Tours a Ignazio di Loyola: il soldato che abbandona la spada per abbracciare la croce.
Ma per Magno sembrava difficile riuscire ad abbandonare definitivamente il mondo: quando Haakon tentò ancora di impadronirsi illegittimamente del potere, Magno fu chiamato dalla sua gente delle Orcadi a guidare un esercito contro di lui. Riuscì a imporre al cugino una tregua e stabilire una pace precaria. Haakon, sempre intenzionato ad eliminare il cugino, lo invitò ingannevolmente ad una conferenza di pace. Questa in realtà si rivelò un’imboscata. Circondato dai nemici, colui che era stato un grande guerriero, degno esponente della sua schiatta norrena, rifiutò di difendersi, e morì pregando per i suoi assassini. Da tale episodio ebbe origine la venerazione nei suoi confronti come “martire” e la vicenda di San Magno divenne dunque paragonabile a quella di altri santi sovrani, in cui il concetto di martirio è stato dunque esteso a casi di morte violenta a causa della giustizia, “per testimonium caritatis heroicis”.
Inizialmente sepolto nella Christ Church di Birsay, nel 1136 le sue reliquie furono traslate nella cattedrale di Kirkwall, il capoluogo delle Orcadi, che gli fu dedicata. La cattedrale venne poi distrutta dalla furia iconoclasta dei riformatori, quando nel XVI secolo la Scozia, e di conseguenza le Orcadi che da piccolo regno vichingo erano in seguito diventate parte del regno scozzese, conobbero la violenta predicazione del calvinista John Knox, fondatore della chiesa presbiteriana. Il cattolicesimo sopravvisse in alcune parti della terra di William Wallace, ma non nelle Orcadi.
La vita di Magnus venne raccontata anche in due saghe tramandate oralmente nella versione isolana della Orkneyinga saga (Saga delle Orcadi) e vi è anche una preghiera a lui indirizzata e redatta sia in gaelico che in latino. George Mackay Brown, importante scrittore scozzese del ‘900, convertito al Cattolicesimo, lo immortalò in un suo romanzo. Un secolo fa, nel 1919, vennero effettuati degli scavi tra le rovine dell’antica cattedrale, e in tale occasione furono rinvenute delle ossa, che gli studiosi essere proprio di San Magno.
Il suo culto è diffuso in Scozia, in Islanda e nelle Isole Faer Oer, ove numerosi miracoli furono lungo i secoli attribuiti alla sua potente intercessione. Nelle isole Orcadi una piccola presenza cattolica è tornata a vivere a partire dalla fine del XIX secolo, ed esiste ad oggi un piccolo gregge di cattolici, compresa una comunità monastica, una minoranza fedele alla Tradizione che testimonia al mondo la fede coraggiosa di una storia di Fede che prese vita da un uomo di Dio come San Magno.
Autore: Paolo Gulisano
Fonte : www.paologulisano.com
SOURCE : https://www-santiebeati-it.translate.goog/Detailed/92330.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=it&_x_tr_hl=it
Rostro
de San Magnus (aspecto que se le atribuye tras la reconstrucción a partir de
sus restos , acompañado de la palma del martirio y del hacha, símbolo de su
realeza y su procedencia nórdica
Translatio Magni comitis
Orcadum
Minnedag:
13. desember
Translatio Magni comitis
Orcadum er translasjonsfesten for relikviene av den hellige Magnus
Orknøyjarl. Magnus ble drept den 16. april 1115 på Egilsay (gno. Egilsey), en
av Orknøyene, og hans festdag er dødsdagen 16. april.
Magnus' relikvier. The
remains of St Magnus, photographed shortly after their discovery. (Picture
courtesy Orkney Library Image Archives)
Bilde
Biskop Vilhelm den gamle,
som først hadde vært skeptisk til ryktene om Magnus' hellighet, sørget for å
åpne Magnus' grav og fikk i 1135 relikviene vasket og deretter testet i
konsekrert ild. Da deres hellighet var stadfestet, ble Magnus proklamert hellig
og hans relikvier skrinlagt over alteret i kirken i Birsay. Der ble det værende
«i lang tid» inntil Magnus skal ha vist seg i en drøm for en mann fra Westray,
Gunni, og sagt at biskop Vilhelm måtte bli fortalt at Magnus ønsket å forlate
Birsay og flytte østover til den voksende byen Kirkjuvagr (Kirkevåg), nå
Kirkwall.
Biskopen medvirket selv
da Magnus' jordiske rester i 1135 ble overført til Olavskirken i Kirkwall.
Denne kirken, som det i dag bare gjenstår en steinportal av (St Olaf's Kirk),
var den kirken som hadde gitt navn til Kirkjuvagr («kirkebukta»). Den var
grunnlagt en gang etter 1035 av jarl Ragnvald Bruseson, som viet den til sin
fosterfar, kong Olav
den Hellige.
