Gervadius


Saint Gervadius was an Irish saint. His feast day is celebrated on 8 November. He was an Irishman who established himself as a hermit in Scotland, near Kenedor.
He may have emigrated to escape Viking raids in his native land. It is possible he may have been part of a Gaelic religious community that was present in Kinneddar in the 10th century, and who placed his cell in a cave in a rocky promontory to the east.
The early maps give reference to his having been there by naming the area Holyman's Head near Elgin. His cave became a place of pilgrimage right up to the Reformation and survived into the 19th century before being quarried out.

Legends

A legend states that he lit flaming torches at night to warn ships away from the dangerous rocks. Another states that once, when Gervadius needed wood to complete the construction of a church, he was miraculously assisted by a river, which washed timber down to where he was working. An alternate version states that the river brought him food. The Life of Gervadius states that he met with Anglo-Saxon soldiers sent by Athelstan in 934.