Breton saints refers to one of two groups, the innumerable people who lived, died, worked in, or came to be particularly venerated in the nine traditional dioceses of

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 ...

(

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

, Dol, Léon,

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. History ...

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

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 situa ...

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...

) who were accepted as saintly before the establishment of the Congregation of Rites (now the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

), or those

saints 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 Orth ...

, blesseds, venerables, and

Servants of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

who have come to be recognized since that time.

Armorican Saints

Before the

Bretons The Bretons (; br, Bretoned or ''Vretoned,'' ) are a Celtic ethnic group native to Brittany. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brittonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, ...

came, the land now known as Brittany was known as

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...

within the Roman province of

Gallia Lugdunensis Gallia Lugdunensis (French: ''Gaule Lyonnaise'') was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic territory of Gaul formerly known as Celtica. It is named after its capital Lugdunum (today's Lyon) ...

. The earliest saint associated with this region is

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

, mother of

Mary (mother of Jesus) Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

, said by tradition to have been Armorican, and she is the patroness of Brittany. She also appeared to

Yves Nicolazic Yves Nicolazic (3 April 1591 – 13 May 1645) was a Breton peasant who claimed he saw Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, having unearthed a previously forgotten statue of Saint Anne in his field. This became the site of the great pilgrimag ...

, to whom she spoke in Breton. After her, the earliest saints in what is now Brittany have dates which are sometimes unclear, but tradition holds they go back to the earliest days of the Church. One Saint Maxime, said to have been the disciple of Saint

Philip the Apostle Philip the Apostle ( el, Φίλιππος; Aramaic: ܦܝܠܝܦܘܣ; cop, ⲫⲓⲗⲓⲡⲡⲟⲥ, ''Philippos'') was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apo ...

, was sent to preach among the Gauls and was made the first Bishop of

. He may have been accompanied by saints by the names of Clarus and Justus. Pope Saint Linus, the second

Bishop of Rome 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 ...

, sent Saints Clair and Adeodatus; this is said to be the Saint Clair who became the first Bishop of

around AD 280 and died early in the third century, though the dates make this suspect, and Saint Adeodatus preached especially in the area of

. Other Armorican saints include Saint Similien, the third Bishop of Nantes in the early fourth century, and the brother-martyrs saints Donatian and Rogatian. Saint Palladius may also have had an Armorican connection.

The Seven Founders

The Bretons, coming from the British Isles, brought Christianity with them. With the coming of the Bretons, the seven ancient dioceses were established by the seven founding saints. *

Tudwal Saint Tudwal (died c. 564), also known as Tual, Tudgual, Tugdual, Tugual, Pabu, Papu, or Tugdualus (Latin), was a Breton monk, considered to be one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. Life Tudwal was said to be the son of Hoel Mawr (Ho ...

founded Tréguier * Pol Aurelian founded Saint-Pol-de-Leon *

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 ...

founded Saint-Brieuc * Malo founded Saint-Malo * Patern founded Vannes * Corentin founded Cornouailles *

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

founded Dol The other two dioceses of Brittany were founded by Saint Clair de Nantes and Saint Maxime de Rennes.

Medieval saints

Monarchs

Darerca {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Darerca may refer to any one of four Irish saints: *Darerca of Ireland, 5th century sister of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Chris ...

, Queen of Brittany * Judicael, Breton king * Salomon, King of Brittany

Bishops

Others

Modern saints

The "modern" in modern saints refers to the process, not the person, and groups those whose status has been recognized by Rome.

Saints

* Benedetto Menni, priest, canonized in 1999 * Gohard of Nantes, Bishop, canonized in 1096 *

Louis de Montfort Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Roman Catholic priest and confessor. He was known in his time as a preacher and was made a missionary apostolic by Pope Clement XI. As well as preaching, Montfort ...

, priest, canonized in 1947 * Marie of the Cross (

Jeanne Jugan Jeanne Jugan (October 25, 1792 – August 29, 1879), also known as Sister Mary of the Cross, L.S.P., was a French woman who became known for the dedication of her life to the neediest of the elderly poor. Her service resulted in the establishment ...

), religious, canonized in 2009 * Mother Theodore, religious, canonized in 2006 *

Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, OP ( ca-valencia, Sant Vicent Ferrer , es, San Vicente Ferrer, it, San Vincenzo Ferreri, german: Sankt Vinzenz Ferrer, nl, Sint-Vincent Ferrer, french: Saint Vincent Ferrier; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Kingdom of V ...

, Dominican priest, canonized in 1455 *

William Pinchon Guillaume Pinchon (c. 1175 - 29 July 1234) was a French Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Saint-Brieuc from his appointment in 1220 until his death. He was a champion for the poor and defended the rights and privileges of the Church ...

, Bishop, canonized in 1247 * Yves Helory, priest, canonized in 1347 * Of the One Hundred Twenty Martyrs of China ** Marie of Saint Natalie (Jeanne-Marie Guerguin) ** Marie of Saint Just (Anne-Françoise Moreau)

Blesseds (by beatification)

* Cassien of Nantes, Capuchin, beatified in 1905 * Charles of Blois, duke, beatified in 1904 * Julian Maunoir, Jesuit priest, beatified in 1951 * Marcel Callo, layman, beatified in 1987 *

Mary of the Passion Hélène Marie Philippine de Chappotin de Neuville (Nantes, 21 May 1839 – Sanremo, 15 November 1904), known as Mary of the Passion (French: Mère Marie de la Passion), was a French religious sister and missionary, who founded the Francisca ...

