Saint Winwaloe
Encyclopedia
Saint Winwaloe (died 3 March 532) was the founder and first Abbot of Landévennec Abbey
, literally Lann of Venec, or Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest
in Brittany
, now part of France
.
Winwaloe was the son of Fracan, a prince of Dumnonia
, and his wife, Gwen Teirbron (or 'Gwen the Triple-Breasted'), who had fled to Brittany to avoid the plague.
He was born about 460, apparently at Plouguin
, near Saint-Pabu
, where his supposed place of birth, a feudal hillock, can still be seen. Winaloe grew up in Ploufragan
near Saint-Brieuc
with his brothers, Wethnoc and Jacut. They were later joined by a sister, Saint Creirwe. He was educated by Saint Budoc on the Île Lavret, in the Bréhat
archipelago, near Paimpol
.
As a young man, it is said that Winwaloe conceived a wish to visit Ireland
to see the remains of Saint Patrick
, who had just died. However, the saint appeared to him in a dream to say that it would be better to remain in Brittany and found an abbey. So, with eleven of Budoc's other disciples, he set up a small monastery on the island of Tibidy
, at the mouth of the River Faou. However, it was so inhospitable that after three years, he miraculously opened a passage through the sea to found another abbey on the opposite bank of the Landévennec estuary.
Winwaloe died at his monastery on 3 March 532.
bonjour guenole
ca va
c est antoine jegu de 4d
Winwaloe was venerated as a saint at Landévennec until Viking
invasions in 914 forced the monk
s to flee, with his body, to Château-du-Loir
and then Montreuil-sur-Mer
. His relic
s were often taken on procession through the town.
Winwaloe's shrine was destroyed during the French Revolution
in 1793.
He apparently acquired a priapic
reputation through confusion of his name with the word, gignere (Fr. engendrer, 'to beget') and was thus a patron of fertility as one of the phallic saints
. He is also the patron of Saint-Guénolé
, Finisterre.
In his Cornish homeland
, Winwaloe is the patron of the churches at Tremaine
, St. Wynwallow's Church, Landewednack
and Gunwalloe
, as well as East Portlemouth
in Devon
and two lost chapels in Wales
. The churches of St Twynnells, near Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
and Wonastow
, Monmouthshire
may have been originally dedicated to him. They were probably founded by his successor at Landévennec, Saint Guenäel, who certainly made trips to Britain
. Exeter
, Glastonbury
, Abingdon
and Waltham
held small relics. He was also popular in East Anglia
where the abbey at Montreuil-sur-Mer had a daughter house.
St. Winwaloe Priory
in Norfolk
was dedicated to him.
Landévennec Abbey
Landévennec Abbey was a monastery in Brittany, now in Finistère, France. It existed from its foundation at Landévennec, traditionally by Winwaloe in the late fifth century, to 1793, when the monastery was abandoned and sold. In 1950 it was bought and rebuilt by the Benedictines of Kerbénéat.It...
, literally Lann of Venec, or Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
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...
, now part of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Life
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 his wife, Gwen Teirbron (or 'Gwen the Triple-Breasted'), who had fled to Brittany to avoid the plague.
He was born about 460, apparently at Plouguin
Plouguin
Plouguin is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies northwest of Brest, about from the English Channel in the far west of the Leon peninsula.-Saint Winwaloe:...
, near Saint-Pabu
Saint-Pabu
Saint-Pabu is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on January 14, 2006.-References:** -External links:* *...
, where his supposed place of birth, a feudal hillock, can still be seen. Winaloe grew up in Ploufragan
Ploufragan
Ploufragan is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France.Ploufragan is a neighboring commune of Saint-Brieuc.-Population:Inhabitants of Ploufragan are called ploufraganais.-External links:*...
near Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
with his brothers, Wethnoc and Jacut. They were later joined by a sister, Saint Creirwe. He was educated by Saint Budoc on the Île Lavret, in the Bréhat
Île-de-Bréhat
Île-de-Bréhat is an island located near Paimpol, a mile off the northern coast of Brittany. Administratively, it is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France....
archipelago, near Paimpol
Paimpol
Paimpol is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches.-Population:...
