Saint Brendan de Clonfert (also known as Bréanainn de Clonfert in Irish) was an Irish saint (484-578), whose legend ended up taking precedence over history. A legendary figure, he was best known for founding Clonfert Abbey, a 6th-century monastery still in use today…
Saint Brendan de Clonfert was born in the kingdom of Munster in 484, and his childhood was soon steeped in Christianity.
He went to the monastery of Llancarfan in the Kingdom of Gwent (Wales) to learn Latin, Greek, mathematics, medicine and astronomy, and was introduced to Christian texts. From 515 onwards, Saint Brendan traveled extensively, setting out on a 7-year quest to find the Garden of Eden (according to a Celtic tradition dictated by L’Immram, an ancient mythological tale).
He didn’t hesitate to sail, venturing out on the Atlantic Ocean on a curragh, accompanied by other monks. At the end of his quest, Brendan returns to Ireland, and tells of his journey, claiming to have found an island akin to Paradise… The news soon spread and the legend took shape: Brendan was nicknamed “The Navigator”, and many pilgrims gathered around Aldfert, the village where the monk’s journey is said to have begun. But Saint Brendan de Clonfert didn’t stop there, and set sail again, in search of new territories to discover… According to the medieval account “Navigatio Sancti Brendani abbatis”, the monk made 2 important voyages, one to the Canary Islands, the other to the West Indies. He then spent more than 25 years traveling between the British Isles and Brittany.
Today, many specialists seem to doubt these journeys, considering most accounts of his travels to be inaccurate and incoherent. In 561, Brendan returned to Ireland, and decided to found the monastery of Clonfert in the Galway region. He died between 574 and 578 and was canonized by Pope Zacharias in 1243, with his feast day set for May 16.
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