Died c. 500. Gunthiern, a Welsh prince, left his homeland in his youth
to become a hermit in Brittany (Armorica). On the Isle of Groie near the
mouth of the Blavet, he was given land for a monastery by the local
lord, Grallon, who was impressed by Gunthiern's holiness. The abbey is
known as Kemperle, which indicates its location between the Isol and
Wile Rivers.
Once a swarm of insects threatened to devour the crops. Count Guerech I
of Vannes, dreading a famine, sent three dignitaries to request the
saint's intercession to turn away the scourge. Gunthiern blessed some
water and told them to sprinkle it over the fields. When they followed
Gunthiern's instructions the insects were destroyed.
During the Norman invasions, Gunthiern's body was concealed in the isle
of Groie. When it was discovered in the eleventh century, it was
translated to the monastery of Kemperle, which now belongs to the
Benedictine Order. Saint Gunthiern is patron of this abbey as well as of
many other churches and chapels in Brittany
(
Benedictines,
Husenbeth).
The Life of St Gurthiern,
Celtic Christianity e-library
University of Wales, Lampeter
http://www.lamp.ac.uk/celtic/Gurthiern.htm