Ronan of Locronan
Encyclopedia
Saint Ronan is the name of an Irish pilgrim saint and hermit in western Brittany, eponymous founder of Locronan
and co-patron of Quimper
, together with its founder, Saint Corentin
.
At some later stage, his remains were translated to the nearby abbey of Quimper, whose patron saint was St Corentin. This must have occurred by 1274 at the latest, when the abbey produced an inventory mentioning the saint’s body and head among its cherished relics. Sometime in the same century, a Latin Life
of the saint, the Vita S. Ronani, was written at Quimper to familiarise the local community with the origins of the saint and his posthumous importance for the town through the miracles wrought by his relics.
", he continued his journey southwards to the kingdom of Cornouaille
(Latin Cornubia) and set up a hermitage at what would become known as Locronan, near the woods of Névez
. Here he devoted himself to prayer and an ascetic way of life, through which he soon attracted a multitude of admirers from the region (§ 2). In this way, his presence also came to the attention of Gradlon
, king of Cornouaille and a prominent figure in Breton legend (§ 3).
A local peasant much admired the saint, offering hospitality and paying frequent visits to his cell, but Keban, the peasant's wife, grew jealous and devised a scheme to bring the holy man into disrepute (§ 4). Before Gradlon at his court in Quimper, she openly accused the saint, saying that he was a sorcerer who could transform himself into a wild animal and that in the shape of a wolf
, he had devoured numerous sheep and worst of all, her only daughter (§ 5). Ronan was put to the test to prove his sanctity. First, the king’s two ferocious dogs were unleashed on him, but by the token of Christ, Ronan managed to pacify them (§ 6). Second, he was given the opportunity to account for the disappearance of the peasant’s daughter. He revealed that Keban had locked up her own daughter in a place so small that she had stifled to death, and named the exact location (§ 7). When the girl was found dead just as the saint had told, local citizens insisted on Keban’s execution. Ronan, however, prevented this, preferring to practise Christian benevolence, and brought the dead girl back to life (§ 8). In spite of this, the saint continued to be harassed by Keban’s malice and therefore left for the petty kingdom of Domnonia
in northwest Brittany, where he settled near Hillion (§ 9). He died in his cell (§ 10).
The second part of the text focuses on events after Ronan's death, his miracles, the growth of his cult and the fate of his relics. Since he died outside of Cornouaille, a quarrel arose over where to bury his body. The issue was decided by placing the body on a cart, dragged by wild oxen, and leaving it for them to drag wherever they would. The king of Cornouaille proved to be the only person able to lift the body and place it on a bier, which healed his arm of an old wound. The wild oxen driving the cart walked straight to the saint's cell in the forest of Névez. There the body was interred and the little settlement of Locronan grew up around the burial place (§ 11).
The text subsequently makes a few leaps through time. It is said, for instance, that following a wave of Viking incursions, a new chapel was built at the site (§ 12). Without giving any explicit explanation, the final chapters relate that the saint's relics were at some date translated, with appropriate pomp, to Quimper (Latin Confluentia). The presence of his relics in the town and the control over them by the clergy led to a series of miracles. One man is said to have been cured of dumbness after praying at the altar on which the saint's relics were placed; another was freed from demonic possession after spending a night under the saint’s shrine; and the town was spared destruction by fire when the clergy used the relics to ward off the flames (§ 12-15).
Although at Quimper, Ronan was only an 'imported' saint rubbing shoulders with the native saint Corentin, the manifestation of his presence through such tangible means as his relics gave him one advantage in his favour. Possession of Ronan’s relics and the written word gave the clergy distinct instruments by which to defend and promote the saint’s cult. By contrast, Corentin enjoyed a strong local cult, which was little disturbed by the loss of relics and did not depend for its survival on the production of a written Life (though one was produced).
s produced biographies of the saint.
Ronan's feast-day is celebrated on 1 June.
Locronan
Locronan is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Locronan is a member of the [Les Plus Beaux Villages de France]] association.-The place name:...
and co-patron of Quimper
Quimper
Quimper is a commune and capital of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Administration:Quimper is the prefecture of the Finistère department.-Geography:...
, together with its founder, Saint Corentin
Corentin of Quimper
Saint Corentin is a Breton saint. He is venerated as a saint and as the first bishop of Quimper. His feast day is December 12. He was a hermit at Plomodiern and regarded as one of the seven founder saints of Brittany...
.
From Locronan to Quimper
The village of Locronan (lit. “the place of Ronan”), which is located about 17 km northwest of Quimper, owes its name to its reputed founder, the Irish pilgrim St Ronan. To judge by his entry in the cartulary of the abbey of Quimper, he is known to have been venerated at Locronan since at least the 1030s.At some later stage, his remains were translated to the nearby abbey of Quimper, whose patron saint was St Corentin. This must have occurred by 1274 at the latest, when the abbey produced an inventory mentioning the saint’s body and head among its cherished relics. Sometime in the same century, a Latin Life
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...
of the saint, the Vita S. Ronani, was written at Quimper to familiarise the local community with the origins of the saint and his posthumous importance for the town through the miracles wrought by his relics.
