Padarn
Encyclopedia
Saint Padarn is the eponym
ous founder of St Padarn's Church. Llanbadarn Fawr
, near present day Aberystwyth
, Ceredigion
, Wales
, in the early 6th century. At one time quite a popular saint
, he is now chiefly remembered because of the church and his connection with King Arthur
, for his early vita
is one of only five insular saints' lives and two Breton
ones that include a mention of Arthur that seems to be independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth
's myth-making in Historia Regum Britanniae
. He is considered one of the seven founder saints of Brittany.
The major source for biographical details is the Vita Sancti Paternus, an epitome
that shows its previous and more extensive source, and which dates to 1120, before Geoffrey wrote. Padarn is Armorica
n by race, "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother", who, as soon as he was born, dedicated themselves to Christ and piously separated: "Petran straightway leaving Letavia
went to Ireland." The boy inquiring of his father's whereabouts elected to follow his example "where he fasts, prays, watches, meditates, mourns, sleeps on a little mat, and kneels to the supreme Lord day and night"; he joined a fellowship of monks travelling to Britannia
, founds a monastery
on the Britannic shore, then travels to join his father in Ireland
. There Padarn's spiritual countenance is sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces; peace and unity spring up, to the extent that, when woods are felled in one province, they fall of themselves in the other.
This theme of the tunic might connect the story to Padarn Redcoat
, because his coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
.
, who is first cursed because of a crime against the saint, and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed:
Also mentioned in the Vita Sancti Paterni is St David, with whom accompanied by St Teilo Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, gaining the gift of tongues on the way, for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. There Paternus acquired his tunic that Arthur was to covet. On their return they amicably divided Britannia in three bishoprics.
, where Padarn his built a monastery, and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica
, of which he now made a seventh.
Three days were kept to honour Padern in Armorica:
of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous founder of St Padarn's Church. Llanbadarn Fawr
St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr
Saint Padarn's Church is a Church in Wales parish church at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, Wales, SY23 3QZ.The site has been used for Christian worship since it was founded by Saint Padarn in the 6th century...
, near present day Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, Ceredigion
Kingdom of Ceredigion
The Kingdom of Ceredigion was one of several Welsh kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain. Its area corresponded roughly to that of the modern county of Ceredigion. The kingdom's hilly geography made it difficult for foreign invaders to conquer. Cardigan Bay bordered to the west...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in the early 6th century. At one time quite a popular saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, he is now chiefly remembered because of the church and his connection with King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, for his early vita
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
is one of only five insular saints' lives and two Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
ones that include a mention of Arthur that seems to be independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's myth-making in Historia Regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
. He is considered one of the seven founder saints of Brittany.
The major source for biographical details is the Vita Sancti Paternus, an epitome
Epitome
An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment....
that shows its previous and more extensive source, and which dates to 1120, before Geoffrey wrote. Padarn is Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
n by race, "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother", who, as soon as he was born, dedicated themselves to Christ and piously separated: "Petran straightway leaving Letavia
Litavis
Litavis is a goddess in Celtic mythology worshiped by the ancient Gauls. Her name is found in inscriptions found at Aignay-le-Duc and Mâlain of the Côte-d'Or, France, where she is invoked along with the Gallo-Roman god Mars Cicolluis in a context which suggests that she might have been his consort...
went to Ireland." The boy inquiring of his father's whereabouts elected to follow his example "where he fasts, prays, watches, meditates, mourns, sleeps on a little mat, and kneels to the supreme Lord day and night"; he joined a fellowship of monks travelling to Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
, founds a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the Britannic shore, then travels to join his father in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. There Padarn's spiritual countenance is sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces; peace and unity spring up, to the extent that, when woods are felled in one province, they fall of themselves in the other.
Padarn and Arthur
In the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic. Arthur here is a furious tyrant introduced as a foil to demonstrate the power of the holy man, his miraculous execution of retribution, and his forgiveness, for which the king must kneel:When Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.
This theme of the tunic might connect the story to Padarn Redcoat
Padarn Beisrudd
Padarn Beisrudd ap Tegid literally translates as Paternus of the Scarlet Robe, son of Tegid. His father may have borne the Roman name of Tacitus. Padarn is believed to have been born in the early 4th century in the Old North of Roman Britain...
, because his coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain are a series of items in late medieval Welsh tradition. Lists of the items appear in texts dating to the 15th and 16th centuries...
.
Other contemporaries of Padarn
The vita makes him a contemporary not only of Arthur, but also of the tyrant Maelgwn GwyneddMaelgwn Hir ap Cadwallon
Maelgwn Gwynedd was King of Gwynedd . More formally his name was Maelgwn ap Cadwallon , also known as Maelgwn Hir . He was father of Rhun "Hîr"....
, who is first cursed because of a crime against the saint, and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed:
a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged.
Also mentioned in the Vita Sancti Paterni is St David, with whom accompanied by St Teilo Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, gaining the gift of tongues on the way, for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. There Paternus acquired his tunic that Arthur was to covet. On their return they amicably divided Britannia in three bishoprics.
Padarn in Letia
Padarn bid farewell to his three communities of monks and set out for Letia, where his fame filled the region, and he made peace with the bishop Samson in VannesVannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
, where Padarn his built a monastery, and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
, of which he now made a seventh.
Three days were kept to honour Padern in Armorica:
the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, that is, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, and the day of his obit, and the day, on which he received the order of the episcopate, that is, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July.
Primitive elements
Some primitive elements remain in the text: two evil heralds are undone by the Trial by ordealTrial by ordeal
Trial by ordeal is a judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused is determined by subjecting them to an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience...
of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."
External links
- Vita Sancti Paterni. From ancienttexts.org. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- LLanbadarn Fawr and Padarn Redcoat