St Patrick's Purgatory is an ancient pilgrimage site on Station Island in Lough Derg, County Donegal, Ireland. According to legend, the site dates from the fifth century, when Christ showed Saint Patrick a cave, sometimes referred to as a pit or a well, on Station Island that was an entrance to hell. Its importance in medieval times is clear from the fact that it is mentioned clearly in texts from as early as 1185 and shown on maps from all over Europe as early as the fifteenth century. It is the only Irish site designated on Martin Behaim's world map of 1492.
Read more about St Patrick's Purgatory: Location, Foundation, The Cave, The Monastery and Its Functions, Modern Pilgrimage, Literature, Pilgrims, Further Reading, References
Famous quotes containing the words patrick and/or purgatory:
“One of your biggest jobs as a parent of multiples is no bigger than simply talking to your children individually and requiring that they respond to you individually as well. The benefits of this kind of communication can be enormous, in terms of the relationship you develop with each child, in terms of their language development, and eventually in terms of their sense of individuality, too.”
—Pamela Patrick Novotny (20th century)
“And the frigid burnings of purgatory will not be touched
By any emollient.”
—Henry Reed (1914–1986)