Saint Patrick's Purgatory and Other Legends of Medieval Ireland

In the Middle Ages, people believed that the entrance to purgatory—where souls that are too sinful for heaven but too righteous for hell dwell—is located at Lough Derg lake in the north of Ireland, in County Donegal. According to legend, the passage there was opened by the first and great saint of Ireland, Patrick, specifically to convince the unbelieving so they could enter purgatory and come out alive. Now the entrance no longer exists, but every year Lough Derg is visited by between 8,000 and 10,000 pilgrims—despite the fact that staying there includes a mandatory three-day fast and a 24-hour vigil. Who and why made these long and dangerous pilgrimages and dared to descend into the afterlife? What do the pilgrims seek on the island today? How did medieval Europeans imagine the structure of hell, purgatory, and heaven? Do people believe in purgatory today? Finally, how have Irish myths intertwined with Christian faith in the legends about Saint Patrick’s Purgatory? These questions are answered by Dilshat Kharman, a candidate of arts studies, senior researcher at the Center for Visual Studies of the Middle Ages and Modern Times (RSUH).