Back to the Library
The Church Fathers · c. 650–680
The Life of Brigid
Cogitosus · 7th century
Read elsewhere
What it is
The life of the abbess of Kildare, full of miracles of provision — butter multiplied, beer for churches — and a description of her double monastery of men and women.
Why it lasted
The earliest Irish saint's life, and evidence of abbesses ruling communities that included men.
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
Read next