Elwen (also known as Elvan, Elven, etc.) was the name of an early

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

or saints venerated in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in the company of

Breage Breage or Breaca (with many variant spellings) is a saint venerated in Cornwall and South West England. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and civil pari ...

and six others, but this is attested late. A chapel at

Porthleven Porthleven () is a town, civil parish and fishing port near Helston, Cornwall, England. The most southerly port in Great Britain, it was a harbour of refuge when this part of the Cornish coastline was infamous for wrecks in the days of sail. The ...

Sithney Sithney ( kw, Merthersydhni) is a village and civil parish in West Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Sithney is north of Porthleven. The population including Boscadjack and Crowntown at the 2011 census was 841. It is named after Saint Sithney, ...

parish, Cornwall, dedicated to Elwen, existed from the 13th century until 1549, and in Brittany several sites and placenames are associated with possibly related figures.

History

The name St Elvan is attached to a chapel at

recorded as early as 1270.Orme, p. 112. This chapel was rebuilt c. 1510 but was destroyed in 1549. Elwen appears in John Leland's extracts from a lost late-medieval ''Life of Saint Breage'' included in his ''Itinerary''. Leland's extracts name Elwen as one of Saint

's seven Irish companions who join her on her mission to Cornwall, the others being

Germoe Germoe ( kw, Germogh) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Germoe village, the parish's main settlement and church town, is about five miles (8 km) west of Helston and seven miles (11.3 km) east of Penz ...

, Mavuanus (perhaps

Mawnan Mawnan ( kw, Maunan, meaning ''St Maunan'') is a village and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the former administrative district of Kerrier and is bounded to the south by the Helford River, to the east by the s ...

), Crowan, Helena, and

Tecla Tecla is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: * Tecla Insolia (born 2004), Italian actress and singer * Tecla Marinescu (born 1960), Romanian sprint canoer * Tecla Namachanja Wanjala (born 1962), Kenyan peace activist * Tecl ...

. The text also refers to a ''Life of St Elwinus'', evidently a lost

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

of Elwin. A few medieval and early modern Cornish sources mention Elwen and his chapel, but little else is known of him there. One document mentions him in connection to an otherwise unknown Saint Gelvin, though this may be based on a mistake or a fraud.Orme, p. 124. In Brittany two apparently distinct saints with corresponding names are known. A Saint ''Elouan'' is said to have had his chapel at

Saint-Guen Saint-Guen (; ) is a former commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Guerlédan.Elven, Morbihan Elven (; br, An Elven) is a commune, located in the department of Morbihan and region of Brittany, western France. Geography The village of Elven is located about from the Vannes- Rennes junction on route nationale 166. Until 2015, it was the ...

. It is unknown which, if either, may be identified with the Cornish Elwen. In modern times a Church of St Elwyn has been established at

Hayle Hayle ( kw, Heyl, "estuary") is a port town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River (which discharges into St Ives Bay) and is approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Penzance. ...

, probably inspired by the legend recorded in Leland's work that Elwen and company had landed there from Ireland.

Notes

References

* {{authority control 5th-century Christian saints Medieval Breton saints Medieval Irish saints of Cornwall