Saint Rumon of Tavistock (also Ronan, Ruadan, or Ruan) is a saint venerated in the traditions of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and oth ...

, and

Western Orthodox Western Rite Orthodoxy, also called Western Orthodoxy or the Orthodox Western Rite, are congregations within the Eastern Orthodox tradition which perform their liturgy in Western forms. Besides altered versions of the Tridentine Mass, congreg ...

churches.

Biography

Saint Rumon was likely a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

originally from

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 ...

. According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died whe ...

, Rumon was a bishop, though it is not known of what see. Antiquary John Leland said that a manuscript discovered at

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of ...

at the time of the dissolution claimed that Rumon emigrated from Ireland in the fifth or sixth century and established a hermitage near

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English ...

. Some authorities believe him to be the same historical figure as

St Ronan ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy a ...

who is venerated in

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 o ...

on 1 June. A 'Life of St. Rumon", likely written at Tavistock sometime between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, adapts the Life of St. Ronan. Historian

Nicholas Orme Nicholas Orme (born 1942) is a British historian specialising in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, focusing on the history of children, and ecclesiastical history, with a particular interest in South West England. Orme is an Emeritus Professor ...

considers the only accurate part is that pertaining to

Ruan Lanihorne Ruan Lanihorne is a civil parish and village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) east-southeast of Truro between the River Fal and its tributary the Ruan River.Ordnance Sur ...

and Tavistock.

Veneration

In 974,

Ordulf, Earl of Devon Ordwulf (died after 1005) was the son of Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon (died 971). His sister was Queen Ælfthryth, third wife of King Edgar (born 943, died 975; ruled 959-975)'' The Peaceful'' and mother of King Æthelred II (c. 968-1016) ''The Un ...

, established the Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon at Tavistock. On 981, the relics of Saint Rumon, minus his head, were translated from the Celtic monastery at Ruan Lanihorne to Tavistock.

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

granted the abbey the privilege of a fair for three days at the feast of St. Rumon. In the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, 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 i ...

of St Rumon is observed on various dates in different

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

locations. The translation of St Rumon is celebrated on 5 January. The Holy Hierarch Rumon is venerated on 30 August according to the

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematics, Greek mathematicians and Ancient Greek astronomy, as ...

in Western Orthodoxy. Saint Rumon is the patron of

and

Romansleigh Romansleigh is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. It is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Mariansleigh, Meshaw, Chulmleigh, and King's Nympton King's Nympton (Latinised to ''Nymet ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and of Ruan Lanihorne in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

. Ruan celebrates its patronal festival every year on the last Sunday in August. Rumon is depicted as a bishop in a stained glass window in the Lady Chapel of

St Eustachius' Church, Tavistock St Eustachius' Church, Tavistock is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in Tavistock, Devon. History The church was established on this site as early as 1193 but certainly by 1265. Abbot Robert Champeau ...

."Tavistock, St Eustachius", Cornish stained glass
/ref> Several churches in Devon and Cornwall are named after him as well as the village of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumon Of Tavistock 6th-century Irish priests Christian missionaries in the United Kingdom 6th-century Christian saints Christianity in Devon