St Magloire of Sark

Magloire — or Maelor in the Welsh tradition that also claims him — was a 6th-century Celtic monk, cousin to Saint Samson of Dol, and a figure who embodies the wandering, sea-crossing spirituality of the early Celtic church. After time in Wales and Brittany, he settled on Sark, established a monastery, and eventually withdrew to Jersey in search of still greater solitude, founding a hermitage at what is now Saint Helier's parish.

The traditions surrounding him are shot through with the miraculous: a stag that guided him to fresh water, healing of the sick, the taming of wild animals. His life as recorded is as much legend as biography — the earliest sources are centuries later, and the miracles multiply with each retelling.

Sark retains him as its patron saint, and his monastery there — placed by tradition near the modern village — gives the island one of its oldest continuing religious associations. His feast day is October 24.