Saint Colman
Confesseur - évêque de
Lindisfarne (+ 676)
Originaire d'Irlande, où
il était moine bénédictin, il vint en Angleterre et fut évêque de Lindisfarne.
Il prit une part importante dans la fixation de la date de Pâques dans ce
pays, avant de retourner en Irlande.
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/5784/Saint-Colman.html
Also
known as
Colman of Mayo
formerly 8
August
Profile
Spiritual student and
disciple of Saint Columba. Monk at Iona. Bishop of Lindisfarne, England in 661.
Friend of king Oswy
of Northumbria. Defended Celtic church
practices against Saint Eilfrid
and Saint Agilbert at
the Synod of Whitby, and when King Oswy
insisted on the use of Latin rites, Colman refused, resigned his see,
and in 664 led
a group of dissident Irish and English monks first
to Scotland,
then to the Isle of Innishboffin, and then to Mayo, Ireland.
Founded the abbey and diocese of Mayo.
One of the great heroes of the faith about
whom the Venerable Bede wrote.
Born
8
August 676 at
Inishboffin abbey of
natural causes
dove (his
name is a variant of the word for dove)
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
Early British Kingdoms, by David Nash Ford
images
MLA
Citation
“Saint Colman of
Lindisfarne“. CatholicSaints.Info. 22 May 2020. Web. 4 September 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-colman-of-lindisfarne/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-colman-of-lindisfarne/
Stained glass window of St. Colmán at St. Benin's Church, Kilbennen, County Galway
Stained
glass window of St. Colmán at St. Benin's Church, Kilbennen,
County Galway
Book of Saints
– Colman of Lindisfarne
Article
COLMAN of LINDISFARNE
(Saint) Bishop (February 18) (7th century) The Third Bishop of Lindisfarne (the
original seat of the Bishopric of Durham). Like his predecessors, Saint Aidan
and Saint Finan, Saint Colman was a monk of Saint Columba’s monastery of Iona.
He was a man of austere and zealous life, and ever held in high repute of
sanctity. His reluctance to yield to the Roman tradition fixing the date of
Easter led to the famous Synod of Whitby, held in presence of King Oswy. He
afterwards resigned his See and returned to Iona, whence he proceeded to the
West of Ireland, where he founded two great monasteries. He died A.D. 676.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Colman of Lindisfarne”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 12
October 2012.
Web. 4 September 2026. <http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-colman-of-lindisfarne/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-colman-of-lindisfarne/
St. Colman of Lindisfarne
Feastday: February 18
Birth: 605
Death: 675
An Irish bishop of
Lindisfarne, England, a disciple of
St. Columba. He was born in Connaught, Ireland. At the Synod of
Whitby Colman defended the Celtic ecclesiastical practices against St. Eilfrid
and St. Agilbert. When King Oswy introduced the Roman rites, Colman refused to
accept the decision and led a group of Irish and English monks to the Isle of
Innishboffin, near Connaught. In time he
moved the English monks to Mayo. Colman was praised by Blessed Alcuin and
St. Bede.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2702
New Catholic
Dictionary – Saint Colman
Article
(c.605-676) Confessor,
founder of the Abbey and Diocese of
Mayo, born Connaught, Ireland.
A monk of Iona, he was chosen Bishop of
Lindisfarne, England, 661,
but resigned, 664,
owing to the Paschal dispute, in which he supported the Celtic computation. He
withdrew to Scotland, but in 668 settled
at Innisbotnn, County Mayo, Ireland,
where he erected an abbey exclusively
for the English monks of Mayo. Feast, 8
August.
MLA
Citation
“Saint Colman”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 15
September 2012.
Web. 4 September 2026. <http://catholicsaints.info/saint-colman/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-saint-colman/
Colman of Lindisfarne B
(AC)
Born in Connaught,
Ireland, c. 605; died on Inishbofin, 676 (some chronicles give it as 672, 674,
or 675; some parts of Ireland celebrate his feast on August 8.
Saint Colman became a
monk at Iona under Saint Columba and c. 661 succeeded Saint Finan as the third
abbot-bishop of Lindisfarne, the most important monastery in Northumbria,
England, close to the royal castle at Bamburg. At that time the disagreement in
Northumbria about the date of Easter, style of tonsure, the role of the bishop,
and other Celtic ecclesiastical usages had reached a critical stage, and in 664
a synod met at Whitby Abbey under Saint Hilda to settle the matter.
Saint Colman was the
chief defender of the Celtic customs; Saints Wilfrid and Agilbert those of Rome.
