Folklore & legend

The Gates of Brude's Fortress Fly Open for Columba

Pictish royal fortress near Inverness (site uncertain)

Said to be 6th century; written c. 700

Adomnan gives a parallel miracle for an Irish monastery at Tirdaglas, where the church door opened without a key, so the motif is a stock one in his saint's life. The Inverness version serves to explain how Columba won a hearing at the Pictish court.

The fortress site is debated. Craig Phadrig is the traditional candidate and is used here only as a marker.

Craig Phadrig is a forested hill on the western edge of Inverness with a public path; the exact site of Brude's fortress is not known.
Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Open ground
Location
57.477, -4.270 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: Adomnan, Life of Columba (Fordham Medieval Sourcebook) [public-domain]; Wikipedia, Craig Phadrig [other]

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