Pompeia of Langoat

Saint Pompeia of Langoat
Stained-glass window featuring Saint Pompeia
Queen of Brittany
Born	Domnonée, Brittany
Died	AD 545 Langoat, Brittany
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	Langoat
Feast	2 January
Attributes	Queen holding a distaff, book at her feet

Saint Pompeia (in Latin: Alma Pompeia or in Breton: Koupaia [1]), also known as Aspasia, is a legendary Breton saint who supposedly lived in the 6th century. Her feast day is celebrated on 2 January.

Legendary biography

According to the life of her son, Tudwal, Pompeia was the sister of King Riwal II of Domnonée.[2] Tradition at Langoat further asserts that she became one of the wives of the King Hoel Mawr (or the Great) of Cournaille and Over-King Brittany.[3] After being exiled in Britain for some years, Pompeia eventually returned to her husband's kingdom with her daughter, Saint Scaeva, and her son, Saint Tudwal.[2] She settled near the monastery of Tréguier, founded by the latter, and died where the church of Langoat stands today.[2] Her relics are still preserved there and a shrine has been erected to her memory.

Family

Saint Pompeia was the mother of:

• Saint Tudwal: one of the seven founding saints of Brittany
• Sainte Scaeva
• Saint Leonorus

Breton legacy

• Langoat: Saint Pompeia's Church in the shape of a Latin cross stands there. Inside is the shrine said to be of Saint Pompeia and bas-relief panels recounting her legend.
• Sainte-Sève: Saint Scaeva's Church there contains a statue of Saint Pompeia; the name of the locality, Trébompé, probably stems from a corruption of the name Pompeia.
• Valley of the Saints: A statue of Saint Pompeia sculpted by P. Le Guen and P. Leost in blue granite from Lanhelin, was erected in 2012.
• Trézény: There is a stained glass window representing Saint Pompeia in the Saint Zény's Church.

References

1. Couffon, R (1938). "Répertoire des Eglises et Chapelles du Diocèse de Saint-Brieuc et Tréguier" [Directory of Churches and Chapels of the Diocese of Saint-Brieuc and Tréguier]. Société d'émulation des Côtes-du-Nord Bulletins et Mémoires (in French). 70: 188–189. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
2. Le Grand, Albert (1837). Les Vies des Saints de la Bretagne-Armorique. Brest & Paris. pp. 783–797.
3. Ford, David Nash (201). "St. Tugdual alias Tudwal". Early British Kingdoms. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 25 July 2021.