Saint Ténénan
Saint Ténénan or Saint Thénénan is one of the more or less mythical Breton saints of Armorica, not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps, although very unlikely, he is also known under the name of Tudogilus (or Saint Tudon or Saint Thudon or Saint Tugdon), in which he would be the father of Saint Gouesnou, Saint Majan and a girl Tudona; in any case they immigrated to Brittany at the same time and frequented the same places.
The life of Tenenan is so poorly known that Albert Le Grand thinks that there were at least three saints who have been confused: the first, of Irish origin (Hibernia at the time) would have lived in the fifth century and would have been a contemporary of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland; the second "Ténénan-Tinidor"; and a third who would have lived at the time of the Norman invasions.
Ténénan or Tinidor was born in present-day Great Britain, in the parish of Vallis Æquorea; 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 absolutely wanted him as a husband. But, desirous of fleeing 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."
He then entered the monastery directed by Saint Carantec located in Hibernia (present-day Ireland); the latter cured him of leprosy by plunging him into a bath of his preparation, "his skin became clear and white like that of a little child," and sent him to preach in Armorica.
An angel having appeared to him, he told him to sail to Armorica, to the flock Saint Paul Aurelian had shepherded. He founded around 650, under the protection the lord of the place, a small town (located in fact on the territory of the present commune of Plouédern) which one called by his name lann Tinidor, whose name became Landerneau thereafter.
In 615, on the death of Saint Goulven, bishop of Leon, Tenenan was elected to replace him and deputies went to Ploubennec to bring him the news. Tenenan answered them "that he felt his shoulders too weak to bear a burden so heavy," but yielding to their petitions, finally accepted. He was consecrated bishop in the cathedral of Dol by Saint Guennou1.
After being bishop of Leon for a few years, Tenenan died, probably on July 16, 635, and was buried in his cathedral. According to Dom Lobineau, only one relic of the saint remained in the early eighteenth century, in the church of Trégarantec, under the name of St. Ternoc.
Saint Ténénan is sometimes confused with St. Arnoc and some historians believe that it is in fact the same saint.
Sources
- Vita S. Tenenani, cited in : Albert Le Grand, Les vies des saints de la Bretagne Armorique : ensemble un ample catalogue chronologique et historique des evesques d'icelle... et le catalogue de la pluspart des abbés, blazons de leurs armes et autres curieuses recherches... (5e éd.), J.Salaün, Quimper