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]
Finian the Leper | |
---|---|
Saint | |
Born | Bregia, Leinster, Ireland |
Died | 560 AD |
Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
Feast | 16 March |
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]
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)