Samson of Dol

Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born — died 28 July 565 AD) was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany with Pol Aurelian, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Malo, Patern (Paternus) and Corentin. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany, and was the nephew of Athrwys ap Meurig.

Life Samson was the son of Amon of Demetia and Anna of Gwent. His father's brother married his mother's sister so that their son Maglor was Samson's cousin twice over. Due to a prophecy concerning his birth his parents placed him under the care of Illtud, Abbot of Llantwit Fawr, where he was raised and educated.

Samson later sought a greater austerity than his school provided, and so moved to Llantwit's daughter house, the island monastery of Caldey off the coast of Dyfed (Pembrokeshire), Wales, where he became abbot after the death of Pyr. Samson abstained from alcohol – unlike Pyr, who was killed when he fell down a well while drunk. As a cenobitic and later an eremitic monk, he travelled from Caldey to Ireland, where he is said to have founded or revived a monastery.

There is one fairly certain date recorded of Samson's life; that he was ordained bishop by Bishop Dubricius but his suggestion that it was erected by Samson himself was discredited by later historians with access to more reliable written sources. However, in the 20th century, genealogical studies threw further light on the subject, and the pillar is now considered by many to be "one of the oldest inscribed Christian monuments in Britain". Legend has it that Saint Samson of Dol was threshing corn in Penparcau, Ceredigion on the hillside of Pen Dinas (a Celtic Hillfort) when the larger part of his flail broke and landed across the valley in the Abbey at Llanbadarn Fawr, in anger he threw the smaller part over the valley too and these were used to make the three celtic crosses which now stand in the church.

Later he travelled to Cornwall (where he founded a community in either South Hill or Golant), then the Scilly Isles (where the island of Samson is named after him), Guernsey where he is the Patron Saint and Brittany, where he founded the monastery of Dol.

Vita Sancti Samsonis The primary source for his biography is the Vita Sancti Samsonis, written sometime between 610 and 820 and clearly based on earlier materials. It gives useful details of contacts between churchmen in Britain, Ireland and Brittany.

The work consists of a prologue and two books (or parts) consisting of 59 and 16 chapters respectively.

Dating The Vita is difficult to date, Poulin (2017) [°not in bibliography°] suggesting an original 'primitive narrative' (the Vita Primigenia) and a later rewriting; therefore requiring two dates of composition. It is not possible to reconstruct completely the content of the Primigenia version but it is possible to identify segments which are certainly not part of it based on them containing later information. Olson (2017) states that the issue of the Vita's uncertain date, with estimates traditionally ranging from after 600 AD to 850 AD, is a serious impediment to its usefulness as a source.