29 January -- St Gildas the Wise

St Gildas, whose feast day is today, is one of those wonderful old British saints.  He was born in what is now Scotland in the ancient Brythonic speaking area.  He has connections not only to Scotland but England, Wales, Ireland and finally to Brittany on the continent.

There is quite a good life of St Gildas here in Wikipedia.  In fact two lives, as there are two medieval lives extant relating quite different events.  Apparently the one portraying his friendship with King Arthur relies rather more on imagination than history, which I find rather disappointing.  I would've liked a saint who was a stout liegeman to King Arthur.

Alas, I haven't been able to find a collect for St Gildas.  I suppose something in your daily Missal's Common for a Confessor not a Bishop will have to do,  (ADDENDUM:  Oh, and there's a Common for a Holy Abbot, which I forgot about.)