.
As a young man, it is said that Winwaloe conceived a wish to visit 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...
to see the remains 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....
, who had just died. However, the saint appeared to him in a dream to say that it would be better to remain in Brittany and found an abbey. So, with eleven of Budoc's other disciples, he set up a small monastery on the island of Tibidy
Île de Tibidy
Tibidy is a French islet at the mouth of the river Faou, at the bottom of the roadstead of Brest, on land belonging to the commune of L'Hôpital-Camfrout. Its highest point is 15m...
, at the mouth of the River Faou. However, it was so inhospitable that after three years, he miraculously opened a passage through the sea to found another abbey on the opposite bank of the Landévennec estuary.
Winwaloe died at his monastery on 3 March 532.
bonjour guenole
ca va
c est antoine jegu de 4d
Veneration
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
invasions in 914 forced the monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s to flee, with his body, to Château-du-Loir
Château-du-Loir
Château-du-Loir is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France.-References:*...
and then Montreuil-sur-Mer
Montreuil-sur-Mer
Montreuil or Montreuil-sur-Mer is a sub-prefecture in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is located on the Canche river, not far from Étaples...
. His relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s were often taken on procession through the town.
Winwaloe's shrine was destroyed during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1793.
He apparently acquired a priapic
Priapus
In Greek mythology, Priapus or Priapos , was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his absurdly oversized, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism...
reputation through confusion of his name with the word, gignere (Fr. engendrer, 'to beget') and was thus a patron of fertility as one of the phallic saints
Phallic saints
Phallic saints were actual saints or local deities who were invoked for fertility. More than vulgar representations of the phallus, phallic saints were benevolent symbols of prolificacy and reproductive fruitfulness, and objects of reverence and especial worship among barren women and young girls...
. He is also the patron of Saint-Guénolé
Penmarch
Penmarc'h or Penmarch is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. It lies 18 km south-west of Quimper by road.-History:...
, Finisterre.
In his Cornish homeland
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...
, Winwaloe is the patron of the churches at Tremaine
Tremaine, Cornwall
Tremaine is a small village and a rural civil parish in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is in the Registration District of Launceston and the population in the 2001 census was 87....
, St. Wynwallow's Church, Landewednack
St. Wynwallow's Church, Landewednack
St Wynwallow's Church, Landewednack, is the parish church of Landewednack parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most southerly church in mainland Britain and is situated approximately ten miles south of Helston....
and Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula three miles south of Helston and partly contains The Loe, the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall.-History:...
, as well as East Portlemouth
East Portlemouth
East Portlemouth is a small Devon village situated at the southern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary. The village is sited on a hill giving views to the north to Kingsbridge and on a clear day as far as Dartmoor...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and two lost chapels 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...
. The churches of St Twynnells, near Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...
and Wonastow
Wonastow
Wonastow is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom.- History & Amenities :Wonastow has a twelfth century church dedicated to St. Wonnow or Saint Winwaloe, believed to have been built on a seventh century religious site. Monmouth's Wonastow Road industrial estate is located...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
may have been originally dedicated to him. They were probably founded by his successor at Landévennec, Saint Guenäel, who certainly made trips to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Exeter
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
, Glastonbury
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
, Abingdon
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
and Waltham
Waltham Abbey (abbey)
The Abbey Church of Waltham Abbey has been a place of worship since at least 1030, and is in the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. The Prime Meridian passes through its grounds. Harold Godwinson is said to be buried just outside the present abbey...
held small relics. He was also popular in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
where the abbey at Montreuil-sur-Mer had a daughter house.
St. Winwaloe Priory
Winnold House
Winnold House, formerly the Benedictine Priory of St. Winwaloe, is a country house near Wereham in Norfolk, England. The house is constructed from the remaining fragments of a former Benedictine priory. The priory was founded in 1199 and was dissolved in 1321...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
was dedicated to him.