Palladius, St.
PALLADIUS, ST.
Bishop of Ireland; d. probably in Brittany, after 432. According to the Chronicon of prosper of aquitaine, Pope celestine i sent Palladius, a Roman deacon "ad Scottos in Christum credentes" to the Christians of Ireland, where he labored to combat pelagianism and reorganize the Church. His history is complicated by the legends that accompany the diverse lives of St. patrick. Palladius seems to have settled near a Christian center (the port of Inber De, south of Dublin?) and he had to battle against Pelagianism. The details concerning his departure from Ireland in 432 and the possible lack of success that caused it, as well as his death in Britain, are not certain. Upon learning of the death of Palladius, Patrick, then in Gaul, is supposed to have received permission from Germain of Auxerre to continue the work of Palladius in Ireland. The Chronicon of Prosper of Aquitaine alleges that Palladius was still in Ireland in 433 and 434, but this interpretation is not widely held.
Feast: July 7.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum July 2:286–290. l. gougaud, Christianity in Celtic Lands, tr. m. joynt (London 1932). j. l. g. meissner, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 40 (1931–32) 371. p. grosjean, Analecta Bollandiana 63 (1945) 73–86, 112–119. j. carney, The Problem of St. Patrick (Dublin 1961).
[p. roche]