He originated from a noble family of
Ireland, where his name was Feirgil, and was educated in the Iona monastery. It is controversial whether he is identical to Abbot Feirgil of Aghaboe Abbey in County Laois.
He is said to have been a descendant of
Niall of the Nine Hostages. In the "
Annals of the Four Masters" and the "
Annals of Ulster" he is mentioned as Abbot of
Aghaboe, in
County Laois.
Around 743 he left Ireland, intending to visit the Holy land, but, like many of his countrymen, who seemed to have adopted this practice as a work of piety, he settled down in France, where he was received with great favour by
Pippin the Younger of
Franconia. After spending two years at
Cressy, near
Compiegne, he went to
Bavaria, at the invitation of
Duke Odilo, and within a year or two was made Abbot of St. Peter's at
Salzburg. Out of humility, he "concealed his orders", and had a bishop named Dobdagrecus, a fellow countryman, appointed to perform his episcopal functions for him.
It was while Abbot of St. Peter's that he came into collision with
Saint Boniface. A priest having, through ignorance, conferred the Sacrament of Baptism using, in place of the correct formula, the words
Baptizo te in nomine patria et filia et spiritu sancta, Vergilius held that the sacrament had been validly conferred, but Boniface complained to
Pope Zachary. The latter, however, decided in favour of Vergilius. Later on, Boniface accused Vergilius of spreading discord between himself and Duke Odilo of Bavaria and of teaching a doctrine in regard to the
rotundity of the earth, which was "contrary to the Scriptures". Pope Zachary's decision in this case was that "if it shall be clearly established that he professes belief in another world and other people existing beneath the earth, or in [another] sun and moon there, thou art to hold a council, and deprive him of his sacerdotal rank, and expel him from the church." Unfortunately we no longer possess the treatise in which Vergilius expounded his doctrine. Two things, however, are certain: first, that there was involved the problem of
original sin and the universality of redemption; secondly, that Vergilius succeeded in freeing himself from the charge of teaching a doctrine contrary to Scripture. It is likely that Boniface, already biased against Vergilius because of the preceding case, misunderstood him, taking it for granted, perhaps, that if there are
antipodes, the "other race of men" are not descendants of Adam and were not redeemed by Christ.
After the martyrdom of Boniface, Vergilius was made
Bishop of Salzburg in 766 or 767 and laboured successfully for the upbuilding of his diocese as well as for the
spread of Christianity in neighbouring
heathen countries, especially in
Carinthia. He died at Salzburg, 27 November, 789. In
1233 he was canonized by
Gregory IX.
His doctrine that the earth is a sphere was derived from the teaching of ancient geographers, and his belief in the existence of the antipodes was probably influenced by the accounts which the ancient Irish voyagers gave of their journeys. This, at least, is the opinion of Rettberg ("Kirchengesch. Deutschlands", II, 236).
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