Carantoc
Encyclopedia
Saint Carantoc was a confessor
and abbot
of the early 6th century in Wales
and what is now the English
West Country
.
His early vita
takes the form of a short homily. Many details of his life are obscure or contradictory. Ceredigion
is given as his birthplace, sua proprio regio. He was the son of Corwn, grandson of Ceredig
, King of Ceredigion
. He is credited with founding Llangrannog
, Ceredigion
, Wales
. His name is listed amongst the Cornish Saints, and he is given credit for establishing St Carantoc's Church, Crantock
.
To escape being elected king, he fled to Llangrannog. The shavings he produced for lighting a fire there were carried away as soon as they were made by a dove. Where the bird alighted, Carantoc built the present church. This story is sometimes ascribed to Crantock
in Cornwall
, where the parish church
is dedicated to Saint Carantoc, but according to the primitive life in the Léon Breviary, this was definitely in Wales. He probably moved to Cornwall before preaching for some time in Ireland
, around Dulane in County Meath
and Inis-Baithen in Leinster
. According to the 'Vita Carantoci' this was under the instruction of Saint Patrick
, but this does not fit chronologically with other aspects of his life. It is also sometimes said that he spent time in Brittany
, but the stories set in Brittany replicate those from Britain.
In the most famous incident of Carantoc's life, the saint, having returned to Wales, crossed the Bristol Channel
, looking for his portable altar. He arrived on the banks of the River Willett and came into conflict with both King Cado
of Dumnonia
and King Arthur
at Dunster
in Somerset
; this encounter with Arthur make the life of Carantoc one of only five insular saints' lives and two Breton ones that mention Arthur in contexts that may be independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth
's myth-making in Historia Regum Britanniae
. Carantoc was eventually obliged to defeat a ferocious dragon
in order to retrieve his altar and, in return, was given land at nearby Carhampton to found a monastery
.
Carantoc's place of death and burial is disputed between Inis Baithen and Dulane. His feast day is 16 May.
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
and abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the early 6th century in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and what is now the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
.
His early vita
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
takes the form of a short homily. Many details of his life are obscure or contradictory. Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
is given as his birthplace, sua proprio regio. He was the son of Corwn, grandson of Ceredig
Ceredig
Ceredig ap Cunedda, , king of Ceredigion, may have been born c. 420 AD in the Brythonic kingdom of Manaw Gododdin , centred on the Firth of Forth in the area known as Yr Hen Ogledd.Little is known of him...
, King of Ceredigion
Kingdom of Ceredigion
The Kingdom of Ceredigion was one of several Welsh kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain. Its area corresponded roughly to that of the modern county of Ceredigion. The kingdom's hilly geography made it difficult for foreign invaders to conquer. Cardigan Bay bordered to the west...
. He is credited with founding Llangrannog
Llangrannog
Llangrannog is a small, coastal village and seaside resort in Ceredigion, Wales, seven miles south of New Quay. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangrannog was then 796 people...
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. His name is listed amongst the Cornish Saints, and he is given credit for establishing St Carantoc's Church, Crantock
St Carantoc's Church, Crantock
St Carantoc's Church, Crantock is in the village of Crantock, Cornwall, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Truro, the archdeaconry of Cornwall and the deanery of Pydar...
.
To escape being elected king, he fled to Llangrannog. The shavings he produced for lighting a fire there were carried away as soon as they were made by a dove. Where the bird alighted, Carantoc built the present church. This story is sometimes ascribed to Crantock
Crantock
Crantock is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately two miles southwest of Newquay....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, where the parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
is dedicated to Saint Carantoc, but according to the primitive life in the Léon Breviary, this was definitely in Wales. He probably moved to Cornwall before preaching for some time in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, around Dulane in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
and Inis-Baithen in Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
. According to the 'Vita Carantoci' this was under the instruction of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, but this does not fit chronologically with other aspects of his life. It is also sometimes said that he spent time in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, but the stories set in Brittany replicate those from Britain.
In the most famous incident of Carantoc's life, the saint, having returned to Wales, crossed the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
, looking for his portable altar. He arrived on the banks of the River Willett and came into conflict with both King Cado
Cador
Cador was a legendary Duke of Cornwall, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudo-historical History of the Kings of Britain and previous manuscript sources such as Vita Sanctus Carantoci circa 1100 from Cotton Vespasian xiv...
of Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
and King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
at Dunster
Dunster
Dunster is a village and civil parish in west Somerset, England, situated on the Bristol Channel coast south-southeast of Minehead and northwest of Taunton. The village has a population of 862 .The village has numerous restaurants and three pubs...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
; this encounter with Arthur make the life of Carantoc one of only five insular saints' lives and two Breton ones that mention Arthur in contexts that may be independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's myth-making in Historia Regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
. Carantoc was eventually obliged to defeat a ferocious dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
in order to retrieve his altar and, in return, was given land at nearby Carhampton to found a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
.
Carantoc's place of death and burial is disputed between Inis Baithen and Dulane. His feast day is 16 May.