St Germanus was the most notable episcopal visitor to Britain of his time. He was the bishop of Auxerre in Gaul whom the local bishops sent to visit the island in 429. The issue appears to have been a British teacher called Pelagius. His teaching implied that the human will was not impaired by the disobedience of Adam.
We are told there was a confrontation between St Germanus and a ‘great crowd’ of British clergy and St Germanus won the debate. St Germanus visited the shrine of St Alban in St Alban’s, Hertfordshire, and a miraculous healing reported.
St Germanus also led a British army against an invading army, Pictish or Saxon. After baptising the soldiers they terrified their opponents with cries of ‘Alleluia’. It is unclear how big this ‘battle’ was, or where it was.
St Germanus came to Britain a second time in the mid 430’s. Another miracle is recorded.
Without this information we would know more or less nothing about the state of Britain at the time. Remarkably there are church dedications to the Saint both in Cornwall (St German’s) and several in north Wales (St Llanarmon-yn-Lal et al) but how these came about we do not know. There are also several holy wells dedicated to him.
