Meriasek was a
Breton from a ducal family.
Conan Meriadoc, the legendary king of Brittany at the time, wanted to arrange a political marriage for him, but Meriasek preferred to renounce his inheritance and become a priest. He performed several miraculous cures thereafter. He crossed the
Channel to found an
oratory in
Camborne,
Cornwall. Encountering persecution from
King Teudar, he returned to Brittany (landing at
Plougasnou) to found a chapel in
Josselin, in the lands of the Viscounts of
Rohan. His reputation for miracles attracted crowds and he decided to withdraw to
Pontivy, close to the château of Rohan. He assisted the Viscount in dealing with brigands who infested his lands by bringing down the fire of heaven upon them; in gratitude he founded three fairs at Noyal at the saint's request. He is reputed to have healed many
lepers and disabled people, to have driven off the highwaymen of Josselin through prayer, to have made water spring from solid rock, and to have calmed a storm. He was elevated to become
bishop of Vannes but continued to wear a
hair shirt, practise
asceticism, and minister to the poor. He was buried in Vannes Cathedral. His
sacred well in Camborne was long thought to have the power of healing the insane. ==Legacy==