, religious, beatified in 2002 * Marie-Louise-Élisabeth de Lamoignon, religious, beatified in 2012 * Pierre-Rene Rouge, Vincentian priest, beatified in 1934 * Of the Twenty Martyrs of Capuchin Tertiary Fathers and Brothers of Our Lady of Sorrows in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, beatified in 2001 ** Carmen Marie Anne Garcia Moyon * Of the Fifteen Martyrs of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and the Ursulines of Valenciennes (of the Martyrs of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, beatified in 1920 **

Therese-Madeleine Fantou Therese-Madeleine Fantou was a religious with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul martyred during the French Revolution. She is recognized as a Blessed martyr by the Catholic Church. Coming from a very modest family, she received f ...

* Of the One Hundred Ninety-One Martyrs of the

September Massacres The September Massacres were a series of killings of prisoners in Paris that occurred in 1792, from Sunday, 2 September until Thursday, 6 September, during the French Revolution. Between 1,176 and 1,614 people were killed by '' fédérés'', gu ...

, beatified in 1926 ** Charles-Francois le Gue ** Claude-Antoine-Raoul Laporte ** Francois-Hyacinth le Livec de Tresurin ** Henri-August Luzeau de la Mulonniere ** Jean-Charles-Marie Bernard du Cornillet ** Joseph Becavin ** Louis-Laurent Gaultier ** Mathurin-Nicolas de la Villecrohain le Bous de Villeneuve ** Nicolas-Marie Verron ** Rene-Joseph Urvoy ** Rene-Julien Massey ** Rene-Marie Andrieux ** Vincent-Joseph le Rousseau de Rosencoat ** Yves-Andre Guillon de Keranrun ** Yves-Jean-Pierre Rey de Kervisic * Of the Fifteen Martyrs of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...

** Jean-Baptiste Malo ** Joseph Boissel ** Vincent L'Henoret * Of the Nineteen Martyrs of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

** Alain Dieulangard ** Celestin Ringeard **

Michel Fleury Michel Fleury (17 November 1923 in Paris – 18 January 2002 in Paris) was a French historian, archivist and archaeologist, specialising in the history and archaeology of Paris. He is buried in the cemetery of the church of Saint-Germain de Loi ...

Blesseds (by confirmation of cult)

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, cult confirmed in 1120 *

Françoise d'Amboise Françoise d'Amboise (9 May 1427 – 4 November 1485) was a French Roman Catholic declared "blessed" and a duchess consort of Brittany. She was born in the castle of Thouars. She was the daughter of the rich noble Louis d'Amboise, prince of Ta ...

, cult confirmed 1863 *

John of the Grating John of the Grating was a Cistercian Bishop of Aleth. John was born in Brittany, in 1098 he joined Clairvaux, where he was professed by St. Bernard. He would go on to found Sainte-Croix de Guingamp and Saint-Jacques de Montfort Abbeys, after ...

, Cistercian Bishop, cult confirmed in 1517 * Yann Divotou, Franciscan priest, cult confirmed in 1989 * Ralph de la Futaye, unclear when cult confirmed

Venerables

Alain-Marie Guynot de Boismenu Alain Marie Guynot de Boismenu (27 December 1870 – 5 November 1953) was a French Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Vicar Apostolic of Papua from 1908 until his retirement in 1945; he was a professed member of the Missionaries of the Sacr ...

, religious Bishop, proclaimed in 2014 * Jean-Marie Robert de la Mennais, religious priest, proclaimed in 1966 * Marie-Amelie Fristel, religious, proclaimed in 1976 * Michel le Nobletz, priest, proclaimed in 1915

Servants of God

* Louis-Marie Leveil * Louis de Goesbriand * Alano Maria du Noday * Catherine de Francheville * Claude-Francois Poullart des Places * Francois-Marie-Benjamin Richard de la Vergne * Jacques Cathelineau * Jean of Saint Samson * Marie-Yvonne-Aimee of Jesus * Pauline-Louise Pinczon du Sel * Pierre Quintin * Pierre-Joseph Picot de Cloriviere * Robert of Arbrissel * Simon Brute * Victor Lelievre *

(Ivon Nikolazig in Breton) * Of the Fifty Martyrs of France of the Apostolate Within the '' Service du Travail Obligatoire'' ** Eugene Lemoine ** Maurice-Philippe Bouchard ** Roger (Paul) le Ber * Of the Thirty-Eight Martyrs of the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...

of Paris ** Francois-Georges Cormaux ** Therese Guillaudeu du Plessis ** Victoire Conen de Saint-Luc * The Eighty-Five Martyrs of

of the

Other saintly Bretons

* Fr. Corentin Cloarec, OFM, killed by the Nazis * Joachim Nio, OMI, killed by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

References

"The Catholic Encyclopedia"

"Hagiography Circle"
* M. de Garaby, ''Vie des bienheureux et des saints de Bretagne'', éd. J.-M. Williamson, Nantes, 1839. Réédition 1991. * P.T. de S. Luc, C. ''L'Histoire de Conan Mériadec Qui Fait le Premier regne de l'histoire generale des souverains de la Bretagne Gauloise, dite Armorique.'' Paris, 1664. {{Saints by country Breton

Saints 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 Orth ...