Venerable (Monastic)6th century

Saint Kevin of Glendalough

c. 498 – 618

Also known as Coemgen · Kevin of Ireland

An Irish ascetic who withdrew to a cave by the lakes of Glendalough and there, amid the wild creatures who befriended him, gathered a great monastery that became a beacon of prayer and learning.

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Kevin, Hermit and Abbot of Glendalough

Life

Kevin of Glendalough (Irish Cóemgen, a name understood to mean "fair-begotten" or "of noble birth") was a sixth-century Irish hermit and monastic founder traditionally said to have been born in 498 in Leinster to parents named Coemlog and Coemell. Ordained after a period of formation, he withdrew to the secluded valley of Glendalough, where he lived for years as a hermit in a small rock cave by the upper lake before a growing community gathered around him.

The monastic settlement that formed at Glendalough became one of Ireland's most renowned centres of prayer and learning, eventually comprising seven churches and drawing saints and scholars to the valley. Kevin is remembered both for his austere ascetic life and for a body of traditional accounts depicting his gentleness toward wild creatures. He reposed on 3 June 618 and is venerated among the pre-schism Western saints, with his feast kept on that day.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) Having divinely armed yourself with purity of soul
and firmly grasping unceasing prayer as a spear, you have slain the armies of the demons.
Therefore, we beseech you, O Father Kevin:
“Always intercede for those who honor you.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 8

In you, O Father, was preserved with exactness what was according to the image;
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away;
but to care for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, O Venerable Kevin, your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

c. 498Birth in LeinsterBy tradition Kevin was born in 498 in Leinster, the son of Coemlog and Coemell, and described as being of noble birth. His name, Cóemgen, is understood to mean "fair-begotten."
early lifeFormation and ordinationKevin received monastic and clerical formation and was ordained; one tradition names Bishop Lugidus as the bishop who ordained him.
early 6th c.Hermitage at GlendaloughHe withdrew to Glendalough and lived as a hermit in a small cave overlooking the upper lake, later called St. Kevin's Bed, given over to prayer and severe asceticism.
c. 540A community gathersBy about 540 his reputation had spread, and a settlement known as Kevin's Cell formed near the lakeshore as disciples came to him.
3 June 618ReposeKevin reposed on 3 June 618 after long presiding over the monastery; his feast is kept on this day.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

Glendalough and Its Legacy

From Kevin's solitary cell at the lakes, Glendalough grew into a celebrated monastic settlement that became, in the words of the tradition, a seminary of saints and scholars. The site eventually comprised seven churches and endured as a major centre of Irish monastic life long after Kevin's death.

The early sources connect Kevin to other figures of the sixth-century Irish church; he is traditionally said to have visited abbots including Columba and Comgall. He is regarded as a patron of Dublin and of Glendalough.

Asceticism and Traditional Accounts

Kevin's life is associated with a strict ascetic regime. He is said to have subsisted on herbs and fish and, by tradition, to have stood up to his neck in the cold water of the Upper Lake while at prayer.

A cycle of traditional accounts depicts his gentleness toward animals: an otter is said to have retrieved his book of psalms from the water, and his best-known legend tells of a blackbird that built its nest and laid eggs in his outstretched hand during Lent, which he is said to have held motionless until the young had hatched. These are devotional traditions rather than independently documented events; the blackbird story in particular has been widely depicted in later art and literature.

Member ofReadHide

Synaxis of the Saints of Britain and Ireland

Synaxis

Companions2 figuresShowHide

Contemporary Irish abbot and monastic founder whom tradition numbers among those Kevin visited.

Saint Columbaof Iona

Contemporary Irish abbot whom tradition numbers among those Kevin visited.

Venerable Comgallof Bangor

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Fellow sixth-century Irish monastic founder of the same generation, associated with Kevin in the tradition of the Irish saints.

Kieranof Clonmacnoise

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints