Celtic Saints
Let me bring them alive for you!
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| In the dark and distant days when Britain was abandoned by the Romans (5th century) energetic Celtic missionaries came
by sea (probably from Brittany) and were responsible for the speedy expansion of Christianity into Wales. It had been abandoned altogether further East in 'England'. The rich mixture of history and legend makes these early holy men
and women a fascinating subject and there are many evocative sites to visit connected with them. |
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 St. Beuno
Born near Welshpool, he is said to have been so upset to hear English being spoken across the Severn (instead of Welsh) he
 moved further into Wales settling at Clynnog
Fawr in the Llyn Peninsula where he built a monastery. Beuno was an uncle of St. Winefred who had her head chopped off by a spurned lover. Beuno's prayers and holy water revived the maiden. He is also associated with the curlew who found a lost prayer book of his and guarded it so well
that Beuno blessed the bird with a nest that was hard to find.
Sites: Maen Beuno, Clynnog Fawr church, Beuno's Well, Clynnog Fawr and
Tremerchion
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St. Asaph
Asaph was a favourite pupil of Saint Kentigern from Scotland who founded a church where St. Asaph cathedral is now and left it in the
care of Asaph. Queen Nest was the most beautiful woman in Wales and, whilst bathing in the River Elwy lost a very ancient sacred ring. She fled to St. Asaph to ask him to come to dinner that night to help her break the news to her husband Maelgwyn the most powerful king in
Wales. Asaph did this well calming the king's terrible anger by pointing out a personal possession was not worth destroying
their love for. Asaph then served up the salmon and, surprise, Nest's portion contained the ring!
Sites: St. Asaph Cathedral,( Llanelwy)
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St. Winefride
In the early 7th century Winifride lived near her uncle's church (modern day Holywell (Treffynnon) A
Prince Caradoc from  Hawarden tried to seduce her and she fled. Frustrated, he caught her and hacked off her head at the church door. St. Beuno came out, cursed Caradoc and the ground swallowed the latter up. Where Winifried's head had fallen a spring gushed forth. Beuno put her head back on and prayed and she came back to life with only a thin white line on her neck to show what had befallen her. Since then the sick have visited the spring in the hope they might be made whole.
Sites: St. Winefride's Well, Bodfari, Gwytherin
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St. Eilian
Elian came by boat with his farm animals and family from Rome and was given land on north Anglesey by Caswallon Law Hir
 (Caswallon long hand). The saint
(who had previously blinded Caswallon then forgiven him and restored the king's sight) allowed
Eillan all the land his pet deer could travel around before being caught by Caswallon's dogs. The deer
leapt a huge gorge and escaped and Eilian gained a huge area of land.
Sites: Llaneilian, the church there, Porth Eilian, the cursing well, Llam y Carw (Harts Leap). |
Sts. Seriol & Cybi
St. Seriol was a member of Gwynedd's royal family (see Maelgwyn Gwynedd in
St. Asaph's story) who lived the life of a monk in a cell  at Penmon on Anglesey's eastern tip
where he baptised converts in his well. Once a week he set out to visit his friend St. Cybi who lived under the roman walls at Holyhead on the West of the island (Caergybi or Fort of Cybi is the the Welsh name for Holyhead). They would meet half way in the middle of the island. St Seriol walking Westwards in the morning and east in the afternoon always had his back to the sun and was known as Seriol the Fair whilst the suntanned Cybi is known as the Dark Saint!.
Sites; FFfynon Cybi- Llyn, St. Cybi's church Holyhead, St. Seriol's Well
- Penmon
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