St. Flann of Bangor
St. Flann, or Florentius in the Latinized version, was the Abbott of Bangor Abbey in Northern Ireland; he died in 722 AD. There are only a few "one liners" listed about him in various resource documents, mostly just repeating what I have just mentioned above. He is also described as being active during the great time of Irish evangelism and as someone who encouraged an resurgence in art during a period when it was waning in Western Europe.
It was this latter aspect of St. Flann that led me down another path of inquiry. As soon as I read about the his patronage of the arts I began to wonder if there was any link to the magnificant Celtic Gospel manuscripts like the Book Kells. I have often been fascinated with their intricate detail, the strange creatures that lurk in the letters of the great Chi-Ro page, the repeating patterns that seem almost hypnotic. There is a beautiful fictional animated film about the book called the Secret of Kells that I would highly recommend.
But...most of the Celtic gospel artwork came either later than St. Flann (Kells was around 800 AD) or seemed to originate in Celtic monastaries outside of Ireland proper. Kells was thought to have been done on the island of Iona, and the Books of Durrow and Lindisfarne likely originated in Northumbria. So that theory didn't seem valid.
I thought about the magnificent high Celtic stone crosses such as those at Monastairboice, but those were centuries later than Flann. Indeed the main art form that has survived from Ireland that is coincident with St Flann's tenure at Bangor is that of metallurgy. Two of the major examples of this time period would be the Chalice of Ardagh (pictured above) and the Brooch of Tara.
I have no expertise in art work, but the what I have read indicated that the detail and symmetry of these pieces was considered quite elegant for the times. One on-line source devoted to religious art described these examples of gold work as being produced by the Irish Celts as a form of praise to God, as adorning their religious services with a brightness that symbolized the light of Christ.
Then I started to think about what happened not too long after the time of St. Flann: the Norse invasions of Ireland and the surrounding areas. The Vikings came because of plunder--the gold treasures of the monastaries. And large numbers of people died because of those invasions.
That creates a conundrum for me from a theologic viewpoint. Should we glorify God with items of great value, even if beautiful, if those items cause greed and envy in others--eventually leading to violence? My grandmother and aunt, whose faith was a significant part of my own, attended a very simple, plain church in rural Connecticut; what my mother would have called "Low Church" at the time. Perhaps it is this influence that is working through my brain as I ponder these beautiful works of gold. From an art standpoint, they are incredible. Yet I find myself not terribly attracted to them theologically. One of my clergy friends is fond of pointing out that the chalice that is chosen by Harrison Ford in one of the Indiana Jones' movies, is very simple and plain--the cup of a carpenter.
Advent is in full swing. There is a lot of money being spent, often on very beautiful items. My best holiday memories are not of opening up gifts as a child...they are of my time with family...which, of course, is priceless. So...
Lord, there has been incredible art created in Your name. Much of it I love and cherish. Never let me forget, however, that it is "relationship" that is our greatest treasure. Why else would You choose Mary and the manger? In Thy name, Amen.
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