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Saint Magnus
Saint's Day (Saint Magnus' Feast Day) 16th April
Saint Magnus is the
Patron Saint of the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
"St Magnus, Earl of Orkney, was a
man of extraordinary distinction, tall, with a fine, intelligent look
about him. He was a man of strict virtue, successful in war, wise,
eloquent, generous and magnanimous, open-handed with money, sound with
advice and altogether the most popular of men."
Magnus Erlendsson was born in AD 1075 in the Orkney Islands, north of
Scotland. He was the son of Erlend, a viking Earl of Orkney. According to
the Orkneyinga Saga, when Magnus was 18 years old the King of Norway
Magnus Barelegs visited Orkney and took him and his cousin Haakon on a
viking raid on Anglesey, Wales. But because of his religious
conviction, when the time came to go into battle, Magnus refused to take
his weapons and instead stayed on the ship reading and singing the psalms.
King Magnus became furious and Magnus had to escape to Scotland,
where he received asylum from the Scottish king Malcolm III.
Magnus stayed in Scotland until the King of Norway died. After that, he
returned to Orkney to claim his hereditary rights as the son of the former
Earl of Orkney. Magnus and his cousin Haakon, who was governing Orkney at
the time, agreed to rule together the islands.
After several years of joint government Haakon started to grow jealous of
his cousin's popularity. The two Earls arranged to meet each other on the
island of Egilsay to sort out their differences peacefully. Each agreed to
bring just two ships. Magnus kept his part of the agreement and arrived
with his two ships, but Haakon turned up with eight ships and a viking
army with the intention of killing Magnus.
Magnus made no attempt to defend himself and was captured. He offered to
go into exile or prison, but an assembly of chieftains insisted that one
earl must die. Haakon's vikings refused to murder Magnus, and an angry
Haakon, ordered his cook Lifolf to kill Magnus. Magnus accepted his death,
knelt down praying for the sins of his murderers, and died as Lifolf cut
off his head with an axe.
Magnus was buried in
Birsay Church on the Orkeys and soon miracles started to happen. A bright
light shone over Magnus' grave. The rocky place where Magnus was murdered
turned into a green field. There were numerous reports of miraculous
happenings and healings. William the Old, Bishop of Orkney, warned that it
was "heresy to go about with such tales", and was struck blind
at his church and subsequently had his sight restored after praying at the
grave of Magnus. Pilgrims who visited Magnus' grave were
miraculously healed. St Magnus was canonized in AD 1135, and April 16th
became his feast day.
External St Magnus links:
Read
about the story of Saint Magnus
Saint
Magnus Cathedral
St
Magnus Cathedral, Orkney
Saint
Magnus the Martyr, London
St
Magnus Cathedral Orkney
St
Magnus Church, Scotland
St
Magnus Midsummer Festival
Saint
Magnus - the Martyr
Saint
Magnus Kirkwall, Scotland
St
Magnus Shetland Isles
Saint
Magnus - Patron of the Orkney Isles
An
1832 picture of St Magnus Cathedral
St
Magnus of Germany
The
German St Magnus
Church
of St Magnus (Magni)
Home
Prayer to St Magnus
Sancti Magni Martyris
tui, Domine, merita pretiosa nos tueantur, in quibus Majestatis tuae opera
praedicantes, et praesens capiamus adjutorium pariter et futurum.
May the precious
merits of Thy martyr St Magnus protect us, O Lord, by which, preaching the
works of Thy Majesty, may we receive Thine aid both now and forever.
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