Cathan Explained

Saint Cathan
Birth Date:Unknown
Death Date:Unknown
Feast Day:17 May
Venerated In:Scottish Episcopal ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchEastern Orthodox Church

Saint Cathan, also known as Catan, Cattan, etc., was a 6th-century Irish monk revered as a saint in parts of the Scottish Hebrides.

Source Material

This Saint appears in the Aberdeen Breviary, Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, and the Acta Sanctorum, and a number of placenames in western Scotland are associated with him.[1] [2]

Gaelic Christianity

He is said to have been one of the first Irish missionaries to come to the Isle of Bute, then part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata.

Very little is known of him; he is generally only mentioned in connection with his more famous nephew Saint Blane, who was born on Bute and later proselytized among the Picts. Both saints were strongly associated with Bute and with Kingarth monastery, which became the center of their cults.[3] [4]

A number of churches were dedicated to Cathan across Scotland's western islands.

Cathan is said to have lived for a time at the monastery at Stornoway on the isle of Lewis, and his relics are said to have been housed at a chapel founded by Clan MacLeod on the same island.[9]

Impact

Landscape

Cathan's name survives in the various toponyms in the area containing the element Chattan (where the first consonant is lenited), such as:

all on Bute.[3]

Religion

His feast day is 17 May.[11]

Later Highland Clan Development

Several families on Bute bore the honoured name of Mac-gill-chattan—son of the servant of Catan and on account of the frequent occurrence of names similarly connected with those of saints who had churches dedicated to them in this vicinity e.g., Mac-gill-munn, Macgill-chiaran, Mac-gill-mhichell,—and connected with church offices, Mac-gill-espy (bishop), Mac-gill-Christ etc.

Cattanachs are said to be families that followed or were originally servants or Coarbs of this Saint and include founder families such as Macbean, MacPherson, and MacPhail[12] of the Chattan Confederation, a coalition of Scottish clans.[9]

References

Notes and References

  1. Innes, p. 210.
  2. Butler, p. 239.
  3. Mackinlay, p. 104.
  4. Innes, pp. 210–211
  5. Mackinlay, pp. 104–105.
  6. Web site: Colonsay, Kilchattan, Old Parish Church And Well . . . 23 November 2015.
  7. Web site: Kilchattan Chapel . Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. . 23 November 2015.
  8. Web site: Luing, Kilchattan Church . Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. . 23 November 2015.
  9. Mackinlay, p. 105.
  10. Hewison, James. King; The Isle of Bute in the Olden Time, with illustartions, maps and plans Vol 1 Celtic Saints and Heroes, Published by William Blackwood and sons, Edinburgh and London, 1893
  11. Orthodox England. Cathan (Catan, Chattan, Cadan) May 17. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
  12. Book: Mackintosh . Alexander . Historical Memoirs of the House and Clan of Mackintosh and of the Clan Chattan . 1880 . London . 520 . 24 October 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cathan".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.