IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

THE

HISTORY

OF

GALWAY.

PART III.

Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas. "

THIS ancient and venerable edifice, which, for extent and architectural beauty, is inferior to very few ecclesiastical foundations in the kingdom, stands a lasting testimonial of the piety, wealth and public spirit of its founders, the former

The festival of St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 6th of December. He was a native of Myra, an archiepiscopal see, and the capital of Lycia, in Asia, of which he was elected archbishop. He died there A. D. 342; and the universal honor in which this holy man was held testifies his great merit and sanctity. He was particularly esteemed the protector of mariners, who never failed, on going to sea, to implore his mediation for a successful voyage; and he was also, from the innocence of his life, held to be the patron of children. A curious illustration of the life of this primitive saint is contained in doctor Milner's excellent History of Winchester. In his Life by Alban Butler, the following account of the translation of his relics to Italy is taken from Surius and others" Certain merchants of Bari, a seaport in the kingdom of Naples, situate on the Adriatic Gulf, sailed in three ships to the coast of Lycia, and, watching an opportunity when no Mahometans were near the place, went

to the church in which the relics of St. Nicholas were kept, which stood in a desert place, three miles from the sea, and was guarded by a small community of monks. They broke open the marble coffin in which the sacred bones lay, and carried them off to their ships. The inhabitants, upon the alarm given, pursued them to the shore with horrible outcries; but the Europeans were got safe on board. They landed at Bari on the 9th of May, 1087, and the sacred treasure was deposited by the archbishop in the church of St. Stephen. On the first day thirty persons were cured of various distempers; and, from that time, the tomb of St. Nicholas of Bari has been famous for pilgrimages.-This enterprise could only be justified by the laws of a just war, joined with the apprehension of the sacrilegious impiety of the Mahometans."-Vol. XII.

The collegiate seal, above delineated, represents St. Nicholas with his mitre, crozier, &c. At his right appear, 6 G

inhabitants of Galway. It is situate on a gentle eminence, nearly on the northwest extremity of the town, and contiguous to the river, on the site of a small chapel, which was the original and only place of worship belonging to the settlers, until, their wealth and affluence having increased with their industry and trade, they resolved to adorn the town by erecting a more superb structure for the service of the Deity. The present church was accordingly founded in 1320, and, on its completion, was solemnly dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the tutelar saint of mariners, who was chosen as the patron of the town in consequence of its early and extensive commerce. The original foundation was gradually enlarged by the piety of individual benefactors, until, in course of time, it became one of the finest ecclesiastical structures in Ireland.

The town of Galway originally belonged to the diocess of Enachdune, an ancient bishoprick, united in 1324 to the archiepiscopal see of Tuam. Since this union the church of St. Nicholas was governed by vicars, instituted by that see, who were commonly of Irish extraction, and, of course, entirely different from their English parishioners, as well in their principles as in their manners and common habits of life. In this state, discontents and jealousies between the clergy and their flock were inevitable. The latter constantly complained that their Irish pastors were generally prejudiced against them, as being of English origin, and that they invariably countenanced and abetted their own friends and kindred of the Irish race, by whom the town was on all sides surrounded, and with whom the town's-people were in a state of continual hostility. The affairs of religion being thus circumstanced within the town, Donatus O'Murray, who was elected archbishop of Tuam in 1458, at length interfered, and, in consideration, as is said, of an ample equivalent bestowed by the inhabitants, and annexed to the see, he of his own authority erected the church of St. Nicholas into a collegiate of exempt jurisdiction, by letters under his seal, dated the 28th September, 1484, and to it united the parish church of St. James of Balenclaer, (now Clare Galway.) This act having obtained the sanction of pope Innocent VIII. by bull, dated the sixth of the Ides of February following, (as particularly detailed in a former

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kneeling, the three virgins whom he rescued from the danger of prostitution; and on a table at his left, the three purses of money with which he performed that signal act of charity. This seal is coeval with the wardenship. This union affords as singular an instance of clerical rapacity as occurs in the ecclesiastical annals of Ireland. In Harris's valuable edition of Ware a detailed account of the entire transaction is given, which, after a careful exanination by the author with the original records in Birmingham Tower, was found particularly just and accurate. This interesting document (which will be found in the Appendix, No. I.) was supposed, for the two last centuries, to have been lost: it was, however, lately found amongst a parcel of ancient MSS. by the author, who

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expects to have it, with several other original muniments concerning the church, restored for future preservation, amongst its archives. For the bull of Innocent VIII. confirming this act of the archbishop, see Appendix, No. II. Ware, mentioning the death of archbishop O'Murray, says, "he died the 18th of January, as appears out of the Necrology, or book of mortality of the collegiate church of Galway, but the year is not mentioned."-From this passage it is probable that he had seen this book, the contents of which must have been highly interesting and curious; but it is supposed to be now lost, for, although the most diligent search was made by the author, he has not been able to discover any trace of it, except a few extracts among the Clarendon MS. f. 49.