St. Patrick's Purgatory...!

Since St. Patrick's day is upon us again, I figured it was time to view another perspective of one of his namesakes. Let's go to St Patrick's Purgatory.

St. Patrick’s Purgatory

Lough Derg, Ireland

St. Patrick’s Purgatory, a monastery on Station Island (aka Lough Derg), sits on a portal to Hell in the middle of a small lake in Ireland.

According to the story, Jesus showed St. Patrick a cave on the island in which he could see visions of the punishments administered in the dark underworld of Hell. Jesus told St. Patrick that this would allow him to offer proof of a Christian afterlife to any of his wavering followers.

The monastery was built in the 15th century, although there is no definitive proof that St. Patrick actually set foot on the island. It is more likely that his name became associated with it after the fact.

The public is generally not allowed on the holy island, which prevents those with an interest in Devil worship from trying to find the supposed gateway. Once a year, however, there is a pilgrimage for devout Christian worshipers, who embark on a three-day sojourn of contemplation in bare feet. The Lough Derg website claims that the pilgrimage is “the toughest in all of Europe, perhaps even in the whole Christian world.”

I just have a feeling that if I were to visit this place, I would need a bit more than some Green Beer to help me recover! Not real high on the list of places I want to visit, ya know?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. I hear that the rain is coming back!