Saint Patrick

**Saint Patrick** (about 402 - March 17, probably 491 or 493) is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in a village in Roman Britain. Saint Patrick came from a Christian family. He was the son of Calpornius, who was a deacon. According to the autobiographical Confessio of Patrick, when he was about sixteen years old, he was captured by Irish pirates. They took him from his home in Britain and sold him as a slave in Ireland. His work was to take care of animals. He lived there for six years and learned the local language. He then escaped and returned to his family.

After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland as a missionary. Because he knew the language he could preach to the people.  He also married couples when the king prohibited it.
He brought Christianity to Ireland. He converted many pagans to Christianity. He also challenged many of their leaders and druids such as Aodhan the Brave also known as Chief Aodhan. St.Patrick eventually converted Chief Aodhan and they worked together to convert many other pagans.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17 in his honour.

## Saint Patrick's Bell

There is a bell in the National Museum of Ireland that was made around the time of Saint Patrick's life. There is no evidence that Saint Patrick owned the bell but the Irish have believed for 1400 years that the bell belonged to Saint Patrick. One of the kings of Ulster who was the high king of Ireland at the time had a beautiful cover made out of gold and gems to preserve the bell. The names of the bishops of Ireland were engraved on the cover. The style of the letters on the cover were used to make the first typewriters. It is believed that the bell was rung by Saint Patrick to let people know it was time for church.

## Saint Patrick and the snakes

There are no snakes in Ireland but there is a legend that at the time of Saint Patrick there were lots of snakes and he chased them all into the Irish Sea. Some say that this legend came to be because pagans had tattoos of snakes and Saint Patrick got rid of the pagans by teaching Christianity and therefore drove out the snakes from Ireland.

## Holy Trinity and the Shamrock

- St. Patrick is credited with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He used a three-leafed shamrock as an illustration of "three-in-one". For this reason, shamrocks are a central symbol for St. Patrick’s Day.

## Other websites

- Some facts about Saint Patrick
- The history of ringing Saint Patrick's bell in modern times
- A list of catholic patron saints

## Infobox (saint)

- **name**: Saint Patrick
- **image**: Saint Patrick Catholic Church (Junction City, Ohio) - stained glass, Saint Patrick - detail.jpg
- **caption**: Stained-glass window of St. Patrick from Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Junction City, Ohio, United States
- **imagesize**: 260px
- **birth place**: Roman Britain
(present-day United Kingdom, Great Britain)
- **death place**: Saul, County Down, Saul, Dál Fiatach, Ulaid, Gaelic Ireland (present-day Northern Ireland)
- **feast day**: 17 March (Saint Patrick's Day)
- **major shrine**: Armagh, Northern Ireland
Glastonbury Abbey, England
- **attributes**: Patron; Holding a shamrock; carrying a cross, snakes, serpent, harp
- **patronage**: Ireland, Nigeria, Montserrat, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archdiocese of New York, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, Boston, Rolla, Missouri, Loíza, Puerto Rico, Murcia (Spain), Mac Giolla Phádraig, Clann Giolla Phádraig, engineers, paralegals, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Archdiocese of Melbourne; invoked against snakes, sins
- **venerated in**: Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Anglican Communion
Lutheran Churches