On Saturday 8th March the Mayor of North Down, Cllr Andrew Muir, joined with Mayors and provincial dignitaries from Italy and France in signing off the final statues required by the “European Institute of Cultural Routes” in Luxembourg to formalise the application of “The Columban Way”.
The culmination of the ceremony in Bobbio, Italy, will now see the cultural route application, based on the life and travels of both Bangor and central Europe’s most famous Saint, Columbanus, submitted for approval to Luxembourg and in turn formally recognised as an official European Cultural Route.
The initial route is to comprise of Bangor, Luxeuil-les-Bains (France) and Bobbio (Italy) and will recognise the influence of Columbanus’ work within central Europe and is to be formally established by 2015, the year that will mark the 1400th anniversary of the passing of St Columbanus. This anniversary year will be marked with events throughout the European countries that he was influential in.
This route is set to become the 30th European Cultural Route and sit alongside some of the most famous routes such as the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela.
After the initial creation of “The Columban Way” it is envisaged that it will expand to take in the additional countries of Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Republic of Ireland where Columbanus also left his mark.
Mayor of North Down, Cllr Andrew Muir; “I was delighted to take part in this important and historic ceremony alongside our European friends in Bobbio, the resting place of Columbanus. After leaving Bangor he was to play a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity in mainland Europe and it is fitting that he, the first person to use the term “European”, will have this Cultural Route potentially covering up to seven nations, created on the back of his legacy. The creation of this route will surely be a fitting testimony on a European scale to the man and his work”.
His importance to the Church and European Christianity as a whole was evidentially seen when in late 2013 Pope Francis put forward the final paperwork to be considered to have the co-patronage of Europe bestowed upon St Columabnus to mark the 1400th anniversary of his passing.