Visiting the Valley of the Saints... I have desires of hagiography (stories of holy names).... to understand the meaning and origins of the Breton first names...

I'll begin with Tugdual... a very famous saint here in Brittany... and an original male name...

This young man was not born in Brittany but in what is now called Wales. He, like many other Great Britons, crossed the Channel to Armorica to evangelize it.
So... he was Welsh, born in the late 5th century (about 490) and was educated in a monastery. Nothing very original for this time!
At 25, he emigrated with his family and other religious compatriots in Leon (Northern Brittany), where he founded a monastery and then a hermitage. Soon the two schools are very successful and lots of believers arrived.
He soon performed miracles, conversions increased... The Tréguier Monastery wanted him as a bishop in 532. Converted princes thanked him giving lands to found other religious establishments. In short, everything is fine.

Tugdual went to Rome in 548 and the legend says that Rome was burying the pope.
After the funeral, while the clergy gathered to elect the new pontiff, a white dove, symbol of the purity of the soul, rests on Tugdual head. And that's how his life switched : he was elected Pope Leo V.
The end of his pontificate is announced by a new sign two years later when a white horse fly him back to Tréguier.

The sculptor Francois Breton has carved him with a dove... It should be on the Valley of Saints in Central Brittany (France). (it is supposed to be there but it was not there during my visit, I have no photos to show you! Next time !)
He died in Tréguier November 30 with 73 years (if I counted right) in 563.
Celebrated this day, his name has many variants: Tual, Tudal, Tugal, Tudwal, Tuzval, Tutuarn, Pabu or Papu in Breton.

In summary, if Tugdual is the first name of your dreams for your boy, that's what you must remember: Saint Tugdual is one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. It was the first bishop of Tréguier. He is often associated with a dove... remember, Brittany had its first and only pope thanks to him and the dove.
Your son's Nobel Peace .... Not bad?

Read it in French : Saint Tugdual et sa colombe : évèque de Tréguier et unique pape breton

You like short names ... that are not nicknames for Facebook...
True, it is convenient ... for the curb of your last born … easy to be engraved on a gold medallion... Or easy to write with wooden block letters adorning the door of the children's bedroom ...

So... French short names... Those two are famous in Brittany : Malo from Saint Malo and Brieuc from Saint Brieuc. These two Saints have given their names to their cities.They're carved in Carnoët telling their stories: Malo with his boat and Brieuc with his wolf!

Let's go back to their legends...



Malo was born in what is now called Wales, like almost all the other holy founders of Brittany (except one Corentin). Celebrated on November 15, he was the first bishop of Aleth, (one of the peninsula of Saint Malo). Where says the legend, souls at that time needed to be purified ... Patrice Le Guen carved him with a ship because he needed 7 years to cross the Channel before reaching Cézembre (the island in front of St. Malo) ...



Brieuc was a monk. He became the first bishop of Saint Brieuc and the founder of the diocese. Born in 409, in Wales, he spent his life converting ... Once he was an old man, an angel asked him to evangelize Armorica. He crossed the sea with 168 followers and founded a monastery in Treguier that his nephew Tugdual would administer …
As the plague raged in his country of origin, he came back to quiet the epidemy and then returned to Armorica with new monks. He spent his whole life trying to convert sinners (which are symbolized by wolves who want to eat him but he tames them). The statue of Brieuc in Carnoët is shown with the animal at his feet … Later, Brieuc received land from a parent and founded the town of Saint Brieuc.
The legend continued after his death: as many miracles occured on his tomb, he became one of 7 founding saints. He died in 502 and he is celebrated on May 2. Brieuc in Breton is Brieg, Briec or Brioc.

Who are these Overseas Saints?

Originally, (about the 4th C), Christianity conquers Britain and becomes the dominant religion. The title of saint is honorary and given to the clergy. When these Saints cross the Channel to evangelize Armorica, those Great Bretons also import their way of seeing the world ... They manage people, and give their names to the places where they preached. And left their names in the breton toponymy.
Thus, according to the dictionary of Breton heritage, "There are about 800 Breton saints, many of whom are known only by lann or plous (lots of villages'names begin or end with lann or plou) which they have associated their names."

Lire cet article en français : Prénoms bretons courts : Malo et Brieuc

Even if China and India share 70% of the world production, three-quarters of the French production of cauliflower are grown in the North West of France, on the breton coast ... If you arrive with the ferry at Roscoff, you'll see fields of cauliflowers everywhere... Prince de Bretagne the main supplier of vegetables of the region...



