Kentigern (Mungo), St.
KENTIGERN (MUNGO), ST.
Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, and apostle of the ancient British kingdom of Strathclyde; d. c. 612. Very little is known for certain about him. Of the five known sources of his life that describe his mother as the British princess Theneuu and recount his miracles, his friendship with St. Servanus, and his meeting with St. columba, none is earlier than the 12th century. The two main sources are the Life written by an anonymous cleric for Bishop Herbert of Glasgow (1147–64) and that written by Jocelin of Furness for Bishop Jocelin of Glasgow (1175–99). It is suggested, however, that both these authors drew on earlier Lives, one of which was composed shortly after the saint's death. That he was bishop of Glasgow and labored in the Clyde Valley can hardly be doubted.
Feast: Jan. 14 (formerly Jan. 13).
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum, Jan. 2:97–103. k. h. jackson, "The Sources for the Life of St. Kentigern," in Studies in the Early British Church, by n. chadwick et al. (Cambridge, Eng.1958) 273–357. j. macqueen, "Yvain, Ewen, and Owein ap Urien," Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 33 (1954–55) 107–131; 36 (1959) 175–183. r. b. hale, The Beloved St. Mungo, Founder of Glasgow (Ottawa 1989). jocelinus of furness, Saint Mungo: Also Known as Kentigern, ed. i. macdonald (Edinburgh 1993).
[l. macfarlane]