13 LOCRONAN, the place where Paganism and Christianity meet

Locronan, meaning “the place of Saint Ronan”, the saint who converted the region to Christianity, is a  beautiful small medieval town built at the foot of a hill in the Finistère, Brittany, France.

It is known for its procession of about 12 km, La Grande Troménie, held every six years between the second and third Sundays in July, traversing the wider sacred area around the town, the forest of Nevet.

Nevet comes from « nemet », sacred, derived from « nemeton ». A nemeton was a druidic sacred space of the Celtic religion. The  Nemeton of Locronan is a sort of quadrilateral of 12 km of perimeter with 12 “stations” representing the 12 months of the Celtic year or maybe 12 Celtic gods. Originally, the procession was mostly a fecundity rite, but, as it often happens, the Church recycled for its own purposes preexistent pagan rituals.

Yet this fertility creed is still alive and three stones in the course of the procession, Christianized megaliths, are touched or seated on by the penitents to that end, especially “la Jument de Pierre”, also called “Saint Ronan’s chair”.

The Legend of Saint Ronan:

1. The holy Ronan was a squire Who was born on the Isle of Eire, In Saxon land, beyond the sea, High rulers in his pedigree. 2. Once, as he was on his knees and prayed, He saw a dazzling light that spread, An angel clad in white who told Him these words on behalf of God: 3. - O Ronan, far to travel away You're ordered by God, so that you may Once save your soul. Embark and flee To Breton Cornwall beyond the sea. 4. And Ronan did as the angel said To Brittany at once he repaired, First to the valley of Leon, then To Cornwall to the "Wood of the Shrine". 5. And 2 or 3 years went by, or more Once he did penance before his door, One evening, praying upon his knees, Devoutly was facing the sea, 6. A wolf sprang out of the nearby wood That held a sheep in his mouth, followed On by a man who ran in despair, Whose bitter laments rent the air. 7. Full of compassion for him, Ronan Prayed to God for the sake of this man. “O Lord my God, I do implore You; Do show Your strength and spare this ewe!” 8. No sooner had he finished his prayer Than the wolf to the door trod his way, Submissively he laid down the sheep Before Ronan's and the poor man's feet. 9. The good man got used from then on Every day to visiting Ronan. With greatest pleasure to him he fled To listen to the words God has said 10. But this man was married and he had A wife named Keban who was bad And she decided Ronan to harm Who was upsetting all on her farm.

11. One day she came to him, furious, And made a row and a lot of fuss - On all in my house you cast a spell, My husband and my children as well. 12. They always are with you and your god. And my goods are going to the dogs. And they don’t obey me when I yelp. Now I bawl to you and you don't help. 13. She put then into her head she would Calumniate the holy man of God. And she went to King Gradlon's court To Quimper town beyond the mount. 14. - My Lord and King, O avenge my child: My little girl was strangled and died. And Ronan of Koad-Nevet did it. I saw how into a wolf. he turned. 15. Because of this infamous slander Saint Ronan was taken to Quimper. In a deep dungeon he was locked in By order of Lord Gradlon the King. 16. Out of it when at last he was freed, It was to be bound onto a tree And two ferocious and hungry hounds Were unleashed and on him at once pounced. 17. But, fearless, he did not give a start, Calmly crossed himself upon his heart. The hounds, that were at once put to flight, Burnt by some flame, barking, ceased from strife. 18. King Gradlon who this wonder beheld Then said to the holy man of God: What’s the use of my doing you wrong, It's quite clear that to God you belong. 19. No redress whatever I demand But pardon for this woman Keban: That her child is not dead I attest: It is in her house, shut in a chest. 20. They brought the chest they found underground They opened it and the child was found In it but it lay, dead, on its side; And Ronan called it back to life.

21. Lord Gradlon and his followers Were all dumbfounded by the wonder. Before Saint Ronan they bowed low, And asked him forgivingness to show. 22. But Ronan went off, back to his wood Where he remained until he would Decease, in ashes and sackcloth, A mere hard stone was his pillow. 23. Clad in the speckled hide of a cow And belted with some intertwined boughs He drank naught but the brine from the marsh He ate naught but bread baked in wood ash. 24. And when the last hour for him had rung And he had left behind this world, Two white buffaloes drew his cart, Three bishops led him to the earth. 25. And when they had arrived at a pool Keban was there, dishevelled all Doing her washing on a Friday Despising Christ who died on that day: 26. And she did brandish her battledore And fling it at the wild bull’s horn Who startled frightened violently And broken was his horn by the hit. 27. “Off into your hole, son of a whore! I trust we won’t find you any more Doing your tricks to abuse us.” Go and rot away with the dead dogs! 28. No sooner had she closed her mouth Than she was engulfed by the earth Amidst dark smoke and flaming blaze. The spot is called now "Keban’s grave". 29. And the funeral cortege went forth Carrying Holy Ronan to earth, Until the two buffaloes did stop And would go neither ahead nor back; 30. The Saint was buried there on the hill. It was believed that it was his will. Atop the mount, in the green wood, too, So as to face the wind and the blue. Transl. Christian Souchon (c) 2008

Legends have different layers of meaning. In this case, it's clear that the Keban woman represents paganism.

The Nevet forest was an area known for persisting in the druidic religion and worship of nature deities, whereas the neighbouring places had been since long Christianised by settlers from Cornwall and Wales.
Ronan decided to put up his hermitage in the sacred forest and was immediately opposed by the upholders of the old religion.

Ronan did not destroy the pagan open air sanctuary but "recycled" it to a Christian holy ground with Christian saints replacing the Celtic gods.

La Grande Troménie, with the 12 stations

Remains of the Nevet forest

Keban's cross, the place where Keban was engulfed by the earth. No Christian ever makes the sign of the cross there

The "Jument de Pierre", the druidic fertility stone

Saint Ronan

Preparing the Troménie

And there they go