Cauliflower belongs to the very, very, large cabbage family ... that have so many different colors, shapes and even sizes. Cabbage season never stops... all year long...

Origins
Asia Minor. Cabbage is a very old food already eaten by prehistoric people ... Cauliflower disappears however in Europe after the Roman time and reappeared in Italy in the late Middle Ages. In France, it is cultivated again in the 17th C. In England, a bit earlier...

Vitamins and co
This vegetable plant has many advantages: rich in vitamin C (good for healthy bones, cartilage, teeth and gums ... It also protects against infections, promotes the absorption of iron content in plants and accelerates healing. ) It was good for sailors wishing to fight against scurvy (No fresh food on boats for days...a lack of vitamin C makes you loose your teeth!).
Studies say that cauliflower is also appreciated against cancers (lung, ovary and kidney). And good for pregnant women (contents folate (vitamin B9 used for the growth and development of the fetus ...).
It is a low calorie vegetable (high content of water: 20 calories per 100 grams).

Culture and Consumption
It is an annual plant. Thanks to the mild climate of the region of Roscoff, we can eat them September to January.

How to choose a cauliflower
A fresh one will have still green water-soaked leaves and a white heart...
But ... very often, unfortunatly, the cauliflower arriving in our plates has done a long journey before ending in a saucepan of boiling water... Leaves are all dried, the white is often spotted (these are signs of decay).
However ... It is a very good food that I recommend as a dipping appetizer

Italian raw cauliflower recipe in spicy sauce

Ingredients
a cauliflower 800 g
Chopped parsley
Anchovies thinly cut
Juice of half a lemon
100g butter
Salt

For this recipe, the ideal is to have a cauliflower extremely fresh, white, with no trace of passing time ...
Remove leaves, divide the clumps of cabbage and soak in salted water.
In a saucepan, melt butter, add anchovies that you've previously cut into thin slices and parsley. After a few minutes, remove from heat.
Drain the cauliflower florets and arrange in a dish, pour sauce and lemon juice.
Serve as appetizer ...

Read this article in French : Le chou-fleur de Bretagne

Want to visit a very famous French monument… the Mont Saint Michel… A really good idea for a cultural week end in Northern France.
Before getting there, do you want to play… with this little quiz …
And want to learn everything you always wanted to know about the rocky island ... practical informations and nice anecdotes, you’ll discover an unusual Mont Saint Michel.

1 - The residents of Mont Saint Michel are called:

- The Michelins
- The Montois
- The Miquelots

The residents of the Mount are called the Montois

2 - Tourists at Mont Saint Michel, how many ?

- 30 000 visitors per year
- 300 000
- 3 000 000

Over 3 million visitors a year (an average of more than 8000 per day!) And the number increases every year. It is one of the most visited sites in France after Paris. That reputation has centuries of life…Since the Middle Ages (12th), the pilgrims arrived to the Mount and stayed several days. Old houses (15th and 16th C) were inns or shops. The pilgrims left the abbey with souvenirs such as lead bulbs filled with sand.

3 - Le Mont Saint Michel and his daily life:

The Mount belongs to 3 families
There are about thirty residents
100 shops enliven the island

Actually 3 families share both the administration of the county and the shops. About 40 people live on the Mount. In short, 3 families, 300 businesses and 3 million visitors. The Mount loves the 3.



4 - Le Mont Saint Michel: his titles and awards
In your opinion, it

- listed as a historic monument
- is is one of the World Heritage List of UNESCO
- Belongs to the category "touristic city"
- Is one of the seven wonders of the world

The Mont is listed as a historical monument since 1874. Almost 100 years later, in 1979, it is an heritage of Unesco. In 2009, it is a touristic city that means that it has an accommodation capacity forlots of tourists and especially a particular legal regime in different areas (rest of the employees or beverage for example). It is a wonderful place but it is not one of the 7 wonders of the world.

5 - The origins of the cult of the Mont Saint Michel

- Druids started the cult there
- Ii is an angel who wanted the erection of the abbey
- It is a king of France who built it

It was a place where druids used to venerate their gods and also a tomb dedicated to the popular veneration, that's how the touristic guide Joanne presents it in its 1884 edition.


This is not an angel but an archangel ... says the legend. An archangel is a superior angel,he is above the angels and can act without God's permission. The Archangel Michael asked several times the bishop of Avranches to build a convent on the Mount .
And when in 709, he led the monks, a wonderful stamp indicated the place where the abbey had to be erected. A spring gushes too to provide drinkable water to the monks.

