Page Summary
Here are the key points about Saint Kilian from the current page:
- Missionary Work: Kilian was an Irish missionary bishop who worked in Franconia (now northern Bavaria) in the 7th century1.
- Martyrdom: He was martyred in Würzburg along with his companions Colmán and Totnan for opposing the Duke’s marriage to his brother’s widow.
- Legacy: Kilian is a patron saint of several places, including Würzburg and Paderborn, and is celebrated with festivals and processions.
- Iconography: He is often depicted wearing a bishop’s mitre and holding a sword, symbolizing his martyrdom2.
Saint Kilian, an Irish missionary bishop, is known from several biographies. The oldest references to him include an 8th-century necrology in Würzburg and a notice by Hrabanus Maurus in his martyrology. His name has various spellings, such as Chillian, Killian, Cilian, and Kilian. In Ireland, the preferred spelling is Cillian, as seen in the Irish liturgical calendar.
Saint Kilian, born to noble parents around 640 in Cloughballybeg (near Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland), embarked on a remarkable journey. He served as a monk at the celebrated monastery in Hy (an early name for Iona). Kilian’s education took him from Rosscarbery in County Cork to Tuosist in County Kerry. In 686, he and eleven companions travelled through Gaul to Rome, where they received missionary faculties from Pope Conon. Their journey continued to Würzburg, where they encountered Duke Gozbert, who was still pagan. Kilian, along with two companions—priest Colmán and deacon Totnan—remained in Würzburg, making it the base for his missionary work. He successfully converted Duke Gozbert and many of his subjects to Christianity
Saint Kilian, after informing Duke Gozbert that his marriage to his brother’s widow, Geilana, violated sacred scripture, faced a tragic fate. Geilana, whom Kilian had been unable to convert to Christianity, became enraged upon hearing Kilian’s words against her marriage. In the Duke’s absence, she ordered her soldiers to the main square of Würzburg, where Kilian and his colleagues were preaching. There, Kilian, along with priests Colmán and Totnan, was beheaded. Their sacrifice remains a testament to their unwavering faith.
After Saint Kilian and his companions were martyred, Burchard, the first bishop of Würzburg, constructed a cathedral on the very spot where they met their deaths. Within this cathedral, their relics were unearthed and placed in a vault. Remarkably, their skulls, adorned with precious stones, have been preserved to this day. On St. Kilian’s Day, a glass case containing these three skulls is taken from a crypt, paraded through the streets before large crowds, and displayed in Würzburg Cathedral (which is dedicated to Kilian). Additionally, statues of these three saints, including Kilian, grace the famous Saints’ Bridge across the river Main (source below)
Source – Saint Kilian. (2024, February 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Kilian