Saint Armel

Saint Armel ( cy, Arthfael, "Wolf-Prince"; la, Armagilus) was an early 6th-century holy man 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 ...

. Armel is said to have been a

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 ...

prince, born to the wife of King

Hoel King Hoel ( br, Hoel I Mawr, "Hoel the Great"; la, Hoelus, Hovelus, Hœlus), also known as Sir Howel, Saint Hywel and Hywel the Great, was a late 5th- and early 6th-centuryFord, David Nashat ''Early British Kingdoms''. 2001. Retrieved 1 D ...

while they were living in

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in the late 5th century. He founded the abbey of

Plouarzel Plouarzel (; br, Plouarzhel) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The westernmost point of continental France, the Pointe de Corsen, lies within the commune. Population Inhabitants of Plouarzel are call ...

in Brittany and was, from there, called to attend the court of King

Childebert I Childebert I (c. 496 – 13 December 558) was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons of Saint Clo ...

of Paris. On the journey, he established churches at Ergué-Armel,

Plouharnel Plouharnel (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Inhabitants of Plouharnel are called in French ''Plouharnelais''. Geography Plouharnel is a seaside town located in the south of Morbihan, southwest ...

and Saint-Armel which remember his name. He remained seven years at the royal court, curing the lame and the blind. The king gave him land at Saint-Armel-des-Bochaux in

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019.

where he founded a second

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. He then removed himself to the Forest of Teil and is said to have defeated a dragon which was terrorising the area. He died in his monastery around 570. His feast day is 16 August. It has been questioned whether or not Saint Armel could have actually been

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

. Some writers have identified

Athrwys ap Meurig Athrwys ap Meurig (c. 605–655) was a prince, and possibly king, of Gwent and Glywysing in Wales. He was the son of King Meurig ap Tewdrig and the father of the later king Morgan ab Athrwys. It is possible he died before his father Meurig and ...

as a potential historical basis for

. This identification is found at least as early as Thomas Carte's A General History of England, written in 1747. It was later put forward and popularised by William Owen Pughe in 1803. The theory subsequently gained more popularity during the 19th century. After the battle of Camlann, Armel would have retired to his duties as a monk, and achieved his title of Saint. 6th-century Christian saints Medieval Breton saints People from Glamorgan Medieval Welsh saints 570 deaths Year of birth unknown 6th-century Breton people {{France-saint-stub