King Oswy of Northumbria came favoring the Irish view, but accepted Wilfrid's
argument in favor of adopting the practice of the rest of the known
contemporary Church. Thereupon Colman, refusing to accept the king's ruling in
a spiritual matter, resigned his bishopric and retired, first to Iona and then
(c. 667) to Inishbofin off the Connaught coast. All his Irish monks and 30
English monks went with him and brought with them some of the relics of Saint
Aidan.
But the two elements of
the community disagreed among themselves because, as Saint Bede reports, the
English complained that all the work of the harvest was left to them.
Apparently, each summer the Irish monks went off, leaving the Anglo-Saxons to
plant and harvest the fields. So, Colman made a separate foundation for the
English monks on the mainland called Mayo of the Saxons. The first abbot of
Mayo after Colman was an Englishman, Saint Gerald, who lived until 732. Bede
praises the fact that the abbots of Mayo were elected, rather than following the
Celtic custom as a "hereditary" monastery.
Saint Bede, who was not
in sympathy with the distinctively Celtic practices, gives a glowing account of
the church of Lindisfarne under Saint Colman's rule. He emphasizes the example
of frugality and simplicity of living set by the bishop and the complete
devotion of his clergy to their proper business of imparting the word of God
and ministering to their people.
Blessed Alcuin also
praised the monks of the Mayo of the Saxons for leaving their homeland in
voluntary exile, where they shone by their learning among a "very
barbarous nation" (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer,
Montague).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0218.shtml
St. Colman
Founder of the Abbey and Diocese of Mayo, born in Connacht,
c. 605; died 8 August, 676. He became a monk of Iona, and so famous were
his virtues and
learning, as testified by St. Bede, that on the
death of St. Finan,
in 661, he was appointed Bishop of Lindisfarne. During his
brief episcopacy,
the Synod of Whitby was
held, in 664, as a result of which (St. Colman being a determined protagonist
of the old Irish computation),
owing to the decision of King Oswy on the Paschal controversy, he
resigned his see.
Between the years 665 and 667 St. Colman founded several churches in Scotland, and, at
length, accompanied by thirty disciples, sailed
for Ireland,
settling down at Innisboffin, County Mayo, in 668. Less than three years later
he erected an abbey,
exclusively for the English monks in Mayo, subsequently known
as "Mayo of the Saxons". His last days were spent on the island of
Innisboffin. His feast is
celebrated 8 August.
Sources
HEALY, Insula
Sanctorum et Doctorum (1902); O'HANLON, Lives of the Irish Saints, VIII;
MORAN, Irish Saints in Great Britain (1903); KNOX, Notes on the
Dioceses of Tuam (1904); BEDE, Ecclesiastical History of England, ed.
PLUMMER (London, 1907).
Grattan-Flood,
William. "St. Colman." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
4. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1908. <https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04115c.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Douglas J. Potter. Dedicated to
the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John
M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2026 by New Advent LLC.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04115c.htm
St Colman of Lindisfarne
Celebrated
on February 18th
Bishop. Born in Ireland,
Colman became a monk at Iona and succeeded St Fintan as bishop of Lindisfarne.
Bede gives a glowing account of Lindisfarne under Colman's rule, which took
place from 661- 664. He emphasised the example of frugality and simplicity of
living set by the bishop, and the complete devotion of the clergy to the work
of preaching the Gospel and ministering to their people.
During the disagreement in Northumbria about the date of Easter, Colman upheld
the Celtic customs while Wilfrid supported Rome. King Oswy accepted Wilfrid's
arguments and Colman resigned his bishopric and retired. He went first to Iona
and then to Inishbofin Island, off the Connacht coast. All his Irish monks and
30 of the English ones went with him, but there were differences between the
two groups.
Eventually Colman made a separate foundation for the English monks at Mayo
(which was called the 'Mayo of the Saxons') while Colman remained on Inishbofin
with the Irish monks.
Bede praised Mayo for living under a Rule, and an elected abbot. The first
abbot after Colman was an Englishman, St Gerald. St Colman died in 676.
SOURCE : https://www.indcatholicnews.com/saint/54
Calendar
of Scottish Saints – Saint Colman, Bishop, A.D. 676
Article
18
February. On the death of Saint Finan, another monk of Iona was chosen to
succeed him in the see of Lindisfarne. This was Colman, who, like Finan, was of
Irish nationality. At the time a fierce controversy was raging in Britain as to
the correct calculation of Easter. The Roman system of computation had
undergone various changes until it was finally fixed towards the end of the
sixth century. It was adopted gradually throughout the Church, but Britain and
Ireland still retained their ancient method. In consequence of this it
sometimes happened that when the Celtic Church was keeping Easter, the
followers of the Roman computation were still observing Lent. This was the case
in the Court of Oswy, King of Bernicia, who followed the Celtic rite, while his
Queen Eanfleada and her chaplains, who had been accustomed to the Roman style,
kept the festival in accordance with it.
