Saint Mungo, also known as Saint Kentigern, is by tradition an apostle to Strathclyde and patron saint and legendary founder of the city of Glasgow. The name Mungo is derived from the Gaelic word Munghu, "dear one", a pet name.

Life and Works

According to the stories about Kentigern, his pregnant mother was abandoned by her family before his birth. Mungo's legend indicates that he was Pictish, or at least that his religious teachers were Picts. The name Kentigern means "hound lord" and is believed to indicate aristocratic origins. His popular name Mungo, meaning "dear one", was given to him by his religious colleagues.

Mungo was a pupil of

Mungo is said to have arrived in Glasgow in about 540. He built his church at the Molendinar Burn, where a medieval cathedral now stands.

Saint Mungo's legend puts his death in the early 7th century. His feast day in the West is 1 July; his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is 14 January.

Miracles

In the legend of Saint Mungo, he performed four religious miracles in Glasgow. The following verse is used to remember Mungo's four miracles:

Here's the bird that never flew

Here's the tree that never grew

Here's the bell that never rang

Here's the fish that never swam

The verses refer to the following:

The Bird — Mungo restored life to the pet robin of Saint Serf, which had been killed by some of his fellow classmates, hoping to blame him for its death.

The Tree — Mungo

The Bell — the bell is thought to have been brought from Rome by Mungo. It was said to have been used in services and to mourn the deceased. The original bell no longer exists, and a replacement, created in the 1640s, is now on display in Glasgow.

The Fish — refers to the story about a Queen who was suspected of infidelity by her husband. The King demanded to see her ring, which she had given to her lover, but which the King had discovered and thrown into the River Clyde. Faced with execution she appealed for help to Mungo, who ordered a messenger to catch a fish in the river. On opening the fish, the ring was miraculously found inside, which allowed the Queen to clear her name.

Patron Saint

Mungo's four religious miracles in Glasgow, which are represented in the city's coat of arms. Glasgow's current motto Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of his word and the praising of his name and the more secular Let Glasgow flourish, are both inspired by Kentigern's original call "Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word".

In addition to parts of Scotland, Mungo or Kentigern is the patron of two schools in Auckland, New Zealand: Saint Kentigern College and Saint Kentigern School.Saint Kentigern School is an exclusive boys-only private junior school, while Saint Kentigern College is a private co-ed college. Both are Presbyterian church schools, and have over 2,000 students combined.

In the fictional world of Harry Potter, Saint Mungo is the patron of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Sources

Pocket Dictionary of Saints, published 1983, by Image Books