The Irish Savior

By Will Thorley

St. Patrick was a fifth-century missionary and bishop of Ireland and has been one of the most well-known and influential Christian leaders. This stained-glass window of St. Patrick is in the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Downtown Birmingham, Alabama. There it is accompanied by other windows including those representing  the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saint John Berchmans, Saint Paul, and Saint John.

The cathedral itself, which was designed by Chicago architect Adolphus Druiding, was constructed in 1893. At that time, Irish-Americans made up most of the people who attended the cathedral which is why it was so relevant to have a display of St. Patrick in the Cathedral. All the stained-glass windows are designed by G. C. Riordan & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. While the cathedral has had many renovations over the years the artwork has always remained as a staple of the cathedral’s identity.

Throughout St. Patrick’s life he was able to have a huge influence on Christianity and was responsible for the establishment and continued success of the Christian faith in Ireland. He began baptizing chiefs and kings and, according to tradition, taught the doctrine of the Holy Trinity using the three-leafed shamrock, which in time became an icon of St. Patrick and Ireland as a whole.

St. Patrick was not of Irish descent at all. He was born into a Christian family in Britian, where his father, Calpurnius, was a deacon in the church and his grandfather, Potitus, a priest. Despite being born into a Christian family, Patrick was not overly concerned with the Christian faith and did not pay much attention to it until later in his life.

Early life and spiritual awakening

At the age of sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders who enslaved him as a herdsman for six years. During this time St. Patrick worked as a shepherd and this gave him an opportunity to find his true faith in God and Christianity. The window references this history by portraying sheep in the background. Patrick began praying and learning the word of God and this led to him believing that somehow he would find a way to escape and return home to his family. This soon became reality when he was able to escaped upon a ship and returned to his family where he continued to grow in his faith. These events were important since they led him to a life closer to God. He continued to grow in his faith once he had returned home. Patrick had a dream and was convinced that he was given the mission by God to return to Ireland where he had been held captive for all those years and take Christianity and the word of God with him.

Return to Ireland and his mission

Once St. Patrick arrived back in Ireland his mission was to spread Christianity throughout the country and convert the once pagan community into Christians. He preached the word of God to everyone and is credited with building churches, schools and monasteries which ultimately became the centers of Christian learning and culture across Ireland. The church depicted on Patrick’s right side  represents the churches that he built and his influence on the Irish community and the home he created there.

Patrick had many ways in which he taught Christianity but none may be as famous as his use of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. This would be one of the most famous stories associated with St. Patrick where according to legend he used the shamrock’s three leaves to explain the idea of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each leaf represents one of the three key components of the Holy Trinity. This helped the Irish understand the Christian faith.

When Patrick settled in Ireland; he trained Irish clergy to help him establish Christianity as a dominant religion in Ireland. His mission and motivation paved the way for shifting from paganism to Christianity in Ireland. Along with these changes in religious beliefs, St. Patrick’s influence also brought about improvements in written language, literature, art, and education within Ireland. St. Patrick’s status as bishop of Ireland can be recognized through the mitre on his head. St. Patrick’s feast day. March 17, is a very popular day all across the world. Millions of people celebrate and remember the great influence that St. Patrick had.

Legends of St. Patrick

Another legend about St. Patrick is represented by the snakes at the bottom of the artwork near St. Patrick’s feet. Patrick is look at them and pointing to the sea. This symbolizes the story that when St. Patrick had returned to Ireland to spread Christianity he drove “all the snakes of Ireland” into the sea. This legend has no actual evidence of ever occurring but is still a strong story told about Patrick and his major influence on Ireland. It is more of a representation of how St. Patrick drove paganism and the forces of evil from the shores of Ireland and made way for Christianity.

Overall, St. Patrick has been one of the most influential and popular saints amongst the Christian faith since the fifth century. From his early kidnapping to his escape and return to Ireland and right through to his mission to spread Christianity St. Patrick made it his purpose in life to make a difference. His passion and devotion to God set an example to the pagans and being the bishop of Ireland is a monumental figure in Irish folklore. All of this can be seen in the stained-glass artwork in the Cathedral of St. Paul in Downtown Birmingham.

Bibliography

Bury, J.B. 2010. St. Patrick: The Life and World of Ireland’s Saint. London: Tauris Parke Paperbacks.

Flechner, Roy. 2019. Saint Patrick Retold: The Legend and History of Ireland’s Patron Saint. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Freeman, Philip. 2004. St. Patrick of Ireland: A biography. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Todd, James Henthorn, 2003. St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland: A Memoir of His Life and Mission. London: Wipf & Stock, 2003.

Patrick of Ireland
Medium: stained glass
Artist: G. C. Riordan & Co.
Created and Installed: 1893
Location: Cathedral of St. Paul, 2120 3rd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203

Will Thorley ’27 was a student in Core Seminar: Icons & Memorials in Samford University’s Howard College of Arts & Sciences in fall 2023.

Published November 27, 2023.