Finian the
Leper | |
---|---|
Saint | |
Born | Bregia, Leinster, Ireland |
Died | 560 AD |
Honored in |
Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
Feast | 16 March |
Saint Finian the Leper ( Irish: Saint Finian Lobhar) was an early Irish saint credited by some sources with founding a church and monastery at Innisfallen in Killarney. [1] [a]
Saint Finian was a disciple of St. Columba. He was a strict Irish abbot, whose monks followed a vegetarian diet. [3] For a period of time, he stayed in Clonmore, later becoming the abbot of Swords Abbey near Dublin. [1] He may have returned to Clonmore in his later years, and was called Lobhar, "The Leper". Following the custom, he acquired the name when he contracted leprosy from a young boy, whom he had cured of the disease. [4] A conflicting source, however, says that he only cured the boy and did not contract leprosy himself. [5] His feast day is 16 March. [3]
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