The Mount was attacked and destroyed several times in the Middle Ages. Philippe Auguste, a French King, attempted to conquer Normandy and asked his men to besiege it, they burnt it.The King rebuilt the abbey and fortress Tombelaine. It is the origin of the Wonder.

6 - What is la Merveille the Wonder as we call it in France?

- The whole Mount : village and religious buildings
- 3 floors of the monastery
- Part of the religious building

It is only the Northern part of the monastery dating from the 13th century.
It still includes 6 different spaces on 3 levels: 3 dining rooms one for the poors, at the bottom, one for prestigious people such as King and at last the monks' refectory. The other wing includes the cellar, the Knights' Hall and the cloister. All those religious buildings are a mixture of architectural styles: Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic.

7 - Le Mont Saint Michel and its nicknames?

- It was called Tombelaine
- Saint Michel at the peril of the sea
- The Wonder

No, Tombelaine, another fortified rock of the bay, has also been the subject of numerous battles and conquests. It was also called Mont Tombe.

With the reputation of the pilgrimage which had an international success in the Middle Ages, the pilgrims had to cross the bay to visit the rock. It was and it is very dangerous : drownings, mudslides (quicksand) were and are very common ... even today, there are still dead ... You definetly need a guide to walk in the bay. And therefore it was called Saint Michel au péril de la Mer, St. Michel at the peril of the sea.

8 – The Mont Saint Michel and its nationalities:

- Independent?
- English
- Breton
- Norman

Independent! Even so, since a digue (1877) connects the island of Mont Saint Michel to the mainland, the silting of the bay goes on, the rock becomes an island just during high tides. Works are to be done to change the dam to allow the sea to flow into the bay (which should be less silt), and thereb yto give the Mount its independence of origin.

English ... Yes, during the 100 Years War in 1427, the English after a long siege took the site. The pilgrims continued to go to the abbey Mont Saint Michel with safe-conduct they paid to the enemy.

Breton ... In 1204, they besieged the rock, burnt it and eventually conquered it back but for very short time... Duguesclin, the famous friend of Joan of Arc was Breton. He was captain of the Mount and built a house (1366) for his wife Tiphaine (which can still be visited today).

Norman ... Well, yes,it is Norman. It is the Couesnon River, which is the border between the two regions ... Listen to the well known proverb:
The Couesnon in its madness
Put the Mount in Normandy
When the Couesnon will found the reason
The Mount will revert Breton.
All is not lost!

9 - The Mount and its functions.

- A very popular religious place in the Middle Ages
- A fortress
- A prison

The Mount was a religious place renowned in the Middle Ages.
But when the order of Saint Michel is created in 1469 by Louis XI, it is the beginning of a turning point. The knights of the Order multiply the celebrations, religious are appointed by kings, forgot to deal with the Mount and are just interested in profits. Decadence.
So much so that there is no more monastic life after the French Revolution and the monks will return there only in 1969.
In parallel to its religious life, the rock has been a fortress since its creation (8th century) or almost ...
The inhabitants took refuge on the Mont Saint Michel to escape the attacks of the Normans (understand Vikings) and have thus created the actual city.
Later fortifications are done against Bretons or against the English. You can follow the walkway on the many walls and defensive towers. The place has been a jail since the French Revolution.
If you visit the monastery, you will see a huge wooden wheel where 5 to 6 prisone sused to walk to bring food on top of the Mont Saint Michel. 10 - The Mount and its peculiarities

- There is only one entrance to go into the village
- There is a church outside the walls of the Mount
- There is only one street that goes through the island
- There is no drinking water on the Mount
- The train used to come to the rock
- there were windmills on the Mont Saint Michel
- The granite used in buildings comes from the Channel Islands

There is actually only one entrance to go into the Mont Saint Michel with 3 doors ...
There is only one street that actually goes to the abbey.
No drinking water for centuries except the fountain of Saint Aubertwhich is due, says the legend, to the will of the archangel. It is not located in the village but outside the walls.
You could take the train to Mont Saint Michel since 1901 and that for almost thirty years.
There was a windmill on the Mount. Yes, yes, they are mad those Normans ... Some granite used for the religious buildings come from Chausey ... the Channel island ...

So you’re conquered and want to run and visit it during your holidays. It’s worth it, believe me but… don’t do it in summertime, if you want to have a romantic short break… it is too crowded…the only street, you know suffers from pedestrian traffic (reall,y I've experienced it several times), queues for the tickets ... Speech guide are lost between the comments of Japanese tourists (many) and those of Italians, Spanish, English, German, Dutch…

Read this in French : Entre Bretagne et Normandie week-end insolite au Mont Saint Michel