Elwen

For the commune and town in Luxembourg, seeTroisvierges.

Not to be confused with the possibly legendary Saint Elvan, who appears in the stories surrounding the baptism ofKing Lucius.

Elwen(also known asElvan,Elven,etc.) was the name of an earlysaintor saints venerated inCornwallandBrittany.The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall fromIrelandin the company ofBreageand six others, but this is attested late. A chapel atPorthleveninSithneyparish, Cornwall, dedicated to Elwen, existed from the 13th century until 1549, and in Brittany several sites and placenames are associated with possibly related figures.

History

The name St Elvan is attached to a chapel atPorthleveninSithneyrecorded as early as 1270.This chapel was rebuilt c. 1510 but was destroyed in 1549.Elwen appears inJohn Leland's extracts from a lost late-medievalLife of Saint Breageincluded in hisItinerary.Leland's extracts name Elwen as one of SaintBreage's seven Irish companions who join her on her mission to Cornwall, the others beingSithney,Germoe,Mavuanus (perhapsMawnan), Crowan, Helena, andTecla.The text also refers to aLife of St Elwinus,evidently a losthagiographyof Elwin. A few medieval and early modern Cornish sources mention Elwen and his chapel, but little else is known of him there. One document mentions him in connection to an otherwise unknown Saint Gelvin, though this may be based on a mistake or a fraud.In Brittany two apparently distinct saints with corresponding names are known. A SaintElouanis said to have had his chapel atSaint-Guen,and to have been buried there, while a SaintElvengave his name to the commune ofElven, Morbihan.It is unknown which, if either, may be identified with the Cornish Elwen. In modern times aChurch of St Elwynhas been established atHayle,probably inspired by the legend recorded in Leland's work that Elwen and company had landed there from Ireland.

References

• Orme, Nicholas (2000).The Saints of Cornwall.Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-820765-4.Retrieved19 January2010.