Our venerable father Kevin of Glendalough, Wonderworker of Ireland (also Coemgen, Caoimhghin, Coemgenus, and Kavin) was the founder and abbot of Glendalough Monastery. He was born in 498, and fell asleep in the Lord in 618 at the age of 120 years. His feast day is celebrated on June 3.

Birth and childhood

St. Kevin was born in the year 498 to parents descended from one of the ruling families in Leinster. An angel is said to have appeared during the child’s baptism, telling his parents that the child should be named Kevin. St. Cronan, the officiating priest, said, “This was surely an angel of the Lord, and as he named the child, so shall he be called.” So the infant was baptized Kevin, Coemgen in the Irish tongue, which means “beautiful-begotten” or “of blessed birth.” He is the first person known to be called Kevin. His childhood was marked by a terrible temper and dislike of other people, although he loved animals.

At St. Petroc’s Monastery

At the age of seven, his parents sent him away to the monastery run by St. Petroc in Cornwall. On a day in autumn, Kevin was working in the kitchen. He was busy preparing meals for crop gatherers when a number of pilgrims arrived and asked for food. Kevin, filled with compassion, gave them the harvesters’ dinner. He was rebuked by his superiors for his action. He then told the attendants to fill all the ale jars with water and gather together all the bare meat bones. Then he prayed alone and, it is said, the water turned to ale and the bones were covered with meat again.

The story is told that while there, Kevin was kneeling, his arms outstretched in prayer, on the first day of Lent in a small hut in the wilderness when a blackbird landed in his palm and proceeded to construct a nest. Kevin remained perfectly still, so as not to disturb the bird, for the whole of Lent. Kevin was fed by the blackbird with berries and nuts. By the end of Lent, the last blackbird hatchlings had flown from the nest, which now lay empty in his hand, and Kevin returned to the monastery for the Paschal celebration.

As a young man, Kevin studied under the care of three holy men, Éoghan, Lochan, and Eanna, at Éoghan’s community of Kilnamanagh (“Church of the monks”) in the Wicklow hills.

Kevin’s isolation

Looking across the Upper Lake at Glendalough, the cave called St. Kevin’s Bed is the small dark hole about 8 metres above the water. The 2 metre deep, man made cave, is only accessable by boat. Click to embiggen.

After being ordained to the priesthood, Kevin spent seven years as a hermit in the mountains surrounding a valley named Glendalough (from Gaelic Gleann da locha, “valley of the two lakes.”) He lived in a small, five by seven by three foot cave, now know as St. Kevin’s Bed, which, legend holds, was shown to him by an angel. His life was spent in prayer and asceticism, and it is said that the herbs and fish on which he lived were brought him by an otter that lived in the lake. Among other ascetic feats, Kevin was known for standing up to his neck in the ice-cold lake water to pray during the winter.

According to one legend, during one of these sessions of prayer in the icy Upper Lake of Glendalough, he dropped his prayer book into the lake. An otter appeared from the bottom of the lake with the book, unstained or damaged in any way, in its mouth. After this, the otter would bring fish to Kevin for food.

Return to society

Kevin returned to society when a farmer, named Dima, followed a cow of his who would continually wander off. The cow would come every day, when the herd was sent out to pasture, to St. Kevin’s cave. It is told that the cow would lick his clothes and feet while he was in prayer; then when the cow returned home at evening, she would produced copious amounts of milk. Dima, wondering greatly about this, one day resolved to follow the cow. When Dima stumbled upon Kevin’s cave, and saw the cause of this, he fell to his knees in awe. Kevin raised him up, and, as Dima was a pagan, taught the farmer about Christ and the Gospel. Dima eventually begged Kevin to come out of his isolation and teach his family about Christ. After a day of prayer, Kevin saw that it was God’s will that he return to society to spread the Gospel. He began by teaching Dima’s family, but his tutelage soon grew to dozens of families and he began to attract followers. Seeing the need of a central place from which to teach, Kevin decided to establish a monastery at Glendalough.