To bring about uniformity
a synod was held at Whitby to give the advocates of either system an
opportunity of stating their views. Saint Wilfrid, the great upholder of Roman
customs, brought such weighty arguments for his side that the majority of those
present were persuaded to accept the Roman computation. Saint Colman, however,
since the Holy See had not definitely settled the matter, could not bring
himself to give up the traditional computation which his dear master, Saint
Columba, had held to. He, therefore, resigned his see, after ruling it for
three years only, and with such of the Lindisfarne monks as held the same views
retired to Iona.
On his way thither he
seems to have founded the church of Fearn in Forfarshire, which he dedicated to
Saint Aidan, placing there some of the saint’s relics brought with him from
Lindisfarne. He also founded a church in honour of the same saint at Tarbert in
Easter-Ross. This, however, was afterwards called by his own name.
After a short stay at
Iona, Saint Colman re turned to Ireland and founded a monastery at Inisbofin,
an island on the west coast of that country, peopling it with the monks who had
left Lindisfarne in his company. Later on a new foundation was made at Mayo for
Saxon monks only; it became known as “Mayo of the Saxons.” The saint ruled both
monasteries till his death, which occurred at Inisbofin, where he was buried.
He had translated thither the greater part of Saint Aidan’s relics. The ruins
of the ancient church may still be seen on the island. Saint Colman’s feast has
been restored to Scotland by Pope Leo XIII.
Protestant writers have
tried to interpret Saint Colman’s conduct regarding the Synod of Whitby as a
manifest opposition to Roman authority. This, however, is a mistaken
conclusion. It must be remembered that the matter was regarded by him as an
open question, and he considered himself justified in keeping to the
traditional usage until Rome declared against it. Saint Bede, who had no
sympathy with his views on the Easter question, speaks highly of Saint Colman
as a holy and zealous Bishop.
There is some discrepancy
between Scottish and Irish authorities as to the precise date of the saint’s
death. In Scotland he was honoured on this day, but Irish writings give the
date as August 8. There are also some slight differences in the particulars of
his life; but as no less than 130 saints of this name are mentioned in Irish
ecclesiastical records, it is conceivable that their histories have become
intermixed.
MLA
Citation
Father Michael
Barrett, OSB.
“Saint Colman, Bishop, A.D. 676”. The Calendar of
Scottish Saints, 1919. CatholicSaints.Info.
29 January 2014. Web. 4 September 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/calendar-of-scottish-saints-saint-colman-bishop-a-d-676/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/calendar-of-scottish-saints-saint-colman-bishop-a-d-676/
St. Colman of Lindisfarne,
Bishop of Lindisfarne
(Died AD 675)
Colman was an Irishman
who entered the monastery of Iona. Upon the death of St.
Finan in AD 661, he succeeded him as Abbot and Bishop of Lindisfarne.
It was during Colman's episcopacy that the controversy concerning the correct
way of computing the date of Easter came to a head. Colman led the party which
favoured the Celtic method, brought from Ireland, which was practiced
throughout Northumbria at that time. However, the Roman party, led by St.
Wilfred, was very vocal and eventually persuaded King
Oswiu to to call a great synod to discuss the matter at the Royal
Deiran monastery at Whitby (AD 664). Colman spoke eloquently and, though
neither side could really prove the priority of their claims, the King decided
to fall in line with the Roman practices of the rest of Western Europe,
including his
wife. Bishop Colman resigned in protest and returned to Iona, taking with
him all the Irish and about thirty of the English monks at Lindisfarne, as well
as many of the relics of St.
Aidan.
From Scotland, these
monks emigrated to Ireland, in AD 667. Colman settled on the Isle of
Inish-Bofin (Co. Galway) where he founded a monastery. Trouble continued to
follow the abbot, however, for the Irish monks were in the habit of leaving the
monastery during the Summer at the very time when they were needed to gather in
the harvest. Upon their return in the Winter, they would expect an equal share
to the English monks who had done all the work. The situation caused much
discord which Colman for forced to resolve by settling the English monks at
Mayo instead. St. Colman is usually said to have died on 18th February AD 675.
SOURCE : https://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/adversaries/bios/colman.html
Feb 18 – St Colman
(605-676) : http://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-colman-605-676/
