SAINT TUGUAL'S CHAPEL

Norman chapel of the 11th century. It is dedicated to Saint Tugual, a saint whose history is not known for sure. Two myths coexist: according to one, he was the son of the king of England, according to the other he was a Welsh woman murdered by the Saxons. But perhaps it is simply Tugdual of Tréguier, a Breton who founded the city of Tréguier in the^5th century and became Saint Tugdual.

In the middle of the 11th century, the Duke of Normandy, Robert the Devil, ceded the island of Herm to the Benedictines of Mont Saint-Michel. They built a very simple chapel which has survived the passage of time.

The former tenants of the island, the Wood family, had it completely restored in 1949. The four colorful stained glass windows are post-war works commissioned by Peter and Jenny Wood. They depict Christ calming the storm (a work dated 1964), Christ calling his disciples, King Samuel in the Temple, and Noah and the animals before the Ark (the latter three dated 1984). Look closely to appreciate the details that represent landscapes and animals of the island. The work is truly superb.

St. Tugual's Chapel is listed in the Register of Ancient Monuments and Protected Buildings of the States of Guernsey. It also appears on a stamp printed in Guernsey in 1970. It was last restored about ten years ago, in 2011. During the work, two human skeletons were found: an adult skeleton and a child's skeleton, which would date from 4 to 5 centuries ago.