Saint Decuman
Comité de jumelage saint Renan _ Watchet
| St Decuman was a Celtic missionary who came from Wales during the 5th or the 7thcentury in search of a place to worship God, aware by travellers that the people of Watchet were in need of spiritual guidance.
Perturbed by this assertion he decided to sail across the channel to Watchet and he built a coracle and took within his cow because he was eager of a drink of milk. |
......... | St Decuman, moine Irlandais du 5° S (ou du 7°S) désireux de créer un ermitage pour y prier Dieu, entendit dans la bouche de voyageurs que le peuple de Watchet aurait bien besoin d’un guide spirituel.
Décidant de s’y rendre, il construisit un coracle dans lequel il embarqua avec sa vache car il se nourrissait de lait; |
| He settled to a pure spring of water (which was a former sacred place to the people of this area) to preach and save the wicked people. He found the local people very unfriendly and they took a dislike of him. The holy man’s head was cut off with a hatchet by a man “ more poisonous than the adder and more venomous than an asp”. | Il s’installa près d’une fontaine sacrée pour prier et convertir les autochtones, mais trouva ces derniers très remontés contre lui. La situation se dégrada au point qu’un homme “ plus dangereux qu’une vipère et plus venimeux qu’un aspic” lui trancha la tête. | |
| Quite unruffled, St Decuman picked up his head and washed the blood in the holy spring. He popped it on again and returned to worship God. The people of Watchet, ashamed of themselves, gave St Decuman every assistance in building his church. | Gardant sa dignité, notre moine recupéra sa tête, la nettoya dans la fontaine sacrée toute proche, la reposa sur ses épaules et retourna prier Dieu. Ebahis par ce miracle, les habitants de Watchet se convertirent et l’aidèrent à achever la construction de son ermitage. | |
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Today the spring of pure water still exists close to the church and has never been known to run dry. The site now forms a quiet garden for contemplation and peace since recent works have been realised Comité de jumelage saint Renan _ Watchet |
La fontaine existe toujours près de l'église actuelle dédiée à St Decuman (cette église fut construite par les familles des deux chevaliers qui occirent Thomas A Becket en 1170) et de récents aménagements en ont fait un havre de paix et de recueillement. AB |
Date de dernière mise à jour : 30/11/2020