Etter tradisjonen skjedde
den høytidelige skrinleggingen av Magnus' relikvier (og dermed helligkåringen)
i Kirkevåg den 13. desember 1135.1
I 1137 tok Magnus' nevø,
den hellige Ragnvald,
kontrollen over jarledømmet. Allerede samme år begynte han og hans far Koll å
bygge Magnuskatedralen, idet biskopen flyttet til Kirkevåg. Arbeidet ble utført
av murere som hadde arbeidet på Durham-katedralen i Nord-England. Magnus'
relikvier ble overført til katedralen så snart den var klar for dem, uten at vi
kjenner årstallet. Koret ble vigslet i 1152.
Magnus' relikvier ble trolig
berget unna ved reformasjonen da hans skrin ble ødelagt og murt inn i en av
kirkens pilarer. Ragnvalds relikvier ble gjenfunnet i Magnuskatedralen på
1700-tallet og ble murt inne i søndre pilar i koret. Under
restaureringsarbeider i Magnuskatedralen i Kirkwall ble det i mars 1919 funnet
en treeske innmurt i en av kirkens pilarer. Den inneholdt en hodeskalle og noen
knokler. Kraniet viste klare tegn på skader, og man var sikre på at man hadde
funnet Magnus' relikvier. Ekspertene som undersøkte levningene i 1925,
professor R.W. Reid ved universitetet i Aberdeen og Rev Dr George Walker fra
Aberdeens East Parish Church, var ikke i tvil om identiteten. Relikviene ble
senere murt inn i nordre pilar i koret, tvers overfor den pilaren hvor
Ragnvalds relikvier er innmurt, og der befinner de seg fortsatt. Pilarene er
merket med hver sin plakett som forteller om innholdet. Treskrinet som
relikviene lå i, befinner seg på Orkney Museum.
Men i 2004 reiste
professor Don Brothwell, arkeolog og palaeoecolog, spørsmålstegn ved om det
virkelig var Magnus' relikvier som var funnet. Etter studier av rapporten fra
1925 konkluderte han med at skadene på kraniet ikke stemmer med beretningen i
Orknøyingasagaen om drapet. Hvis offeret hadde knelt foran sin morder som så
tildelte ham to øksehogg, kunne umulig skadene på kraniet ha blitt som de er.
Så enten er beskrivelsen i sagaen feil, eller så er det ikke Magnus'
hodeskalle.
Dette skapte en viss
oppstandelse, og orknøyingene var ikke spesielt glade over at noen stilte
spørsmålstegn ved levningenes autentisitet. Men professor Brothwell stilte
egentlig mer spørsmålstegn ved sagaens beskrivelse. Han mente at et øksehogg
fra siden felte mannen, og da han falt over på siden, ble han rammet av nok et
øksehogg. Og ettersom norrøne sagaer ikke skal leses som historiske dokumenter
med pinlig nøyaktige detaljer, behøver det ikke være motsetninger her. Det er
dessuten bare Orknøyingasagaen som forteller at Magnus knelte foran sin morder,
den lange Magnus-sagaen forteller at jarlen mottok de to hoggene stående, og at
han deretter falt på kne.
De to Magnussagaene, den
korte og den lange, stammer fra henholdsvis rundt 1250 og 130. De bygger på en
tapt helgenbiografi (vita) og detaljer fra en preken holdt av «Master Robert» i
1137, rundt tyve år etter drapet. Det er ikke klart hvem denne personen er, men
det er ingen grunn til å tro annet enn at han var en historisk person. De to
sagaene har et noe ulikt utgangspunkt. Orknøyingasagaen er åpenbart ment å
vektlegge jarlens «hellighet», mens den lange sagaen ikke legger skjul på hans
ikke akkurat helgenaktige oppførsel i tidlige år. Det gikk såpass kort tid
mellom begravelsen i Birsay og overflyttingen til Kirkwall at det er høyst
usannsynlig at et falskt relikviesett ville ha tilfredsstilt de troende. Så de
to skjelettene som er innmurt i korets pilarer, er etter all sannsynlighet
relikviene av de hellige Magnus og Ragnvald. Relikvier skal også ha kommet til
Aachen og Praha.
Magnus ble helligkåret
ved at hans kult ble stadfestet den 11. juli 1898 (gruppen «Adomnán av Iona og
hans 18 skotske ledsagere») av pave Leo XIII (1878-1903). Dette gjør ham til
den eneste «norske» helgen som er offisielt helligkåret av Vatikanet etter
moderne regler, selv om Vatikanet og det meste av resten av verden regner ham
som en skotsk helgen. Han minnes i dag i Norge og i det katolske skotske
bispedømmet Aberdeen, som omfatter Orknøyene.
Hans translasjonsdag ble
feiret den 13. desember, men dødsdagen 16. april var hans egentlige fest. Begge
dagene sto i Missale Nidrosiense fra 1519.
1 Om
hans skrinlegging se Finn Magnusen i Nordisk Tidsskrift for Oldkyndighed, III,
s 358 ff
Kilder: Magnus’
biografi - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2007-03-24 23:24
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/des13
Nobilis,
humilis – Une hymne norvégienne à saint Magnus
24 juillet 2011 par Henri de Villiers :
http://www.schola-sainte-cecile.com/2011/07/24/nobilis-humilis-une-hymne-norvegienne-a-saint-magnus/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-47748135
