The Igreja de São João Baptista (Church of St. John the Baptist) in Lumiar, just outside Lisbon and a half-hour drive from Cascais, holds a remarkable treasure: a relic of Ireland’s beloved Saint Brigid of Kildare. Tradition tells that a fragment of her skull was brought by three Irish knights travelling during the time of the Crusades, possibly on their way to the Holy Land.
Saint Brigid died around 524 AD and was buried in Kildare. In the 8th century, fearing Viking raids, her remains were moved for safekeeping and reburied in the tomb of Saints Patrick and Columba in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Over time, many relics were lost or destroyed during religious and political upheavals, but a portion of her skull survived. It is said that the clergy entrusted it to three Irish knights who carried it to Portugal and presented it to King Dinis. He commanded that it be placed under the care of the Cistercian sisters in the Royal Monastery of Odivelas.
The relic, however, mysteriously disappeared. It was soon found near the church in Lumiar, where the parish priest declared this a sign from God that it should remain there. Yet, in obedience to the king’s wish, the knights delivered it to Odivelas. The following day, it vanished once more, only to be discovered again in Lumiar.
When the strange recurrence was reported, King Dinis ordered the relic to remain in the parish church at Lumiar, where it has been kept for over 700 years. It is kept in a magnificent silver reliquary. The three knights remained in Lumiar as guardians of the relic, and when they died, they were said to have been buried within the church’s walls. An inscription on the northern façade reads:
‘Here, in these three tombs, lie the Irish knights who brought the head of Saint Brigid, a native of Ireland, whose relic is preserved in this chapel. In commemoration of this event, this inscription was placed here in January of the year 1283.’
In the 1930s, the Brigidine Sisters in Tullow, County Carlow, obtained a portion of the Lumiar relic. In 2024, to commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of Saint Brigid’s death, the sisters returned the relic to St Brigid’s Parish Church in Kildare. On my visit to Lumiar, I met the parish priest, Fr. Francisco Rodrigues S.J., who had travelled to Kildare for the return ceremony.
For centuries, the Portuguese have shown deep devotion to this Irish saint, with many mothers naming their daughters Brígida. The Irish Dominican Fathers, who have a house nearby, accompany numerous pilgrims from Ireland to venerate the relic. Fr. Rodrigues told me that many of these pilgrims also combine their visit with a pilgrimage to Fátima.
This story reflects the wider connections Ireland maintained with Portugal through trade and cultural exchange. Shared Celtic roots and the spread of Christianity fostered enduring religious and cultural ties, creating a lasting link between the two countries.
- ‘Saint Brigid’s Journey’ is published in Anthology Volume 24. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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