The story of Columbanus

Columbanus (circa 540 – 615) was an Irish monk of the Early Middle Ages, considered to be one of the architects of Christian Europe. The monastic foundations of Saint Columbanus and his followers spread throughout Gaul to northern Italy, including also in St.Gallen, Switzerland, founded close to the hermit retreat (in 612) of  one of his Irish companions, Gall. St.Gallen is now a thriving town and canton, with a world-famous abbey and library.

Columbanus’ letters to the popes of the time, his instructions and poems, as well as the Vita Columbani written 25 years after his death, demonstrate his spiritual commitment and inner quest to connect with people of all conditions. They also reveal a perfect mastery of the liberal arts, marking him as a humanist and visionary.

His elevation of spirit still strikes a chord today, particularly when he writes in Nantes in 610: “If you take away freedom, you take away dignity.” In a letter written to Pope Gregory the Great around 604, he is one of the first to envision Europe as a cultural, political and religious entity.

In 1950, on the 1400th anniversary of birth of Columbanus, a secret meeting was held in Luxeuil, to discuss basic principles for European unity. At this occasion, the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, considered to be one the main architects of the European project declared that “Columbanus is one of the fathers of Europe” and stressed his importance for “all who, today, are seeking to construct a unified Europe.”

The Via Columbani pilgrimage route offers the chance to explore this forgotten heritage while providing opportunities for inner reflection, at a walking pace; also for  encounters with people, cultures, and landscapes, across national and regional trails in 20 regions and 9 different countries, that total 8,000 km.