Saint Germanus of Man ( Manx: ''Carmane''; 410 AD,

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

– c. 474,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

), also known as Saint Germanus of Peel, was the first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. Born in Brittany in the early fifth century, he travelled to

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 ...

to study with Saint Patrick, who may have been his uncle. Germanus later spent some time in St.

Illtud Saint Illtud (also spelled Illtyd, Eltut, and, in Latin, Hildutus), also known as Illtud Farchog or Illtud the Knight, is venerated as the abbot teacher of the divinity school, Bangor Illtyd, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in Gla ...

's abbey in southern

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

before returning to Ireland to be ordained by Patrick, and sent to the

as bishop. He is thought to have died in Normandy in the late fifth century. In 2012 a bishop's seal was discovered buried in a field in the north of Man, bearing the inscription, ""Let the prayers to God of Germanus and Patricius help us".Edwards, Mark. "Bishop's seal found in field on display at museum", BBC News, 6 November 2012
/ref> His main feast is 3 July, although in some places it is celebrated on 31 July. In Peel, St German's Day is celebrated ten days after his main feast on 13 July, possibly due to keeping the old Julian date following the switch to the Gregorian calendar (at the time a ten day difference). St German is patron saint of the island's cathedral. There is some historical confusion with Saint Germanus of Auxerre, feast 31 July.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Germanus of Man Manx saints Medieval Breton saints 5th-century Christian saints