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Glastonbury Shrines Part 4: More Irish Saints St. Benignus was the second Bishop
of the Irish in succession to Patrick. He had a popular shrine and cult
following at Glastonbury and an ancient church was named after him on the
edge of town, now St. Benedict's. He supposedly followed St. Patrick from
Ireland, settled as a hermit in Meare but later became Abbot of
Glastonbury, at least in name. Unfortunately, this man's identity as the
Irish Benignus appears to stem from a misinterpretation of a now lost
monument at Meare. In later years, its inscription read St. Indracht's Shrine stood to the left of the High Altar of the "Old Church" at Glastonbury, opposite that of St. Patrick. He was another Irishman, supposedly an early 8th century prince returning from a pilgrimage to Rome who was robbed and murdered by some wicked soldiers in the retinue of King Ine of Wessex. He died at Hwisc which would appear to be either Shapwick or Huish Episcopi. Indract is almost certainly an English form of the name common Irish name Indrechtach; and Irish texts show that an Abbot Indrechtach of Iona was martyred amongst the Saxons, on 12th March AD 854, whilst returning from a pilgrimage to Rome. At Glastonbury, his feast was 8th May, but they are most likely the same person, the century being confused over time. Click for Next Section
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