COLUMBANUS, ST., RULE OF. Columbanus (about 543-615 A.D.) was born in Leinster, Ireland, and edu cated at Bangor. In 596 he founded a monastery on the Irish model in the Vosges, a school for the practice of asceticism and for sacred study. His work met with great. success. Later, when he was banished from the country, he established himself in an abandoned church on the shore of the Lake of Constance. Finally he founded a monastery, Bobbio, on the Trebia, south of Pavia. This became a centre of learning. The com munity of Columbanus claimed a large measure of in dependence. In many points its leader refused to conform to the rites and rules of Rome. The life was one of great austerity. The monks had to observe, as far as possible, perpetual silence. Only one meal was taken, consisting of common vegetables, pulse, dough, and a small loaf twice-baked. Mortification had to be
practiced in thoughts, words and movements. Colum bans is reputed to have composed two documents con cerning his rule, the Regula Columbani and the Regale Camobialis Fratrunt de Hibernia. " The former is a thoroughly biblical direction towards a Christian life in evangelical freedom : the latter orders that he who neglects to make the sign of the cross over the spoon before eating shall be punished by a sound whipping; that he who speaks to a layman shall be punished by singing a number of hymns, etc. But while the char acter of the Regale Columbani corresponds very closely with that of Columban's sermons, which are genuine, the Liber Pamitentialis Columbani, which corresponds to the Regula Comobialis, is evidently spurious " (Schaff Herzog). See Schaff-Herzog; the Calh. Diet.