The beginning of things

In the process of researching my previous blog on Priscillian, I came across a number of references to British influence and settlement in North-western Spain. The migration appears to have been caused by the pressure of the Anglo-Saxon settlement in the British Isles after the departure of the Roman legions.

There are many legends about this period of history but seemingly few facts!

Here is one which is well documented:-

Mailoc or Maeloc was a 6th-century bishop of Britonia, a settlement apparently founded by expatriate Britons in the north western corner of Spain. He represented his diocese, referred to as the Britonensis ecclesia or "British church", at the second Coucil of Braga in 572. Records of the council refer to his See as being the sedes Britonarum ("See of the Britons"). This is likely to have been the monastery of Santa Maria de Britoña.

The Basilica of  "San Martiño de Mondoñedo" near Foz in Galicia. 

The site of the ancient cathedral of the Diocese of Mondoñedo-Ferrol