Saint Saint Ténénan

Saint Ténénan (or Saint Thénénan) is one of the mythical Breton saints of Armorica. He is known as Tudogilus (or Saint Tudon or Saint Thudon), as the father of Saint Gouesnou, Saint Majan and a girl named Tudona. Records suggest Saint Ténénan and Saint Tudon immigrated to Brittany at the same time, frequented the same places and therefore may be one individual. The life of Ténénan is so poorly known that Albert Le Grand wrote that at least three saints may have been confused: the first, of Irish origin (Hibernia at the time) lived in the fifth century as a contemporary of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland; the second "Ténénan-Tinidor"; and a third who lived at the time of the Norman invasions. Ténénan or Tinidor was born in Wales; he was at first a brilliant young man attending the noble courts. According to Albert Le Grand, he was the son of Tinidor (whose name is wrongly attributed to him) and the nephew of Saint Jaoua. As a teenager, he was so handsome that the Countess d'Arondel's daughter wanted him for her husband. Desiring to flee worldliness and having decided "to keep his virginity, he prayed, begging the Divine Majesty to make him so ugly and so deformed that no one would want him any more, promising, in return, to keep perpetual chastity, if God did him this favor. It was granted, and in a moment the whole surface of his body was covered with leprosy, so that he horrified all who looked upon him." Ténénan entered the monastery directed by Saint Carantec in Hibernia (present-day Ireland); the latter cured him of leprosy by plunging him into a bath, "his skin became clear and white like that of a little child," and sent him to preach in Armorica. An angel appeared to him, telling him to go to the flock that Saint Paul Aurelian had shepherded. Coming from overseas, Ténénan came to Leon by the Goulet and the Élorn. After disembarking at Joyeuse-Garde, he built his hermitage in the forest at Lan-Tinidor (not far from Landerneau).