Gerald's description of purgatory
Dublin Core
Title
Gerald's description of purgatory
Subject
Ireland--Gerald of Wales--Topography--Purgatory
Description
"There is a lake in Ulster which contains an island divided into two parts..."
Creator
Gerald of Wales
Source
Gerald of Wales: The History and Topography of Ireland, translated by John O'Meara, 2.38, p. 61
Publisher
Penguin, Hammondsworth
Date
1982
Rights
Citation for the purposes of criticism
Format
Monograph
Language
English translation of Latin
Type
Translation
Text
Identifier
DD_0047
Coverage
54.6083, -7.8714
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
"There is a lake in Ulster which contains an island divided into two parts. One part contains a very beautiful church with a great reputation for holiness, and is well worth seeing. It is distinguished above all other churches by the visitation of angels and the visible and frequent presence of local saints. But the other part of the island is stony and ugly and is abandoned to the use of evil spirits only. It is nearly always the scene of gathering and processions of evil spirits, plain to be seen by all. There are nine pits in that part, and if anyone by chance should venture to spend the nigh in any one of them - and there is evidence that some rash persons have at time attempted to do so - he is seized immediately by malignant spirits, and is crucified all night with such sever torments, and so continuously afflicted with many unspeakable punishments of fire and water and other things, that, when morning comes, there is found in his poor body scarcely even the smallest trace of life surviving. They say that if a person once undergoes these torments because of a penance imposed upon him, he will not have to endure the pains of hell - unless he commit some very serious sin."
Original Format
Monograph
Citation
Gerald of Wales, “Gerald's description of purgatory,” Digital Derg: A Deep Map, accessed March 28, 2024, https://digitalderg.eu/items/show/47.