Interesting facts about St. Patrick that you didn’t know
Posted by James | Under Miscellaneous Monday Feb 28, 2011When it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, not too many people are concerned with the true facts about St. Patrick. But it’s interesting to learn more about a legend that has spawned so much celebration. Here are 6 interesting facts about the most famous of Ireland’s patron saints.
1) St. Patrick Was Not Irish The first of the facts about St. Patrick may surprise a lot of people: he was not Irish. He was, in fact, born to wealthy parents in Britain (though his father was from Rome) before being captured by Irish raiders as a slave. After being imprisoned for six months, he escaped and went on to spread Christianity throughout Ireland.
2) St. Patrick Is Not The Only Patron Saint Of Ireland
St. Patrick is widely known as “the Patron Saint of Ireland”, though he actually shares the title with Brigit of Kildare and Columba. St. Patrick is, however, the most famous.
3) There Aren’t Many Facts About St. Patrick In truth, there aren’t many facts known about the saint, except what historians can gather from two letters he wrote about his life. Many of the stories told are plain fiction (see below)!
4) St. Patrick And The Shamrock It was said that St. Patrick used a shamrock to help explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans in Ireland, thanks to the three leaves representing the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. However, the shamrock was already sacred to the Druids long before St. Patrick came along.
5) Catholic or Protestant? The Catholics and the Protestants both lay claim to St. Patrick. The Catholic story states that he was a bishop sent by Rome to spread Catholicism (commonly confused with another historical figure), while the Protestants claim that he invented a Celtic church - someone who embraced Ireland rather than spreading Catholicism.
6) St. Patrick Forced Snakes Out Of Ireland The legend states that he forced snakes away from Ireland, but it’s unlikely there were ever snakes there to begin with. It’s more likely that this is a metaphor for converting pagans to Christianity. Some facts about St. Patrick may be difficult to verify, but you can be sure that he’ll be in the minds of the Irish - and those who celebrate on March 17 - for many years to come.