Venerable Gwyddnog, Abbot of Padstow

Church of St Petroc in Padstow, founded by Saint Gwyddnog

The seventh of November is the feast-day of Saint Gwyddnog, one of the holy children of Saint Gwen ‘the Three-Breasted’ by her husband Saint Fragan of Armorica. He is closely associated with his brother, Saint Iago, as well as Saint Pedrog of Cornwall.

Saint Gwyddnog [also Goueznou, Guéthénoc, Quéthénoc or Wethenoc] was born in Cornwall, being the twin of Saint Iago. He was brought as an infant to Brittany by his parents Fragan and Gwen on account of the plagues and wars in his insular homeland, and was one of the first British refugees to settle at Ploufragan. He was educated by Saint Beuzeg of Dol, a hermit who lived on the Île-de-Bréhat.

At one time, Gwyddnog and his brother Iago went and tried to cure a beggar of his blindness. They made a paste from earth and spittle and anointed his eyes in the sign of the Cross. Baring-Gould believes this attempt failed, because the beggar raised an outcry against them and had them brought back to Saint Beuzeg for punishment. A more successful healing story is found when the two twin brothers encountered a leper and healed him by kissing his diseased palm.

Saint Gwyddnog and Saint Iago were given leave to start their own monastic community by Saint Beuzeg, and they settled at Landouart, where they stayed for several years. Gwyddnog took charge of this abbey, and under his direction it proved so successful in attracting monks that the two brothers decided to leave it again, as it was getting too crowded. Gwyddnog assisted Iago in founding a Benedictine house, L’Abbaye de Saint Jacut-de-la-Mer, a short ways up the coast from Saint-Malo.

At some point after this, Saint Gwyddnog returned to Britain and built a chapel and hermit’s cell at Padstow in Cornwall, where he lived for some time. He appears as a bishop in Padstow in the Life of Saint Pedrog, during an episode in which he had a dispute with Saint Samson of Dol, who was living as a hermit there. Pedrog, too, had a desire to settle in Padstow. He presented himself to Bishop Gwyddnog and asked to be permitted to stay, over Saint Samson’s objections. Gwyddnog made a Solomonic decision in this case, that kept the peace between the two holy men. He allowed Pedrog to stay, and made over Samson’s oratory over to him, but on the condition that Pedrog keep the place in Samson’s name and remember Samson in prayer each day.

Gwyddnog even allowed Pedrog the use of his own church. A Cornish legend has it that the two saints fought and slew a dragon together. Both of them were protected in their fight against the wyrm by wondrous vestments that were given to them from heaven. Saint Gwyddnog has been locally venerated in Padstow and also has a small cultus in Brittany on account of his association with Saint Iago in particular. Holy abbot Gwyddnog, loving brother and just judge of monks, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!