Saint Gildas | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Saint Gildas near the village ofSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys (France). | |
| Abbot | |
| Born | c. 450-500 Kingdom of Strathclyde |
| Died | 570 (traditional) Rhuys, Brittany |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church[1] Roman Catholic Church Anglican Communion |
| Majorshrine | Glastonbury Abbey (destroyed) Rhuys Church |
| Feast | 29 January |
| Attributes | Monk holding aCeltic bell or writing in a book |
| Patronage | Welsh historians;bell founders |
Gildas (English pronunciation:/ˈɡɪldəs/,Breton:Gweltaz;c. 450/500 – c. 570)[a][b] — also known asGildas Badonicus,Gildas fab Caw (inMiddle Welsh texts and antiquarian works) andGildas Sapiens (Gildas the Wise) — was a 6th-centuryBritish monk best known for his religiouspolemicDe Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae, which recounts the history of the Britons before and duringthe coming of the Saxons. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in theBritish Isles during thesub-Roman period, and was renowned for his Biblical knowledge and literary style. In his later life, he emigrated toBrittany, where he founded a monastery known asSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
Differing versions of theLife of Saint Gildas exist, but both agree that he was born at a place calledArecluta which is described by the author as taking its name from a "certain river called the Clut, by which that district is, for the most part, watered."[6] This was long taken by historians to mean that Gildas was born in what is nowScotland on the banks of theRiver Clyde.[6]
He is now thought to have his origins farther south.[7] His writing suggests a lack of familiarity with the geography ofStrathclyde, but is more accurate with regards to southern Britain.[6] Furthermore, Gildas shows a familiarity with classical Latin texts that historians such asNick Higham andE.A. Thompson view as more likely to have been acquired further south, within the bounds of formerRoman Britain.[6] Thompson suggestedChester as a possible birthplace, while the linguist Andrew Breeze suggestsArclid, nearSandbach inCheshire, based on its plausible derivation fromArecluta.[6]
In his own work, he claims to have been born the same year as theBattle of Mount Badon. He was educated at a monastic centre, the College of St. Illtud, where he chose to forsake his royal heritage and embrace monasticism. He became a renowned teacher, converting many to Christianity and founding numerous churches and monasteries throughout Britain and Ireland. He is thought to have made a pilgrimage to Rome before emigrating to Brittany, where he took on the life of ahermit. However, his life of solitude was short-lived, and pupils soon sought him out and begged him to teach them. He eventually founded a monastery for these students atSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys inBrittany, where he wroteDe Excidio Britanniae, criticising British rulers and exhorting them to put off their sins and embrace true Christian faith. He is thought to have died at Rhuys and was buried there.
The FirstLife of Gildas was written in the 9th century by an unnamed monk at the monastery which Gildas founded inRhuys, Brittany.[8] According to this tradition, Gildas is the son ofCaunus, king ofAlt Clud in theHen Ogledd, theBrythonic-speaking region of northern Britain. He had four brothers; his brother Cuillum ascended to the throne on the death of his father, and the rest became monks. Gildas was sent as a child to the College of St.Illtud inGlamorgan, under the care of StIlltud, and was a companion of StSamson of Dol and StPaul Aurelian. His master Illtud loved him tenderly and taught him with special zeal. He was supposed to be educated in liberal arts and divine scripture, but elected to study only holy doctrine, and to forsake his noble birth in favour of a religious life.
