About Columbanus
Lived 540 – 615 (aged 74–75). Columbanus was an Irish monk, missionary and writer.
Columbanus (; 543 – 21 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in present-day Italy. Columbanus taught an Irish monastic rule and penitential practices for those repenting of sins, which emphasised private confession to a priest, followed by penances imposed by the priest in reparation for the sins. Columbanus is one of the earliest identifiable Hiberno-Latin writers.
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Important facts
Related people
Same field, nearest in time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Columbanus's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Columbanus?
Irish missionary and saint (540-615)
When was Columbanus born?
Columbanus was born in 540 in Leinster.
When did Columbanus die?
Columbanus died on 23 November 615 in Bobbio.
What was Columbanus's occupation?
Columbanus was a monk, missionary and writer.
What nationality was Columbanus?
Columbanus was Irish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Columbanus. https://biography.guide/columbanus/
MLA: "Columbanus." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/columbanus/.
Chicago: "Columbanus." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/columbanus/.
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