Synopsis of Ronan’s earliest Life
Life
The text begins by telling that Ronan was a well-educated native of Ireland, whose good works as a bishop had brought him great renown in his home country (§ 1). However, he longed to have a closer communion with God and so at the height of his career in Ireland, he chose voluntary exile, per Genesis 12:1-3, by severing all ties with kin and country and embarking on a voyage to Brittany. Having landed "in the region of LéonViscounty of Léon
The Viscounty of Léon was a feudal state in extreme western Brittany in the High Middle Ages. Though nominally a vassal of the sovereign Duke of Brittany, Léon was functionally independent of any external controls. It thus became the focus of revolts and wars when Brittany was drawn into the...
", he continued his journey southwards to the kingdom of Cornouaille
Cornouaille
Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...
(Latin Cornubia) and set up a hermitage at what would become known as Locronan, near the woods of Névez
Névez
Névez is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Nevez means "new" in Breton. The name is thought to have arisen when Trégunc was split in two, creating a new parish.-Population:...
. Here he devoted himself to prayer and an ascetic way of life, through which he soon attracted a multitude of admirers from the region (§ 2). In this way, his presence also came to the attention of Gradlon
Gradlon
Gradlon the Great was a semi-legendary 5th century "king" of Cornouaille who became the hero of many Breton folk stories. The most famous of these legends is the story of the sunken city of Ys. He is supposed to have been the son of Conan Meriadoc.-Gradlon and Malgven :According to some legends,...
, king of Cornouaille and a prominent figure in Breton legend (§ 3).
A local peasant much admired the saint, offering hospitality and paying frequent visits to his cell, but Keban, the peasant's wife, grew jealous and devised a scheme to bring the holy man into disrepute (§ 4). Before Gradlon at his court in Quimper, she openly accused the saint, saying that he was a sorcerer who could transform himself into a wild animal and that in the shape of a wolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, he had devoured numerous sheep and worst of all, her only daughter (§ 5). Ronan was put to the test to prove his sanctity. First, the king’s two ferocious dogs were unleashed on him, but by the token of Christ, Ronan managed to pacify them (§ 6). Second, he was given the opportunity to account for the disappearance of the peasant’s daughter. He revealed that Keban had locked up her own daughter in a place so small that she had stifled to death, and named the exact location (§ 7). When the girl was found dead just as the saint had told, local citizens insisted on Keban’s execution. Ronan, however, prevented this, preferring to practise Christian benevolence, and brought the dead girl back to life (§ 8). In spite of this, the saint continued to be harassed by Keban’s malice and therefore left for the petty kingdom of Domnonia
Domnonia
Domnonée is the modern French version of the Latin name Dumnonia , which denoted a kingdom in northern Brittany founded by migrants from Dumnonia in Great Britain...
in northwest Brittany, where he settled near Hillion (§ 9). He died in his cell (§ 10).
Miracles and cult
The text subsequently makes a few leaps through time. It is said, for instance, that following a wave of Viking incursions, a new chapel was built at the site (§ 12). Without giving any explicit explanation, the final chapters relate that the saint's relics were at some date translated, with appropriate pomp, to Quimper (Latin Confluentia). The presence of his relics in the town and the control over them by the clergy led to a series of miracles. One man is said to have been cured of dumbness after praying at the altar on which the saint's relics were placed; another was freed from demonic possession after spending a night under the saint’s shrine; and the town was spared destruction by fire when the clergy used the relics to ward off the flames (§ 12-15).
Although at Quimper, Ronan was only an 'imported' saint rubbing shoulders with the native saint Corentin, the manifestation of his presence through such tangible means as his relics gave him one advantage in his favour. Possession of Ronan’s relics and the written word gave the clergy distinct instruments by which to defend and promote the saint’s cult. By contrast, Corentin enjoyed a strong local cult, which was little disturbed by the loss of relics and did not depend for its survival on the production of a written Life (though one was produced).
Early Modern period
Albert le Grand, in his Lives of the Saints of Brittany (1636), and the BollandistBollandist
The Bollandists are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christianity. Their most important publication has been the Acta Sanctorum...
s produced biographies of the saint.
Festival
External links
- Route of the Troménie
- The Life of Saint Ronan by Albert Le Grand, 1636 - In French, this gives a general sketch of the saint's life and covers the charge of lycanthropyLycanthropyLycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
. - The Legend of Saint Ronan by Hersart La Villemarqué, 1839 - In the local Breton dialect of French, this later tract adds details like those relating to Ronan's wife.