Bachal Isu

The Bachal Isu (or "Staff of Jesus") was a Christian relic. According to legend, St. Patrick brought his celebrated golden Crozier, which was consistently identified with the Staff Of Jesus, along with his Book Of The Gospels, to the Armagh Cathedral in Northern Ireland which he had recently founded.

According to tradition, the staff was given to St. Patrick by a hermit on an island located in the Etruscan Sea, who had received it from Jesus Christ. Jesus informed the hermit to give it to St. Patrick when he inevitably arrived.

Legend of St. Malachy

In 1134, a time when the role of the Archbishop of Armagh had usually been handed down to family members of the previous archbishop, Archbishop Celsus wanted to end that tradition and name an Archbishop not related to him. His choice: Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair, the eventual St. Malachy.

This angered Celsus's family; they sidestepped Celsus's wishes, and claimed his cousin would be the next Archbishop, who died shortly after, but not before choosing a successor: Celsus's brother Niall. In an effort to solidify his position as Archbishop, Niall took the staff, or at least the “golden Crozier Of St. Patrick,” and the Book of the Gospels from the Armagh Cathedral. The common people believed the true, legitimate Archbishop would have possession of these two holy relics.

Both Niall and Malachy had military support, and after a series of battles, St. Malachy was officially titled Archbishop. Celsus agreed to hand over the Book Of The Gospels without any argument, but Malachy had to purchase the staff from Celsus.

A few decades later, in 1178, William Fitz Aldelm, the then-Governor of Ireland, took the staff out of the Armagh Cathedral, and moved it to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. The staff remained in Christ Church until the Protestant Reformation.

Destruction of the Staff

In 1528, shortly after the English invasion, the staff’s golden ornaments and gems were all removed, and the staff was burnt by order of Archbishop Brown in High Street, Dublin. The reason was that it was considered a “superstitious relic.”

Beliefs Related to the Staff

The staff was believed by some to have special powers including:

• A person who possessed both St. Patrick's Book Of The Gospels and the Staff Of Jesus was to be considered the legitimate Archbishop.
• During legal disputes and solemn controversies, the common people would swear on the “staff of St. Patrick, the Bachall Esir,” which meant more to them than swearing on the “Holy Evangelist.” Such people believed lying while swearing upon it would cause great plagues to occur.

References

• Saint Malachy on the Saint Malachy Church website
• Bachal Isu on the Armagh website.