Breage or Breaca (with many variant spellings) is a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...
venerated in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
and
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
. According to her late
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 might ...
, she was an Irish
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
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 ...
in Cornwall are named after her, and the local
Breage Parish Church
Breage Parish Church is the Anglican parish church of the parish of Breage, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is dedicated to Saint Breage or Breaca, said to have been an Irish nun who came to Cornwall in the 5th-century.
Description
The c ...
is dedicated to her. She is a saint in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
and
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
.
Traditions
Breage Church
Breage Parish Church is the Anglican parish church of the parish of Breage, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is dedicated to Saint Breage or Breaca, said to have been an Irish nun who came to Cornwall in the 5th-century.
Description
The chur ...
was established by 1170, giving its name to the village and parish of
Breage, Cornwall
Breage ( , ; kw, Eglosbrek (village), Pluw Vrek (parish)) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is three miles (5 km) west of Helston.
Other settlements in the parish include the villages of Ashton, C ...
. However, little else is known of Saint Breage or her early
cultus Cultus may refer to:
*Cult (religious practice)
* ''Cultus'' (stonefly), a genus of stoneflies
* Cultus Bay, a bay in Washington
* Cultus Lake (disambiguation)
*Cultus River, a river in Oregon
*Suzuki Cultus
The Suzuki Cultus is a supermini car ...
. She was the subject of a medieval
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 might ...
, probably written in the 14th or 15th century.
[Orme, pp. 71–72.] The work is lost, but the English antiquarian
John Leland recorded some extracts in his ''Itinerary'' around 1540.
[O'Hanlon, p. 137.] The surviving text suggests an initial composition at or for Breage Church, as it contains a number of references to local places and gives Breage precedence over other saints of the region.
[ The narrative is late and replete with stock elements and borrowings from other works, and as such is not considered historical. However, the author was certainly well versed in the hagiographical tradition, drawing from a ''Life'' of ]Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...
, and evidently borrowing from Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
** Breton people
** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Ga ...
traditions of Saint Sithney
Saint Sithney (Latin: Sidinius; br, Sezni Saint; date unknown[Elwen
Elwen (also known as Elvan, Elven, etc.) was the name of an early saint or saints venerated in Cornwall and Brittany. The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall from Ireland in the company of Breage and six others, but this is ...](_blank)
, Ia, and Gwinear.[
According to Leland's text, Breage was born in the region of ''Lagonia'' and ''Ultonia'' in Ireland, an unclear description perhaps referring to ]Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
and Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
. She became a nun at an oratory founded by Saint Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...
at ''Campus Breace'' (the Plain of Breague; modern Mag Breg
The Kings of Brega were rulers of Brega, a petty kingdom north of Dublin in medieval Ireland.
Overview
Brega took its name from ' ('), meaning "fine plain", in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of th ...
in County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
). Around 460, she travelled to Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
with a company of seven other Irish saints: 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 ...
, Senanus (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 Sithne ...
), 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 ...
), Elwen
Elwen (also known as Elvan, Elven, etc.) was the name of an early saint or saints venerated in Cornwall and Brittany. The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall from Ireland in the company of Breage and six others, but this is ...
, 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
* Tec ...
. They settled at ''Revyer'' on the River Hayle
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wa ...
, but some were killed by the local ruler Tewdwr Mawr
Tewdwr Mawr ( Breton for "Theodore the Great"; kw, Teudar Maur or '; cy, Tewdr; la, Theodorus; french: Thierry; mid-6th century) was an early medieval king in Armorica (now Cornouaille, France) and Cornwall.
Life
Tewdwr was a member of the roy ...
of Penwith
Penwith (; kw, Pennwydh) is an area of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. ...
, a tyrant appearing regularly in Cornish hagiographical works. Undeterred, Breage travelled through Cornwall, visiting the hill of Pencaire and establishing a church at ''Trenewith'' or Chynoweth. After her death the church was moved to its present location, and many miracles occurred at her tomb.[
Other bits of traditions about Breage have also come down. The chronicler ]William Worcester
William Worcester, also called William of Worcester, William Worcestre or William Botoner (1415) was an English topographer, antiquary and chronicler.
Life
He was a son of another William of Worcester, a Bristol whittawer (worker in white leather ...
wrote in 1478 that Breage's feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
was celebrated on 1 May, and that she was said to be buried at the church dedicated to her.[ An idiom recorded in nearby ]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 ...
in the 18th century said that while that village's patron Saint 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 Penza ...
was a king, "Breage was a midwife". In the 19th century, residents of St Levan
St Levan ( kw, Selevan) is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish is rural with a number of hamlets of varying size with Porthcurno probably being the best known. Hewn out of the cliff at Minack Point and overlooking the ...
held that Breage was the sister of the town's saint Selevan or Salaman.[ In later times Breage's feast day was celebrated on 4 June, and was evidently once a prominent feast in Cornwall and the ]Diocese of Exeter
The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Exeter Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is pa ...
in Devon.[O'Hanlon, p. 138.] A Breage Fair is held on the third Monday in June.[
It was whilst visiting Breage, on the 8th. of January, 1982, that the international film actor ]Grégoire Aslan
Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian; 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician.
Early life
Krikor Kaloust Aslanian ( hy, Գրիգոր Գալուստի Ասլանյան) was born in Switzerland or in Co ...
died.
Identity
Since the traditions about Breage that have come down are late, the veracity of the details are doubted. The hagiography is replete with stock elements: her association with other locally venerated saints as companions, her conflict with a heathen tyrant, and her establishment as a hermit in a remote part of the parish that was later named for her.[ Her Irish origin is suspect, as in this period in Cornwall it was common to attribute a fabricated Irish connection to obscure saints. In Breage's case it may have been suggested by the similarity between her name and the ''Campus Breace'' in the ''Life of Brigid''.][
As such, the traditions surrounding Breage appear to be later legend attached to a figure whose true history had been lost.][ There was a saint with a similar name active in the area during the Early Middle Ages, ]Brioc
Saint Brioc ( Breton: ''Brieg''; cy, Briog; kw, Breock; french: Brieuc; died c. 502) was a 5th-century Welsh holy man who became the first abbot of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. He is one of the seven founder saints of Brittany.
Life
Very lit ...
, whose feast day was 1 May, the same day that William Worcester gave for Breage. Brioc was male, but it is not uncommon for the gender of poorly remembered saints to have been switched over the years. In 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 ...
there was also a Saint Briac, who gave his name to a number of places in the region. However, all medieval mentions of Breage regard her as female, complicating an identification with similarly named male saints.[
Later brief accounts of Breage, mostly adapted from Leland, appear in the works of ]Alban Butler
Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer.
Biography
Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...
and Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 ...
.[
]
Notes
References
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Breage
Late Ancient Christian female saints
5th-century Irish nuns
Female saints of medieval Ireland
Medieval Irish saints of Cornwall
Medieval Cornish saints
5th-century Christian saints
Medieval Irish saints
6th-century Irish nuns