Saint Ninnoc
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Saint Ninnoc or Ninnog of Breton (c. 4 June 467), also known as Nenooc, Nennoca, Nennocha, Ninnoc, Ninnocha, and Gwengustle, was an early medieval
abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...
born 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 ...
who died in
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 ...
. The text of ''Vita Sanctae Ninnocae'' (''The Life of Saint Ninnoc''), preserved in the ''
Cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...
of
Quimperlé Quimperlé (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France. Geography Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km t ...
'', provides knowledge of her life and work.


Biography

According to the ''Vita Sanctae Ninnocae'', which was written and is preserved in the ''Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé'' (fr), St Ninnoc was born in Wales and her father was King
Brychan Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Name variations Brychan had Irish ancestry and came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name ...
and her mother Meneduc. They had 14 sons, all of whom left their parents' home after they were inspired to become missionaries. Brychan and Meneduc prayed, promising a tenth of all their possessions to the church if they were granted a child who could inherit. This child was Ninnoc, who was sent to live with her godparents soon after her birth. When Ninnoc was 15, a Scottish prince asked to marry her. Ninnoc, who had recently met and heard the preaching of Germanus, a disciple of
St Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba ...
, instead wanted to devote herself to God, and after Germanus's intervention, her father granted her wish and sent her to Brittany with a "ship, money and attendants". In Brittany she was welcomed by King Gueric of the Bretons and was granted a settlement on the southern coast of Brittany, where she founded a religious house and became its abbess. The house was a double monastery for men and women. The establishment became known as Lannennoc after her: the suffix "-nennoc" is said to derive from Ninnoc. She taught new agricultural techniques to the local Breton communities, as well as encouraging tree planting so they could better support themselves. Abused women found shelter at Lanennoc and Ninnoc became known as a protector of women. Ninnoc lived at her monastery for approximately 38 years until her death. The book ''Les petits Bollandistes vies des saints de l'Ancien et du Nouveau'' gives Ninnoc's year of death as 467, after a short illness. This date, combined with her feast day of 4 June, has become her reported date of death. Since there is doubt over the veracity of the ''Vitae'', these dates are not certain. It has been proposed that Ninnoc's double-house at Lannénec near
Ploemeur Ploemeur (; ), sometimes written instead as Plœmeur, is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France. It is a western suburb of Lorient. Population The inhabitants are called the ''Ploemeurois''. The ...
was destroyed by
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
in the 9th or 10th century. The church was rebuilt in the 12th century, but no trace of the earlier building remains.


Veneration


Feast days

The
feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...
of St Ninnoc,
Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
and Abbess, is celebrated on 4 June in Brittany. In Ireland, a Saint Ninne (of whom there is no record) is remembered on 3 June, and it has been suggested by the historian
Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould (; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 pu ...
that she is connected to Ninnoc's cult.


Iconography

Artistic representations of her often show a stag at her feet, which could represent the vulnerable women who came under her guardianship. This may also refer to a story from her ''Vitae'' in which a stag, being hunted by King Gueric, came into the church for shelter and laid at Ninnoc's feet on seeing this Gueric stayed at the church for seven days praying, and afterward granted the settlement more land, 300 horses and more cattle. There are accounts of the veneration of St Ninnoc in the 7th and 8th centuries in England.


Canonization

Miracles were attributed to Ninnoc during her lifetime and, according to her ''Vitae'', she was canonised a few years after her death.


Historiography

St Ninnoc is not mentioned in any contemporary sources and her ''Vitae'' was recorded in the 12th century, almost 700 years after she lived, and existing scholarship dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. In ''Lives of the British Saints'', Baring-Gould points out several inconsistencies between her ''Vitae'' and other documentary evidence. Baring-Gould also refutes the idea that it was St
Germanus of Auxerre Germanus of Auxerre (; ; ; 378 – c. 442–448 AD) was a western Roman clergyman who was bishop of Autissiodorum in Late Antique Gaul. He abandoned a career as a high-ranking government official to devote his formidable energy towards the pr ...
who preached to Ninnoc, as repeated by Dunbar in ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women''. Confusion between a Germanus and St Germanus is repeated in some modern sources. Whilst Wales is generally accepted as her place of birth, Scotland or
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
have both been suggested. Some sources also place Ninnoc's life in the 8th century. Others consider her a Cornish saint.


''Vita Sanctae Ninnocae''

In common with other ''Vitae'', the ''Life of St Ninnoc'' is likely to be an exaggerated account of the truth. The production of the ''Vitae'' in the 12th century was also a political act, which aimed to legitimise the holdings of the Sainte-Croix Abbeyin this case to assert its rights over the land around Lannennec. This use of her ''Vitae'' as a tool for legitimacy is compounded by the fact it is not placed at the start of the
cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...
but is in the local property sections.Jankulak, Karen. "Breton Vitae and Political Need in the Cartulary of Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé." ''Literature and Politics in the Celtic World. Papers from the Third Australian Conference of Celtic Studies, University of Sydney''. 1998. The cartulary does not claim her relics.


Notes


References


External links


Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé
{{Authority control 5th-century Breton people Female saints of medieval Wales Female saints of medieval Brittany French Christian abbesses Year of birth unknown 460s deaths 5th-century Christian nuns Medieval Breton saints Medieval Welsh saints