St Cadog in Brittany

Cadog’s church at Langado, Morbihan, Brittany

The sixth century is commonly called the ‘Age of Saints’ by the Celtic Nations. It saw missionary work undertaken by Patrick in Ireland, Columba in Scotland, Piran in Cornwall and Samson in Brittany. Southern Britain had been Christian since the Roman occupation but what is now England had to wait until 597 when the pope sent Augustine to convert the recently arrived pagan Anglo-Saxon settlers.

Wales was at the hub of all this activity having religious centres at Tyddewi (David), Llandeilo Fawr (Teilo), Llanilltud Fawr (Illtud) and Llancarfan (Cadoc or Cadog). It is known that Teilo went to Brittany for several years c.547-555 as did Tybïe and the towns of Landelo and Landebia can both be found there today. What is less well known is that our own Cadog visited this Celtic land around the same time on his way home from a pilgrimage to Rome.

According to the Latin text of The Lives of the Saints, originally written in the twelfth century but based on far older texts, Cadog was enchanted by an island lying a “third of a league” (about a mile) offshore and decided to settle there. I discovered two villages called St.Cado, which is the French form of Cadog but which in Breton, the indigenous Brythonic language, translates as Langado.

They both lie in the southern province of Mor Bihan (“Small Sea”) so called for its large gulfs and famous for the megalithic alignments at Carnac which dwarf Stonehenge. Near Carnac (Breton: Karnag) across a causeway lies the peninsular of Quiberon (Breton: Kiberon) which in the sixth century was an island. It is my belief that it was here Cadog settled.

Islands were much favoured sites for monastaries at this time, eg. Iona, Ynys Enlli, Lindisfarne, Mont St.Michel etc. and Cadog decided to establish his own in Brittany, even building a “bridge of stone” to connect his island to the mainland. But after a time we are told that God called him back to Llancarfan, so he returned home leaving a prior called Cadwaladr in charge.

After he left his “bridge”, which was probably a raised stone causeway, was apparently “washed away”. Presumably a high tide had washed over it and temporarily covered it in sand. His disciples were so upset that they fasted and prayed for three days and nights for its return. God answered their prayers and the bridge was restored, presumably by another tide having an opposite effect. We are told that this “miracle” became known throughout the country and “all the inhabitants of the province gave praise and honour to God, and Saint Cadoc”.

There are no remains left on this island he called “Cathodw” but there is an abbey on the nearby mainland which is of ancient origin. While the evidence we have of Cadog’s time in Brittany is extremely scanty, relying on just one written source and some topographical conjecture, the story is intriguing and probably true.

Certainly the two villages were named after him and the abbey is his legacy to Mor Bihan. If you’re in southern Brittany you should pay a visit; you may well find yourselves walking in the footsteps of our saint!

© Rhobert ap Steffan

I would like to thank Mr David Gealy, Llanymddyfri, for the loan of his copy of the “Lives of the Cambro British Saints” (1853), and Louis Bras of Poullaouen, Finistere, for his help in my Breton research.