Louvain, 1647. Printed work.
John Colgan's edition of the Lives of Ireland's three patron saints, Patrick, Brigit and Columba was published by the Irish Franciscans at Louvain in 1647. It was printed with the financial assistance of Thomas Fleming OFM, archbishop of Dublin. Being concerned to make all the primary sources available, Colgan published several versions of the lives of these saints using manuscript and printed sources. It was probably because of the sheer volume of material available that the lives of the three patrons were published separately. He had already published his Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae in 1645 which documented the Irish saints whose feast-days occurred in the first three months of the year.
In terms of Roman ecclesiastical politics, it was important for the Irish in Europe to publicise their major Christian saints. This was more effectively accomplished by publishing these substantial Latin editions of texts documenting the lives and miracles of Ireland's patron saints.