After completing his studies under Illtud, Gildas went to Ireland where he was ordained as a priest. He returned to his native lands in northern Britain where he acted as a missionary, preaching to the pagan people and converting many of them toChristianity. He was then asked by Ainmericus, high king of Ireland (Ainmuire mac Sétnai, 566–569), to restore order to the church in Ireland, which had altogether lost the Christian faith. Gildas obeyed the king's summons and travelled all over the island, converting the inhabitants, building churches, and establishing monasteries. He then travelled to Rome and Ravenna where he performed many miracles, including slaying a dragon while in Rome. Intending to return to Britain, he instead settled on the Isle ofHouat offBrittany where he led a solitary, austere life. At around this time, he also preached toNonnita (Non), the mother ofSaint David, while she was pregnant with the saint.[9] He was eventually sought out by those who wished to study under him, and was entreated to establish a monastery in Brittany, which he did at a place now known asSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
The second "Life" of Gildas was written byCaradoc of Llancarfan, a friend ofGeoffrey of Monmouth and hisNorman patrons.[10] This is an entirely fictional account intended to associate Gildas with Glastonbury Abbey.[4] It also associates him withKing Arthur. Arthur kills Gildas's brotherHueil, which causes enmity between them for a time. Hueil's enmity with Arthur is also mentioned in the Welsh prose taleCulhwch and Olwen, written around 1100. A tradition in north Wales places Hueil's execution atRuthin, and the supposed execution stone,Maen Huail, is preserved in the town square.[11] The Llancarfan life also contains the earliest surviving appearance of the abduction of the Guinevere episode, common in later Arthurian literature. Gildas secures the release of Guinevere after she had been abducted by Melvas, king of the "Summer Country", preventing war between him and Arthur.[12]
Gildas is best known for hispolemicDe Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae, which recounts the sub-Roman history of Britain, and which is the only substantial source for history of this period written by a near-contemporary, although it is not intended to be an objective chronicle.[12]
The work is a sermon in three parts condemning the acts of his contemporaries, both secular and religious.[13] The first part consists of Gildas' explanation for his work and a brief narrative ofRoman Britain from its conquest under thePrincipate to Gildas' time. He describes the doings of the Romans and theGroans of the Britons, in which the Britons make one last request for military aid from the departed Roman military. He excoriates his fellow Britons for their sins, while at the same time lauding heroes such asAmbrosius Aurelianus, whom he is the first to describe as a leader of the resistance to theSaxons. He mentions the victory at theBattle of Mons Badonicus, a feat attributed toKing Arthur in later texts, though Gildas does not mention who led the battle.
Part two consists of a condemnation of five British kings,Constantine,Aurelius Conanus,Vortiporius,Cuneglasus, andMaelgwn. As it is the only contemporary information about them, it is of particular interest to scholars of British history. Part three is a similar attack on the clergy of the time.
The works of Gildas, including theExcidio, can be found in volume 69 of thePatrologia Latina.
De Excidio was usually dated to the 540s, but the historianGuy Halsall inclines to an "early Gildas" c. 490.[14] Cambridge historian Karen George offered a date range of c. 510–530 AD.[15] Gildas states that he was 44 when he wrote the work.[16]
Gildas'relics were venerated in the abbey which he founded in Rhuys, until the 10th century, when they were removed toBerry. In the 18th century, they were said to be moved to the cathedral atVannes and then hidden during theFrench Revolution. The various relics survived the revolution and have all since been returned toSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys where they are visible at various times of the year at a dedicated "treasury" in the village. The body of Saint Gildas (minus the pieces incorporated into various reliquaries) is buried behind the altar in the church of Saint Gildas de Rhuys.[17]
The gold and silver covered relics of Saint Gildas include:
The embroideredmitre supposedly worn by Gildas is also kept with these relics.[17] Gildas is the patron saint of several churches and monasteries in Brittany, and his feast day is celebrated on 29 January.
Gildas is credited with ahymn called theLorica, orBreastplate, a prayer for deliverance fromevil, which contains specimens ofHiberno-Latin. A proverb is also attributed toGildas mab y Gaw in theEnglynion y Clyweid in Llanstephan MS. 27.
InBonedd y Saint, Gildas is recorded as having three sons and a daughter. Gwynnog ap Gildas and Noethon ap Gildas are named in the earliest tracts, together with their sister Dolgar. Another son, Tydech, is named in a later document.Iolo Morganwg adds SaintCenydd to the list.
The scholarDavid Dumville suggests that Gildas was the teacher ofFinnian of Moville, who in turn was the teacher of StColumba ofIona.
