Saint Maudez is a Breton

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 ...

who lived in the 5th or 6th century. He is also known as Maudé, Maudet (Breton French), Maodez or Modez (Breton), Maudetus (Latin), Mandé (French) and Mawes (in Cornwall). In the Breton calendar his feast is 18 November.

Biography

Maudez is variously said to have come from Ireland, or Wales,"Saint Maudez", Nominis
/ref> but most sources say Brittany. He first settled on the south coast of Cornwall where the village of St Mawes took his name. There was a chapel dedicated to him that was subsequently abandoned during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. A second chapel was built by the Earl Temple on Church Hill in 1807; and rebuilt in 1881. St Mawes' Church was opened by the

Bishop of Truro The Bishop of Truro is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Truro in the Province of Canterbury. History There had been between the 9th and 11th centuries a Bishopric of Cornwall until it was merged with Credi ...

Dr George Wilkinson on 5 December 1884. Local opinion holds that St. Mawes built the first landing at the harbor to help pilgrims access his Holy Well, which is preserved on nearby Grove Hill. St Mawes Holy Well - geograph

Then he went to Brittany and tradition has it that he landed in Pleubian. From there, he visited many monasteries in the region of

Tréguier Tréguier (; br, Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor. Geography Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situat ...

, Dol and the country of

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

. he built his first hermitage at Lanmodez (enclosure of Modez or Maudez). Then he moved to the small deserted island of Gueldénez (now called Île Maudez] in the Île-de-Bréhat, Bréhat archipelago. There he settled with two disciples,

Budoc Saint Budoc of Dol (also Budeaux or Beuzec) was a Bishop of Dol, venerated after his death as a saint in both Brittany (now in France) and Devon (now in England). Saint Budoc is the patron of Plourin Ploudalmezeau in Finistère where his relics ar ...

and

Tudy of Landevennec Tudy (Tudi, Tudec, Tudinus, Tegwin, Thetgo, Tydie) of Landevennec was a Breton saint of the 5th or 6th century. He was a hermit who founded monasteries at Landévennec in Brittany, France and in Cornwall, England. The village of St Tudy in Cor ...

probably in the second half of the 5th century."Saint Maudez", Le Diocése de Quimper et Léon
/ref> Traces of a beehive hut known as Forn Modez (Maudez's oven) are visible on the island. Budoc later founded on monastery on the nearby island of Laurea.

Veneration

Maudez is, after Saint Yves, one of the most revered among the saints of Brittany. He is invoked mainly against fevers and snakes. In the 9th century his

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s were taken to

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

and to

Saint-Mandé Saint-Mandé () is a high-end Communes of France, commune of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. It is one of the sm ...

(Saint-Maudez), near Paris to escape from the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

. There a chapel was dedicated to Saint-Maudez. When they were returned to Brittany they were divided between nine churches. The church of Lennon, Finistère preserves a reliquary of Saint Maudez. He is venerated at Saint Mawes in Cornwall and in the Isles of Scilly under the name Saint Mawes''. St Mawes Day continues to be celebrated on 18 November."St Mawes Day", Roseland Visitor Centre
/ref> In Lanmodez, a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

takes place on the 4th Sunday of August.

Legacy

* The village of Saint-Maudez is in the canton of Plélan-le-Petit. * More than 60 churches or chapels are dedicated to the saint, e.g.

Guiscriff Guiscriff (; br, Gwiskri) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.Lanvellec Lanvellec (; br, Lanvaeleg) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in north-western France. Culture The commune has a rich architectural and cultural heritage. The parish church of Saint-Brandan was rebuilt between 1852 and 1 ...

. Image:Chapelle Saint-Maudez de Lanvellec 01.JPG, Chapelle Saint-Maudez de Lanvellec Image:St Mawes' Church, St Mawes.JPG, St Mawes' Church, St Mawes, Cornwall Image:Chapelle Saint-Maudé (La Croix-Helléan) 5050.JPG, Chapelle Saint-Maudé (La Croix-Helléan)

Butler's account

The hagiographer

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 ...

( 1710–1773) wrote in his ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints'', under May 18,

References

Sources