Winnoc (c. 640-c. 716/717) was an abbot or prior of
Wormhout
Wormhout (; before 1975: ''Wormhoudt''; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Several people in Wormhout still speak West Flemish, a local dialect of Dutch and the traditional language of the region, while French-speaker ...
. Three lives of the saint are extant (
BHL 8952-4). The best of them is the first life, which was written by a monk of
Bertin
Bertin (; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The ...
in the mid-9th century or perhaps a century earlier.
[Webster, Douglas Raymund. "St. Winnoc." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912
Life
Winnoc is generally called a
Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
**Breton people
**Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Gale ...
, but the
Bollandist
The Bollandist Society (; ) is an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christia ...
Charles De Smedt shows he was more probably of
Welsh origin and said to have been of noble birth, of the same house as the kings of
Domnonia. Some sources posit that Winnoc's father was
Judicael. He may have been raised and educated 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 ...
, since his family had fled there to escape the
Saxons
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
. He is said to have founded an oratory at
St Winnow
St Winnow () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its name may be connected with either that of Saint Winnoc or Saint Winwaloe. It has a population of 304, which had increased to 328 at the 2011 ...
in Cornwall, though this
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
may be connected with
Winwaloe
Winwaloe (; ; or ; – 3 March 532) was the founder and first abbot of Landévennec Abbey (literally " Lann of Venec"), also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest in Brittany, now part of France.
Life
Winwaloe was th ...
.
Winnoc came to
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
with three companions, and founded a monastery at
Sint-Winoksbergen.
"Saint-Winoc", Hauts de Flandre, Office de Tourisme
/ref> He then went to the Monastery of Sithiu
Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.
It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint ...
, then ruled by Bertin
Bertin (; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The ...
, and was soon afterwards sent to found at Wormhout
Wormhout (; before 1975: ''Wormhoudt''; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Several people in Wormhout still speak West Flemish, a local dialect of Dutch and the traditional language of the region, while French-speaker ...
, a dependent cell or priory (not an abbey, as it is generally called). It became a missionary epicenter for the region.["Saint Winoc (d.717)", Saint Mary's Press]
/ref> It is not known what rule, Columba
Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...
nian or Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
, was followed at this time in the two monasteries.
When enfeebled by old age, Winnoc is said to have received supernatural assistance in the task of grinding grain for his brethren and the poor. The mill ground the grain automatically due to the intercession of his prayers. A monk who, out of curiosity, came to see how the old man did so much work, was struck blind, but healed by Winnoc's intercession. Many other miracles followed his death, which, according to a fourteenth-century tradition, occurred on 6 November, either 716 or 717.
Veneration
The popularity of Winnoc's cultus is attested by the frequent insertion of his name in liturgical documents and the numerous translations of his relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
. He was originally buried at Wormhout, but his relics were translated to Bergues
Bergues (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France.
It is situated to the south of Dunkirk and from the Belgium, Belgian border. Locally it is referred to ...
in 899. In the early 11th century the Abbey of Saint Winnoc
The Abbey of Saint Winnoc () is a former monastery in Bergues, in the department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It traces its origins to the 7th century, and from the early 11th century became a Benedictines, Benedictine abb ...
, a Benedectine monastery, developed around the cult of Winnoc. It is said that people who stood along the route taken by the monks were reported to have been healed of many illnesses, especially coughs and fevers. His relics were invoked against drought. Saint Winoc is the patron saint against fever, whooping cough, and millers.[ The monastery was burned by Protestants in 1558. Some of Winnoc's relics were destroyed.
His feast is kept on 6 November, that of his translation on 18 September; a third, the Exaltation of St. Winnoc, was formerly kept on 20 February.][
]
See also
* Abbey of Saint Winnoc
The Abbey of Saint Winnoc () is a former monastery in Bergues, in the department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It traces its origins to the 7th century, and from the early 11th century became a Benedictines, Benedictine abb ...
Notes
External links
Winocus von Flandern der Schutzpatron der Müller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winnoc
640 births
710s deaths
Medieval Breton saints
French abbots
8th-century Christian saints
Year of death uncertain
Welsh people