Guengalaenus
Saint Guengalaenus (* after 460 in Wales ; † 532 (?) In Brittany ) was a Benedictine and missionary . The center of his worship is in Brittany. There are over 50 variations of its name. Common in France is Guénolé . Variations include Winwaloe or Winwallus. His feast day is March 3rd.
Life
Guengalaenus is said to have been the founder of the Abbey of Landévennec , but was probably abbot there at the beginning of the 6th century. His veneration as a saint developed in the abbey. The local abbot Wurdestin wrote Guengalaenus' biography before 884. According to tradition, his family fled from the invading Anglo-Saxons from Wales to Brittany, where Guengalaenus was raised in a monastery on the Île de Bréhat . He then led a life as a hermit and finally came to Landévennec. His worship developed in northern France and southern England in the 10th century. The place Saint-Guénolé, a district of Penmarch , bears his name. In Brittany he is associated with the legend of the sunken city of Ys and its king Gradlon. A representation of this can be found on a stained glass in the church of St-Guénolé in Batz-sur-Mer .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Guengalaenus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Benedictine, missionary and Catholic saint |
| DATE OF BIRTH | after 460 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | uncertain: 532 |
| Place of death | Brittany |