Collen was a 7th-century

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

who gave his name to

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community (Wales), community, situated on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Val ...

(from the Welsh llan meaning 'enclosure' and ''gollen'' being a

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, ...

of "Collen"). Collen is said to have served for some time abroad as a soldier. He later arrived in Llangollen by

coracle A coracle is a small, rounded, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales, and also in parts of the west of Ireland and also particularly on the River Boyne, and in Scotland, particularly the River Spey. The word is also used for ...

and founded a church beside the river there. As there are no other churches in Wales dedicated to Collen, it is possible that this Saint Collen may also have connections in both

Colan, Cornwall Colan () is a village and civil parish in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles (5 km) east of Newquay. The electoral ward is called Colan and Mawgan. The population of this ward at the 2011 census ...

, where

Colan Church Colan Church also known as St Colan Church is a 13th-century church in Colan, Cornwall, Colan, mid-Cornwall, UK. Dedicated to St Colanus, it became a Grade I listed buildings in Cornwall, Grade I listed building in 1967. The vicars of St Columb M ...

is dedicated to him, and

Langolen Langolen (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The commune takes its name from Saint Collen, a 7th-century monk who is associated with the town of Llangollen in Wales and also with Cornwall. Popu ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. There are legendary Lives connecting him with Wales, Rome and Glastonbury, but nothing is known for certain about him, though from the dedication of a church to him in Brittany it may be conjectured that he resided for some time in that country.

Narrative

According to the ''Buchedd Collin'' ('Life of Saint Collin'), he was the son of Gwynawc, ab Caledawc. After having travelled through many foreign lands he returned to Britain and became

Abbot of Glastonbury __NOTOC__ The Abbot of Glastonbury was the head (or abbot) of the Anglo-Saxon and eventually Benedictine house of Glastonbury Abbey at Glastonbury in Somerset, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of t ...

. He banished

Gwyn ap Nudd Gwyn ap Nudd (, sometimes found with the antiquated spelling Gwynn ap Nudd) is a Welsh mythological figure, the king of the '' Tylwyth Teg'' or " fair folk" and ruler of the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn, and whose name means “Gwyn, son of Nudd”. D ...

, King of the

Tylwyth Teg (Middle Welsh for "Fair Family"; ) is the most usual term in Wales for the mythological creatures corresponding to the fairy folk of Welsh and Irish folklore . Other names for them include ("Blessing of the Mothers"), and . Origins The ter ...

, and his retinue from

Glastonbury Tor Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I Listed building (United Kingdom), listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has be ...

with the use of holy water."St Collen and the King of the Fairies", BBC Wales
/ref> Collen died on 22 May, probably sometime in the early 7th century. He was buried in his chapel. For centuries, it was known as the "Old Church" and stood immediately to the west of the present medieval church of St Collen in Llangollen.

References

External links

Celtic and Old English Saints 21 May
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collen, Saint Medieval Welsh saints 7th-century Christian saints