By the year 500AD most of Britain was in chaos. Saxons, Angles and Jutes from the continent together with the Picts and the Irish from the north were challenging the indigenous population for a share of the country. The native Britons were pushed westwards into the areas now known as Cornwall, Wales, Cumbria and Strathclyde. Indeed, these parts of Britain were the only parts of the old Roman Empire to remain unmolested by foreign invaders.
When writing about the lives of the early saints, it is almost impossible to put them in chronological order. The life of a saint would only be written down many years after his death, sometimes hundreds of years. By that time they would be so embellished with myth that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Different sources of information give varying details of their lives making reliable dates hard to come by. However, as most of their lives overlapped anyway, exact dates are hardly so important. It is sufficient to say that they were all sixth century saints.
Dubricus, or to give him his Celtic name, Dyfrig, was an archbishop who linked the Christianity of the Roman period with the monastic development of the sixth century. He founded a college at Henllan (Hentland-on-Wye) to instruct converts and clerics in the beliefs and rites of the Roman Church. Tradition has it that he was consecrated by Saint Germanus of Auxerre (the premier archbishop in Gaul at the time), and that it was Dyfrig who consecrated the southern bishops during the Roman occupation. The fact that wise and learned men were attracted to his monastery emphasises the importance of this abbot-bishop in the growth of early Christianity in Britain.
A surviving legend relates that Dyfrig founded a monastic settlement at the place where the old Roman road crossed the River Taff. This settlement eventually grew into the ancient city of Llandaff (now a suburb of Cardiff). Dyfrig finally retired to Bardsey Island where he died and was buried amongst the remains of many other saints. But in 1120AD his relics were removed and interred in Llandaff Cathedral.
Like Dyfrig, Cadog may well have been a product of the Roman Church as much of the information about him refers to him as bishop. He is best known for the establishment of a seat of learning at Llancarfan, South Glamorgan and it seems probable that the present church of Saint Cadog stands on the very site of his monastery. One scrap of information about him is that he spent every spring on the island of Steepholm in the Bristol Channel on retreat. Cadog’s influence must have spread far and wide as there are churches dedicated to him as far affield as Cornwall, Scotland and Brittany.
Illtud was the son of a Breton prince, Bican. He received a Christian education from his uncle, St Garmon, the intention being that he should enter the church. But Illtud had other ideas. He became a warrior and travelled to Britain to join the Royal Guard of Pawl, King of Penychen. There he married his wife, Trynihid.
One day whilst out hunting with an unruly band of colleagues, he raided the abbey of St Cadog for refreshments. But the monks unexpectedly retaliated and drove the warriors into a great bog. All perished except Illtud. A humiliating encounter with Cadog brought him to his senses and he instantly embraced his Christian roots. Illtud resigned from the Royal Guard and returned to Brittany. After making provision for his wife, he sailed back to Wales and landed at a spot south of modern Cowbridge. Close by he founded a monastic institution at Llantwit Major, an Anglicised form of the name Llanilltud Fawr, which can be loosely translated as Illtud’s Great Meeting Place.
Llanilltud Fawr was not just a monastery, it was a full blown monastic collage. In addition to training monks for the priesthood it offered a general education in scripture, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar and arithmetic. However implausible the story of his early life may be, his college was no myth. In the world of the Britons, anybody who was keen on learning went there for their education. Many historians describe it as the Oxford/Cambridge of its day.
David, Patron Saint of Wales must be the best known of all the sixth century Celtic Saints. Most of what we know about him comes from The Life of David written by the learned monk Rhigyfarch at the end of the eleventh century. His mother Non was from an Irish noble family. His father was aWelsh prince
David was brought up and educated by his uncle, a learned monk, in the Monastery at Henfynyw near Aberaeron.. After spending some years as a wandering priest, David returned to Henfynyw to further his education. From there he travelled to Mynyw, the place of his birth, to found his monastery, Tyddewi (the House of David), at Glyn Rhosyn. In time, Non became revered as a saint. Chapel was built and dedicated to her not far from the present Saint David’s Cathedral.
David’s rule was strict. Life for the monks was one of austerity. They toiled on the land without the aid of horses or oxen. They spoke only when necessary and prayed continuously, even when working. Their diet was meagre, eating no meat (just bread and vegetables) and drinking only water.
It is unlikely that David ever left his monastery for long; he preferred the contemplative life. However it is certain that he made at least one journey. With two companions, Teilo and Padarn, David embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem via Rome and whilst in Rome he was consecrated Bishop. But David never used the title. He remained abbot of his monastery for the rest of his life.
David died on 1st March 588AD. According to Rhigyfarch, “A great host of angels filled the town and all manner of delectable music was heard and the sun shone brilliantly, and Jesu Christ took unto himself the soul of David the Saint with great pomp and honour.” David has the distinction of being the only member of the Celtic Church to be raised to the sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. He was canonised in 1120AD by Pope Callistus II. Moreover, the authorities in Rome decreed that two pilgrimages to Tyddewi (by this time it was a Cathedral) should rate as highly as one to Rome itself.
Little is known about Teilo or Padarn other than that they were contemporaries of David. The best testimony to them is the number of churches that bear their names. Teilo built his chief monastery at Llandeilo and that is where he is buried. There is also a strong tradition that he was the second abbot of Dyfrig’s monastery at Llandaff. As for Padarn, even less seems to be known about him but today his name is associated with the village of Llanbadarn Fawr near Aberystwyth.
Although Gildas was never referred to as a saint, his name is worthy of a mention. Much of the existing sparse information about the lives of the saints comes from his book, The Downfall of Britain. Historical records indicate that he spent seven years on the islands of Steepholm and Flatholm in the Severn estuary to complete his work
It seems likely that. Gildas was a Briton or possibly a Pict. However, he wrote from a Roman standpoint about the aftermath of the Roman occupation of Britain. He emphasised the fact that the influence of the Roman Empire remained long after the legions had returned home. But at the same time he appears to condemn the Celtic Saints for not attempting to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxon settlers who replaced the Roman conquerors.
There were many other minor missionaries living in the sixth century but little or nothing is known about them. The fact that churches were dedicated to them is the only evidence of their existence.
All the saints mentioned in this article were active in the southern part of what is now Wales. Those working in the northern part of Wales will be dealt with in the next issue of the magazine.