Mewan

Breton saint

"Saint Méen" redirects here. For the French communes, see Saint-Méen and Saint-Méen-le-Grand.

Mewan

Born| ca. 570
Ergyng, South Wales[1]
Died| ca. 617
Gaël, Brittany
Venerated in| Eastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Feast| 21 June

Mewan (Latin: Mevennus, Breton: Meven, French: Méen)[note 1] (fl. 6th century)[2] was a Celtic saint active in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Most documentation of his life can be found in the Breton Vita Meveni, perhaps written in 1084 by Ingamar.

## Wales and Cornwall

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Mewan was of a Welsh family from Ergyng and was a relative of Saint Samson of Dol. He travelled to Cornwall with Samson and Austol and founded the church at St Mewan, near St Austell.[3]

## Brittany

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Mewan is said to have been the godfather of Austol.[4] They followed Samson of Dol to Brittany. After Samson of Dol's passing, Mewan travelled to meet the Breton King Waroch II of Bro Gwened and had to cross the vast Paimpont forest. 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, on the condition that Mewan himself would build and inhabit it. Originally dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the abbey was later named the Abbey of St-Méen or Saint-Méon.[5][6]

## Feast date

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Saint Mewan's feast day is 21 June.[3] He is the patron saint of St Mewan and perhaps Mevagissey.[2]

## Notes

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1. ^ Mavenus, Mevenus, Mevennus, Meven, Mewan, Maine.

## References

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1. ^ St. Mewan of Brittany, Abbot Retrieved 2015-12-19
2. ^ a b "Mewan",  The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 5th ed. (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011 ISBN 9780199596607
3. ^ a b Doble, G. H. (1970) The Saints of Cornwall: part 5. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 35-58
4. ^ Jankulak, Karen "SS Mewan and Austol", Saints' Cults in the Celtic World, Vol. 25 (Stephen I. Boardman, John Reuben Davies, Eila Williamson, eds.) Boydell Press, 2009, p. 113 ISBN 9781843838456
5. ^ Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
6. ^ Base Mérimée: Abbaye Saint-Méen (Saint-Méen-le-Grand), Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

## External links

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* Medieval Life of St Mewan \- English translation.
* Abbaye de Saint-Meen at InfoBretagne

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data