St. Harvey is one of the most popular Saint of Brittany, and makes up a considerable part of the folklore of that area. However, reliable details about his life are few and far between.
A biography dating from the late Middle Ages makes St. Harvey the son of a British bard; born in Brittany during the 6th century, St. Harvey was blind from birth. His father died while the Saint was still an infant, and his mother entrusted him at the age of seven to a holy man called Arzian, and herself retired to a monastery.
After learning everything Arzian could teach him, St. Harvey joined his uncle Urzel who had founded a monastic school at Plouvien, helping him out with the students and the farm. In time, he himself became Abbot of the community and it flourished under his leadership. He ultimately resettled it at Lanhorneau in Finistere, and made it famous throughout the country.
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