Budoc
Budoc of Dol | |
|---|---|
 Saint-Budoc near the church ofTrégarvan,Finistère, Brittany, France | |
| Abbot & Bishop | |
| Born | 5th century in a cask at sea off the coast of Ireland |
| Died | 6th century Dol,Kingdom ofDomnonée |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Anglican Communion |
| Majorshrine | Plourin,Finistère,France |
| Feast | 8 December (traditional) 9 December (Brittany) |
| Patronage | Plourin, France; Plymouth,England, United Kingdom |
Budoc of Dol(alsoBudeauxorBeuzec) was a 5th-century Breton monk andBishop of Dol,who has been venerated since his death as asaintin bothBrittany(in France) andDevon(in England). Budoc is thepatron saintofPlourininFinistèrewhere his relics are preserved. Hisfeast daywas originally celebrated on 8 December, the date still used in Devon, but in Brittany this has been transferred to 9 December.[1]
Name
[edit]The name Budoc, or Beuzec, means "saved from the waters" from the Bretonbeuziñmeaning "drown"; butBaring-Gouldfinds this "fanciful".[2]In old Celtic,boudimeans "victory" and "profit".[3]
Life
[edit]Baring-Gould suggests that the princess Azenor fledArmoricawith her young son due to dynastic conflict. Arriving first in Cornwall, they then proceeded to Ireland, where Budoc became amonk.They later returned to Brittany, landing atPorspodernearBrest.[2]
HagiographerG.H. Dobleis of the opinion that Budoc was a once-famous abbot whose chief establishment was on the Breton coast.[3]Thevitaby the monkWinwaloedescribes Budoc as a teacher living on the island ofLaurea.[1]Later Budoc succeededSamson of DolandMagloireas bishop of Dol and ruled for 26 years (according to the 10th-centuryvitaof Magloire and the 11th-centuryChronicle of Dol). Baring-Gould distinguishes between the Abbot Budoc and the successor to BishopMagloireat Dol.[2]
Legend
[edit]Budoc is reputed to have been a grandson of the legendary Count Even ofBrest,Viscount of Léon.His mother, PrincessAzenor,was falsely accused of infidelity by her jealous stepmother, which enraged her husband, the King ofGoëlo,who ordered that the pregnant Azenor be thrown into the sea in a cask. (A tower of theChâteau de Brestis named for her.) Azenor invoked the help ofSaint Brigid.The cask drifted for five months. Shortly after Azenor's baby was born, the cask washed ashore on the coast of Ireland. The story echoes Greek myth.[1]
A villager who found the mother and newborn child summoned the abbot of Beau Port, nearWaterford,and the child was christened the next day. Azenor became the washer-woman of the monastery, and Budoc was raised there.[1]Azenor's stepmother fell ill, and upon her deathbed she recanted the evil lies she had spread. Azenor's husband then sailed in search of her, and, arriving in Ireland, the couple was reconciled, but both died before they could return to Brittany. (However, a tradition inCornouaillehas Azenor founding a religious establishment atCap Sizun).[2]
Growing up, Budoc studied at a monastery atArdmore,thought to have been founded in the early 5th century byDeclán of Ardmore,where he became a monk and laterabbot.[4]He eventually left Ireland, sailing in a stone trough that landed atPorspoder.[3]
Two stained-glass windows in thechancelof Saint-Budoc Church in Porspoder depict scenes from the life of the saint.[5]
At some unknown point, Budoc made his way to Dol, where he was named bishop of the region, possibly in connection with a monastery allegedly founded bySamson of Dol,whom he is believed to have succeeded as the local bishop.
Budoc in Southwest England
[edit]Budoc is reputed to have sailed across thePlymouth Sound,until he found an inlet on the Devon side of theRiver Tamar.He landed in Budshead Creek, part of the present district ofPlymouthcalledSt Budeaux.His supposed activity suggests the foundation of an early church in Plymouth.[6]However, there is no evidence of the name in Devon prior to the 16th century. There is also an ancient church said to have been dedicated by him atBudockinCornwall,and there was once one inOxfordtoo.[3]
Budoc's feastday is celebrated in Devon on 8 December.
Thou wast miraculously preserved from the ocean's fury
and, being sustained by the hand of God,
thou didst devote thyself to his service, O Hierarch Budoc.
Being showered with both temporal and spiritual honours both inArmaghand in Dol,
thou didst labour to win souls for Christ,
therefore we implore thine aid,
begging Christ our God that he will save our souls.[7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^abcd"Budoc",Oxford Dictionary of Saints
- ^abcdBaring-Gould, Sabine. "S. Budoc, Abbot and Confessor",The Lives of the British Saints,C. J. Clark, 1907, p. 329
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^abcdDoble, G. H.(1964)The Saints of Cornwall: part 3.Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 3-14
- ^http:// catholic-forum /Saints/saintb63.htmArchivedFebruary 11, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^Loukianoff, Yannick. "Saint-Budoc Church", Patrimoine D'Irois
- ^http://members.fortunecity /gerdewnansek/devonssaints.htmlArchivedOctober 29, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos".Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2013.
