Biography
Budoc of Dol
About Budoc of Dol
Budoc of Dol is remembered in Breton tradition as the bishop who followed Maglorius at Dol. The Life of Maglorius presents him as a man long familiar to the retiring bishop, whose religious life had begun in his company. It describes Maglorius choosing and consecrating him as his successor. This is a received account of episcopal succession, not a surviving contemporary record of Budoc’s childhood or appointment.
The later Chronicle of Dol repeats that succession and adds a story about a journey to Jerusalem and vessels associated with the Last Supper. Peter Bartrum’s scholarly dictionary distinguishes this bishop from another Budoc remembered as the teacher of Winwaloe. The chronology does not allow the two careers to be combined confidently. Traditions about Budoc of Plourin form another strand whose relationship to the others remains uncertain.
The Catholic Church in Norway’s account likewise warns that more than one saint may stand behind the name. It recognizes a strong tradition of an abbot, teacher and bishop around the sea routes connecting Brittany and south-western Britain, while acknowledging that the identities cannot be securely joined. For Budoc of Dol, the responsible account remains brief: a saint preserved in the religious memory of Dol through a tradition of succession to Maglorius, with much of his individual life beyond recovery.
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