In a local Bangor man will be celebrated in St Gallen, Switzerland. The contribution that he made to that place so treasured that they named it after him. St Gall travelled in the second half of the sixth century from Bangor Abbey with eleven other monks into Europe to share the story of Jesus Christ.
They took with them learning and the written word. The mark that this group made on the historical record was significant with books reproduced on velum in a painstaking process of reproduction by monks across Europe. While many of the Irish texts where destroyed in Ireland through viking raids on Abbeys and church communities these books did survive in Europe. The Bangor Antiphon is one such book. The Prayer book and hymn book of its time, duplicates of the Antiphon are scattered across Europe in regions where the Bangor monks established communities.
Around these Bangor saints of the sixth century there are some terrific legends that are still told today. The story of St Gall tells of when he travelled in the woods of what is now Switzerland he was sitting one evening warming his hands at a fire.
Suddenly a bear emerged from the woods and charged. The story goes that the holy man rebuked the bear and so awed by his presence it stopped its attack and slunk off in to the trees. There it gathered some firewood before returning to share the heat of the fire with St Gall.
The legend says that for the rest of his days St Gall was followed around by his companion the bear. It is a story that speaks of holiness of living allowing for a oneness with nature.
