Mabyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Mabyn |
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| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion |
| Feast | 18 November |
| Patronage | St Mabyn |
Mabyn, also known as Mabena, was a special person from Cornwall, England. She lived a long time ago, during the Middle Ages. People in Cornwall believe she was a saint.
Local stories say that Mabyn was one of many children of Brychan. He was a king from Wales in the 400s. The village of St Mabyn in Cornwall is named after her. The church there, St Mabyn Parish Church, is also dedicated to her.
Contents
Who Was Saint Mabyn?
Her Story in History
The oldest known story about Mabyn comes from a book written in the 1100s. It is called the Life of Saint Nectan. This book lists many children of King Brychan, including Mabyn. Many of Brychan's children became saints.
Other old writings from Wales, Ireland, and Brittany also mention Brychan. But they do not mention Mabyn specifically. The fact that the Life of Saint Nectan includes Mabyn suggests her church was already important.
Later, other old writings mentioned Mabyn and her church. But they did not share much new information. Some even mistakenly said she was a man. One idea was that a male saint named Mabon actually started the church. This Mabon was supposedly a brother of Saint Teilo. But the stories connecting Mabyn to King Brychan's family were very strong.
Mabyn's Feast Day
People in Cornwall kept these stories alive for a long time. In the 1500s, a person named Nicholas Roscarrock wrote about Mabyn. He heard that people sang a special song about her. This song matched the list of saints in the Life of Saint Nectan. Roscarrock also wrote that her special day, or feast day, was November 18.
What She Looked Like
You can see a picture of Mabyn in a stained glass window. This window is in a church in the nearby village of St Neot. It was made around 1523 or 1528.
In the window, Mabyn wears long robes and a crown. She holds a book and a palm branch. A palm branch is a symbol that means someone was a martyr. This means they died for their beliefs.
Mabyn is one of six local Cornish saints shown in the church's north windows. The south windows showed famous saints from other places. The window with Mabyn was given by the wives of the western part of the parish.
A Special Table
There is a special table in St Mabyn Church called a credence table. It might have been part of a tomb built to honor Mabyn. It is possible that all of her sisters also had tombs built for them.
