Mewan (, , )Mavenus, Mevenus, Mevennus, Meven, Mewan, Maine. (''fl.'' 6th century) was a Celtic saint active in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
and
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 ...
. Most documentation of his life can be found in the Breton ''Vita Meveni'', perhaps written in 1084 by Ingamar.
Wales and Cornwall
Mewan was of a Welsh family from
Ergyng
Ergyng (or Erging) was a Brittonic kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as ''Archenfield''.
Location
The kingdom lay mostly in what is now western Herefor ...
and was a relative of Saint
Samson of Dol
Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born late 5th century) was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the Brittany#Religion, seven founder saints of Brittany with Paul Aurelian, Pol Aurelian, Saint Tudwal, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Saint Malo (saint ...
. He travelled to Cornwall with Samson and
Austol
Austol (; ) was a 6th-century Cornish holy man who lived much of his life in Brittany.
He was a friend of Mewan, who founded the Saint-Méen Abbey in Brittany. Mewan is said to have been his godfather. The parish and town of St Austell in Co ...
and founded the church at
St Mewan
St Mewan () is a civil parish and village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately west of St Austell. It is a small settlement, comprising the parish church, rectory, a school and nearby farms.
St Mewan parish ...
, near
St Austell
Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon.
At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900.
History
St Austell was a village centred ...
.
Doble, G. H.
Gilbert Hunter Doble (26 November 1880 – 15 April 1945) was an Anglican priest and Cornish historian and hagiographer.
Early life
G. H. Doble was born in Penzance, Cornwall, on 26 November 1880. His father, John Medley Doble, shared his enthu ...
(1970) ''The Saints of Cornwall: part 5. Truro'': Dean and Chapter; pp. 35-58
Brittany
Mewan is said to have been the godfather of
Austol
Austol (; ) was a 6th-century Cornish holy man who lived much of his life in Brittany.
He was a friend of Mewan, who founded the Saint-Méen Abbey in Brittany. Mewan is said to have been his godfather. The parish and town of St Austell in Co ...
. They followed
Samson of Dol
Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born late 5th century) was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the Brittany#Religion, seven founder saints of Brittany with Paul Aurelian, Pol Aurelian, Saint Tudwal, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Saint Malo (saint ...
to Brittany. After Samson of Dol's passing, Mewan travelled to meet the Breton King
Waroch II
Waroch () was an early Breton ruler of the Vannetais (').
Waroch, or his grandfather Waroch I, gave his name to the traditional Breton province of Bro-Waroch ("land of Waroch"). However, it is possible that there were several successive local ...
of
Bro Gwened
Gwened, Bro-Gwened () or Vannetais () is a historic realm and county of Brittany in France. It is considered part of Lower Brittany."AM""Gwened (Vannes/Vannetais)" in ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia'', Vol. I, p. 860 ABC-CL ...
and had to cross the vast
Paimpont forest
Paimpont Forest (, ), also known as Brocéliande Forest (), is a temperate forest located around the village of Paimpont in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany, France. Covering an area of 9,000 hectares, it is part of a larger fores ...
. There he met a wealthy landowner named Cadfan who offered him lodging and food for the night. After spending the evening conversing with Mewan, Cadfan could not resolve himself to let Mewan go. Deeply moved by what he had heard, Cadfan offered to donate all his possessions to erect a church and an abbey at
Gaël
Gaël ( Gallo: ''Gaèu'', Breton: ''Gwazel'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
It lies southwest of Rennes between Saint-Méen-le-Grand and Mauron. In the 18th century, a fair was held twic ...
, on the condition that Mewan himself would build and inhabit it. Originally dedicated to Saint
John the Baptist
John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
, the abbey was later named the
Abbey of St-Méen
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conc ...
or Saint-Méon.
Feast date
Saint Mewan's feast day is 21 June. He is the patron saint of St Mewan and perhaps
Mevagissey
Mevagissey (; ) is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.< ...