Britonia, which was later known as Bretoña in Galician and Spanish, was a Romano-British settlement located on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. This area is found in the northern parts of the modern provinces of A Coruña and Lugo in the region of Galicia, Spain.

History

Britonia was founded in the Germanic Kingdom of the Suebi, located in Gallaecia, the northwestern part of Hispania, during the late 5th and early 6th centuries AD by Romano-Britons. Britonia is similar to Brittany in Gaul (modern-day France) because both regions were settled by Britons around the same time. However, unlike Brittany, the Celts who settled in the Iberian Britonia were gradually absorbed into the local culture and stopped speaking their native language within about 200 years.

The Britons may have used a hill fort or castro that already existed. Before the Suebi arrived, Gallaecia was inhabited by the Gallaeci people.

Modern place names in Galicia and Asturias show evidence of Brythonic influence. Examples include Bretios in Lugo, Bertoña in A Capela, Barro, and El Breton in Asturias.

Ecclesiastical history

What is known about Britonia comes mainly from its religious history, which is not always clear about how long it kept its Celtic language and culture. The British communities were recognized at the First Council of Lugo in 569, and a separate bishopric was created from part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lugo. Maeloc was chosen as Bishop of Britonia and signed documents at the Second Council of Braga in 572.

The creation of the bishopric for the Britons in Gallaecia was likely not because of a migration, but because a group of Christians, led by their bishop, found safety near the coast of Lugo. There, they established their own bishopric, which later had a defined area. This diocese was mentioned in the "Suevo Parish" as "Ad sedem Britonorum ecclesiae quae sunt intro Britones una cum Monasterio Maximi et quae sunt in Asturiis." Regardless of where the people came from, bishops of Britonia appeared in religious records from the 6th century onward. For example, Maeloc participated in the II Bracarense Council in 572, and his bishopric was established shortly before this event. His successors attended other councils, such as those in Toledo and Braga. Errnerico signed documents at the III Council of Toledo in 589, Metopio attended the next one in 633, Sonna was consecrated in 646 and sent Materico to the council in 653, and Bishop Bela took part in the III Bracarense Council in 675. The title "Britonia" was last mentioned in 675, as Brandila and Suniagisido, who attended the XIII and XVI Councils of Toledo in 683 and 693, signed as bishops of Laniobrense.

The Brythonic communities were quickly absorbed into local society, and their use of the Celtic religious tradition lasted until the Fourth Council of Toledo in 633, which made the Visigothic or Mozarabic rite the official liturgy of Hispania. Some evidence suggests that Brythonic language and culture may have survived until around 700-800 AD, as seen in Galician place names.

The diocese of Britonia was abolished in 716. However, bishops of Britonia were still recorded as late as 830, when the region was attacked by Vikings. The diocese may have continued until the Council of Oviedo in 900.

In 866, the diocese was restored or merged with the Diocese of Mondoñedo-Ferrol, receiving land from the Diocese of Oviedo and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lugo (which became a suffragan of Santiago de Compostela starting in 1071).

In 1233, a report from the Meira monastery in Lugo mentioned "…britones et biortos, et quantam habui de mulieribus que dicebantur chavellas," where "britones" likely referred to people from the Britonia colony, suggesting that Brythonic people still lived in the area during the High Middle Ages.

Some known bishops of the Britonia diocese include:
– Bishop Maeloc, the only known Britonian bishop with a Celtic name ("great"). Other bishops had Latin or Germanic names.

Today, Britonia is no longer a place where a bishop lives. It is listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. The diocese was officially restored in 1969 as the Latin Titular Bishopric of Britonia (also called Curiate Italian) / Britonien(sis) (Latin adjective).

The following people have held the position of bishop for this see, all of whom were secular priests of the lowest Episcopal rank:

Language

Britons in Britonia likely spoke a language similar to Old Breton, which may have influenced the names of local places. Examples of these names include towns called Bretona, Bretal, and Bertona, as well as areas named Abres and Láncara. The exact time when the language stopped being used is unknown. Some experts think it died around 650 AD, about 100 years after people arrived in the region, while others believe it lasted until about 800 AD.