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.

Geolocation