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| Maurizio Parma - Assessore of Piacenza, Marco Rossi - Mayor of Bobbio, Mayor of North Down - Cllr Andrew Muir plus Michel Raison - Mayor of Luxeuil signing Cultural Route 'The Columban Way' |
The signing took place in Bangor Town Hall and sees the start of a process that over the next number of months will develop an application to be presented to the European Cultural Committee in Luxembourg that will see the union formally recognised as an official European Cultural Route.
The initial route is to comprise of Bangor, Luxeuil-les-Bains (France) and Bobbio (Italy) and will recognise the influence of Columbanus’ work within central Europe and is to be formally established by 2015, the year that will mark the 1400th anniversary of the passing of St Columbanus. This anniversary year one that will be marked with events throughout the European countries he was influential in.
After the initial route is formed it is envisaged that it will then expand to take in the additional countries of Switzerland, Austria and Germany where Columbanus also left his mark through the establishment of monasteries and settlements.
Not only did Columbanus play a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity in mainland Europe but his importance both here and in Europe has been recognised in that he was the first person to use the term "European", was notably our first "man of Letters", famous for his poetry, and was the first Irish man of whom a biography was written, by fellow Monk, Jonas.
The creation of this route will be a fitting testimony on a European scale to the man and his work.
St Columbanus was born in
Leinster circa 543AD and after spending time studying at Cleenish on Lough Erne
arrived at Bangor Abbey around 558AD to study under the Abbeys founder St
Comgall.
Columbanus remained at Bangor
for some 30 years and whilst here it is thought he composed some of his poetry that
he became famous for and which often focused on nature and the universe.
It was in 591AD that
Columbanus left Bangor for Europe along with his fellow Saints, including St
Gall the latter who would go on to establish what is now the city of St Gallen
in Switzerland.
The group first landed in
Burgundy and worked their way through France establishing monasteries at
Annegray and Luxeuil-les-Bains (one of the cultural route partners) both
drawing on the austere rule and life style of Bangor Abbey. Luxeuil-les-Bains
is located north of Lyon and close to the border with Switzerland. Most famous
now as a spa town it was in approximately 590AD that Columbanus arrived here
after establishing a settlement at nearby Annegray and went on to set up a
monastery in a former castle.
After falling foul of the
authorities in France and being exiled the group travelled up the Rhine River to
Lake Constance. Firstly a settlement was formed in Bregenz, Bangor’s twin town,
before moving on to what is now Switzerland where the most famous settlement
was by Gall with the foundation of what is now St Gallen.
Gall would remain in
Switzerland, after a disagreement with Columbanus, while the latter moved on to
Italy, firstly Milan in 613AD before soon settling in Bobbio (the second cultural
route partner) north of Milan where he established his last monastery and where
he would stay until passing in 615AD. Bobbio also became the resting place of
the Bangor Antiphonary for centuries. The book created c.690 in Bangor was
based on the rules of Comgall and Columbanus, told through prayers, hymns and
poems. Cardinal Borromeo took the book from Bobbio Abbey in the 17th
Century to create the Ambrosian Library, Milan where it has been ever since.
