knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and medicine. He was born in 329 in
Caesarea, Cappadocia, into a large family, 5 of his siblings became saints.
He studied in Constantinople and Athens, where he met Gregory, the
Theologian. He was baptised in 355, travelled to the Near East to study the
ascetics, and set up rules for monastic life following them. He was ordained
in 364 and became Archbishop of Caesarea in 370 but continued to lead an
ascetic life, founding almshouses and hospices. Because of his stance
against Arianism he came into conflict with the emperor’s family, but was
later reinstated as bishop. He died 1 Jan 379, aged 49.
13 January St Kentigern (died 603 or 612 in Glasgow)
St Mungo is the commonly used name of
Kentigern. He was the late 6 th century apostle
of the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde &
founder and Patron Saint of Glasgow. His
baptismal name is Welsh (Cyndeym) from
cun=hound & tigerno= Lord, price, king. ‘
Mungo’ is his pet name from Cymbric
language (Welsh) “my dear one”. His
Biography was written only ca 1195 by Jocelyn
of Furness ‘after an Irish document’. According
to this, his mother was the daughter of the
Brythonic King Lleuddun (Lothian) who ruled in
the ‘Haddington region’, probably the Kingdom
of Gododdin in the Old Norse. His father was
Owain, King of Rheged. Because the princess had been raped, she was
abandoned in a coracle which drifted to Culross (Fife). There Mungo was
born and brought up by St Serf. Aged 25, Mungo became a missionary ‘on
the Clyde’, where Christianity had first been introduced by St Ninian. He had
a cell near the Molendinar Burn where he later built his church. Under King
Morken he was compelled to flee to St David’s in Wales, where he founded
the Cathedral at Llanelwy (St Asaph). Under King Riderch he could return
and became Bishop. He first had his bishop’s seat at Hoddom in
Dumfrieshire, evangelising Galloway before returning and building his
church known as Clas-gu (‘dear family’.) He was visited by St Columba and
exchanged ‘pastoral staves’. He is said to have died on Sunday 13 th January
‘in his bath’, which probably meant: during a baptismal service. He
performed 4 miracles in his lifetime which are commemorated in the
Glasgow arms. The Glasgow motto:
“Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word” had been Mungo’s call.
(The story of his early life resembles the romance by Chretiens de Troyes,
“Ywain” and probably has the same source)