St. Budoc of Dol
(Budeaux, Budeux, Buoc, Beuzec)
9 December
6th or 7th century; feast day also on December 8. Breton sources call
Saint Budoc the son of the King of Goello (Treguier),
Brittany, and Azenor, daughter of the ruler of Brest. Budoc was supposed
to have been born at sea under incredible circumstances. His mother had
been falsely accused of infidelity by her jealous stepmother. His
furious father had exiled Azenor and near Brest had thrown his pregnant
wife into the sea in a cask. There Budoc was born attended in his
mother's visions by
Saint Brigid (f.d. February 1)).
Five months later
they landed on the coast of Ireland, where Azenor became the
laundress for the monastery of Beau Port near Waterford. There Budoc was
raised and educated at Youghal monastery and later became its abbot.
The "vita" (9th century) of Breton
Saint Winwaloe (f.d. March 3)
describes Budoc as a teacher living on the island of Laurea. Later Budoc
was elected bishop, and then returned to Brittany, where he succeeded
Saint Samson (f.d. July 28)
and
Saint Maglorius (f.d. October 24)
as
bishop of Dol and ruled for 26 years (according to the 10th-century
"vita" of Maglorius and the 11th-century "Chronicle of Dol").
Another tradition in England has him an Irish hermit who immigrated to
Britain and settled at Budock near Falmouth. He has given his name to
several places in Pembrokeshire, Cornwall (Budock and Budo Vean for both
of which he is patron), and Devon (Saint Budeaux, near Plymouth). A
church in Oxford and a monastery at Pill are dedicated to his memory.
Budoc was also honoured in and near Steynton, Pembrokeshire. In Brittany
there is a cultus but no place-names at Dol, but place-names
with no cultus at Cornouaille.
His name is associated with that of
Saint Mawes (Maudez, f.d. November 18)
in both Cornwall and Brittany. Budock faces Saint Mawes across
Falmouth Harbour in Cornwall, and, curiously, Mawes was abbot of a
monastery in Brittany that was close to that of Budoc. No doubt they
were missionary monks, probably of Welsh origin. It is entirely possible
that there are two or more saints of this name whose histories have been
confused; however, the feasts of Saint Budoc in the Breton and
Exeter martyrologies are close enough (one day apart) that they are
likely to be the same person. Saint Budoc is the patron of Plourin,
where his relics are preserved, although Glastonbury claimed to possess
some of them
(Attwater,
Attwater2,
Benedictines,
Coulson,
Delaney,
Farmer).
Troparion of St Budoc
Tone 4
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 in Armagh and 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.
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content © 2008, Ambrose Mooney
layout © 2008, Kathleen Hanrahan and Mo! Langdon
Page last updated: 27 November 2008
Please send us comments, corrections, etc. -
Kathleen or
Mo!.
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