Glendalough Monastery

However, Kevin could not establish a monastery because King Ua Tuathail (O’Toole) of Glendalough, a pagan, would not permit it. It happened that the king had a much beloved pet goose, which was now old and grey. As time passed, the goose also became so aged and weak that it was soon unable to fly. As a result, the king was very upset, for he loved the goose very much. Hearing of Kevin’s sanctity and power, the pagan king sent for him, and asked that he make the beloved goose young. Kevin asked for a payment of whatever land the goose would fly over. As the goose could no longer take flight, the king agreed. When Kevin touched the bird, it grew young, and flew over the entire valley of Glendalough, and on that site the monastery was established where the “two rivers form a confluence.”

Rocks were plentiful. The farmers pitched in and built Kevin a monastery in the solitude of Glendalough. The workers agreed to work from when the larks woke till the lambs slept. This grueling work schedule began to affect the quality of construction, and Kevin decided to investigate. It turned out that the larks were apt to awaken before daybreak, and so Kevin told them not to. From that day forth, it is said that no skylark has ever been heard in Glendalough. The construction continued, and the monastery was complete.

Accounts of Kevin’s life discuss his fighting “knights” at Glendalough; scholars today believe this refers to his process of self-examination and his personal temptations.

His fame as a holy man spread and he attracted numerous followers and a thriving monastic community. More buildings were added to the little settlement. Among them was the tower which still stands today, along with the large hut used by St. Kevin. Many people from far afield came to Kevin for counsel, and the monastery grew to such fame and renown that in later days it was considered equal to a pilgrimage to Rome for a penitent to travel seven times to Glendalough monastery.

It is said of Kevin that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy of St. Patrick — that Kevin was the one to come, who would evangelize the region of Ireland just south of Dublin.

Saint Ciarán’s Bell

St. Ciarán (Kieran), bishop of Clonmacnoise, was St. Kevin’s anamchara, and they were very close. When Ciarán approached death, he said: “Let me be carried to a small height.” When he looked up at the sky and the vast open air above his head, he said, “Terrible is the way of dying.” Then, he told, angels came to meet his soul, filling all the space between heaven and earth. He was carried back into the little church, and raising his hands, he blessed his people. Then he told the brethren to shut him up in the church until Kevin should come from Glendalough, and there he died.

Kevin arrived three days after Ciarán’s death, having left his monastery as soon as he heard that his closest friend was dying, but he had been very delayed. At once Ciarán’s spirit returned and reentered his body. Then Ciarán blessed Kevin, and Kevin blessed water and administered the Eucharist to Ciarán. Ciarán gave his silver bell to Kevin as a sign of their lasting unity in Christ.

Pilgrimage and death

Kevin went once, upon the founding of his monastery, to Rome, where he received relics for the monastery. Many years later, he felt the desire to go once again to Rome. However, he also knew he was bound to his duties as abbot of the monastery. He went for advice to Ciarán. Ciarán understood Kevin’s longing but told him that it is better for one missionary to train many others than to leave the others half-trained in order to go to the missions himself. “Birds do not hatch their eggs while they are flying,” Ciarán said.

Kevin saw that not to go was a sacrifice, and he knew now where God’s will lay. So Kevin continued to teach and advise everyone who came to him until the June night in 618 when his soul sped to join the angels and saints around God’s throne.

The Irish Annals record the succession of abbots, and raids on the settlement. For at least six hundred years after Kevin’s repose, the abbots of Glendalough bore the title Comarbai Cóemgein (i.e. “successor of Saint Kevin.”) In 1214, the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. From that time onwards, the cultural and ecclesiastical status of Glendalough diminished. The destruction of the settlement by English forces in 1398 left it a ruin but it continued as a church of local importance and a place of pilgrimage.

Troparion, Tone Eight

Thou wast privileged to live in the age of saints, O Father Kevin, being baptized by one saint, taught by another, and buried by a third. Pray to God that he will raise up saints in our day to help, support, and guide us in the way of salvation.

Troparion, Tone Four

With hymns of praise let us all bless the noble Kevin, who by his godly love poureth divine grace into the hearts of those who honor him; for he dwelleth now with the saints and angels in heaven, where he standeth before the throne of the Most High, praying unceasingly for us all.

Kontakion, Tone Five

Forsaking thy noble inheritance, and shunning all the crooked ways of this sin-loving world, thou didst apply thine obedient feet to the straight and narrow path of Christ, eagerly hastening throughout thy life toward the heavenly Sion, where with all the saints and the bodiless hosts thou criest aloud in ecstasy: Let every breath praise the Lord!

The Upper Lake at Glendalough.