Madron (saint)

This article is about a male Cornish saint. For the female Welsh and Cornish Saint Madrun, see Saint Materiana.

Saint Madron or Maddern was a Pre-Congregational Saint, monk and hermit.

Life

He is honoured in Cornwall at St Maddern's Church in the village of Madron. He also has a Holy well, noted for its healing powers.

Madron was born in Cornwall and was a disciple of Saint Ciarán of Saigir. Very little is known of him except that many miracles were attributed to him. He died c.545 AD near Land's End, Cornwall, and is remembered in Madron Parish Church (Madron Village) and his Feast Day is 17 May.

Identification

John T. Koch has suggested that the saint was not a historical figure but rather a Christianisation of the Mythical Celtic Modron the mother goddess. Indeed, some aspects of the veneration at Madron's well do appear to derive from Pagan origins.

Others have suggested that the saint's life is a retelling of the story of St. Madrun, a daughter of Vortimer, a king of Gwent.

Gallery

• 
  The baptistry near Madron Well
• 
  Basin in the south-west corner of the baptistry
• 
  The altar at the eastern end of the baptistry
• 
  A wayside cross, Boswarthen (near Madron Well)

References

• Haycock, Marged (2007). Legendary poems from the Book of Taliesin. CMCS. ISBN 978-0-9527478-9-5.
• Gruffydd, William John (1953). Rhiannon: An Inquiry Into the Origin of the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogi. University of Wales Press.
• Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1-. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
• "St. Madron of Cornwall, Hermit". Celtic and Old English Saints. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
• Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine's Abbey (1931). The Book of Saints. A Dictionary. A. & C. Black.
• Butler, Alban (1866). The lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal saints. J. Duffy.
• "Saint Madron of Cornwall". Saints.SQPN.com. Retrieved 25 July 2014.