Saint Cronan
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| Saint Cronan, Abbott | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ely O'Carroll, Ireland |
| Died | 28 April 640, Ireland |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Feast | 28 April |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Cronan, Abbott (died 640) was the Abbot-Bishop and Patron of the diocese of Roscrea, a See afterwards incorporated into the diocese of Killaloe, in Ireland.
Cronan was born in the territory of Ely O'Carroll, Ireland. After spending his youth in Connacht, he returned to his native district about the year 610 and founded Roscrea Abbey, where he established a school. Previously he settled at a place known as Sean Ros or Loch Cre, which was a wooded morass far from the haunts of men; in fact, it was utterly wild, so much so, that St. Cronan abandoned it and moved to the wood of Cre, that is Ros Cre, County Tipperary.
[edit] Hagiography
Like those of so many other Irish saints the Acts of St. Cronan abound in miracles. The most surprising, perhaps, is the legend as to the transcribing of the Four Gospels by one of his monks, named Dimma. It appears that Dimma could only undertake one day's task, from sunrise to sunset. St. Cronan, however, bade him write, and then Dimma set to work, never ceasing until he had finished the Four Gospels, the sun continuing to shine for the space of forty days and forty nights - the scribe himself being unconscious that the work occupied more than one day. Whatever may be thought of this legend, it is certain that a magnificent Evangelistarium, known as the "Book of Dimma", was for centuries preserved in St. Cronan's Abbey at Roscrea, and is now in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. The scribe, Dimma MacNathi, signs his name at the conclusion of each of the Gospels, and he has been identified with Dimma, subsequently Bishop of Connor, who is mentioned with St. Cronan in the letter of Pope John IV in 640, in regard to Pelagianism in Ireland, but this identification cannot be sustained.
The case containing the "Book of Dimma" was richly gilt by order of O'Carroll, Lord of Ely, in the twelfth century. Notwithstanding the conflicting statements arising from the number of contemporary Irish saints bearing the name Cronan, it is more than probable that St. Cronan of Roscrea, as les Petits Bollandistes say, lived as late as the year 640, and his death occurred on 28 April of that year.
His feast is celebrated on 28 April and as such is included in all the Irish calendars, as also in the Kalendar of Drummond.
Saint Cronan's Boys National School in Bray, Co. Wicklow in Ireland is named in his honour.
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
