A Great Teacher and Confessor-St Dubricius or Dyfrig

Some of the photographs are copyright.

By the time of the end of the Roman Occupation, Christianity had been firmly established in the land. Druidism had become a memory, although there were still some adherents. The Romans had treated the Druids very harshly before Christianity had been introduced and many had been killed by them. The people were ready for a religion which taught about an afterlife in the presence of a loving God, based on the promise of Christ. Moreover, peace and love and social cohesion gave a security which was attractive. The Romans had brought peace and protected the Britons against Anglo Saxon and Irish marauders. St Patrick, a Welshman worked among the Irish and brought them to a knowledge of Christ. Patrick(387-493) too was a Bishop, consecrated in Rome.

Childhood

Bishops had become men of importance. There were a great many teachers and men of religion among the people of Gwent. There were several bishops of Caerleon, and the first of which me have information was Dyfrig. Dyfrig’s Gwentian name was Latinized into Dubricius but to avoid confusion, they are the same person but I will use his Welsh name, as it is the one by whom he would have generally been called.

The Book of Llandaff records this account of the manner of his birth:

There was a certain King of the region of Ergyng (Arcbellfield) of the name of Pebiau, called in the British language Claforawg, and in Latin, Spumosus, who undertook an expedition against his enemies, and returning from thence he ordered his daughter Eurddil to wash his head, which, when she endeavoured. to do, he perceived from her enlarged form, that she was pregnant. The King therefore being angry, ordered her to be put into a sack, and cast headlong into the river, that she might suffer whatever might befall; which, however, happened contrary to what was expected, for as often as she was placed in the river, so often was she, through the guidance of God, impelled to the bank.

Her father then being indignant because he could not drown her in the river, resolved to destroy her with fire. A funeral pile was therefore prepared, into which his daughter was thrown alive. In the following morning, the messengers who bad been sent by her father to ascertain whether any of the bones of his daughter remained, found Tier holding her son in her lap, at a spot where a stone is placed in testimony of the wonderful nativity of the boy; and the place is called Madle, because therein was born the holy man. The father hearing this, ordered his daughter with her son to be brought to him; and when they came, he embraced the infant with paternal affection, as is usual, and kissing him, from the restlessness of infancy, he touched with his bands the face and mouth of his grandfather, and that not without divine appointment; for by the contact of the hands of the infant, he was healed of the incurable disease wherewith he was afflicted, for he incessantly emitted foam from his mouth, which two persons, who constantly attended him, could scarcely wipe off with handkerchiefs.

Dyfrig's Character

In the Book of Llandaff, we learn that as a child Dyfrig had the thoughts of a man and that his understanding increased at a great rate and he was a man of learning, a wonderful communicator and his fame spread throughout the area. Priests were almost the only people who had learning at that time. Would be priests needed to learn to read Latin Greek and Welsh and learnt huge amounts of the texts of the Bible off by heart. To this day in the great monasteries of the world, many monks have the psalms from memory.

Founder of Teaching Monasteries

He was born in the old Kingdom of Gwent near Hereford and also owned land there. He was a great and holy man founding churches in Hentland, Whitchurch,and Moccas in the South Herfordshire area where he also founded monasteries . Remember they were very small affairs of simple style beehive huts or mud and wattle structures- in contrast to the great Norman style abbeys which came later at Tintern and at Grace Dieu (Grace of God).

Education and Learning

Dyfrig was greatly concerned with education and learning and spent a great deal of time training young people for the priesthood. An exceptional college for priests and religious people based on the college of learning which had existed in the time of the Romans was built up. The Roman building had been allowed to all into disrepair and neglected and when Dyfrig was appointed Bishop, he superintended this school himself, realising that if people were going to go out and preach the gospel in the name of Christ, they had to be well educated in the scriptures, and in Latin and Welsh. It is said Dyfrig spoke and wrote in Irish, Welsh, Latin and Greek.

A noted college had existed in Caerleon since before the days of the Romans, but it had been neglected and allowed to fall into disrepair and allowed to fall from the position it had held. When Dyfrig was consecrated as first bishop in Caeleon, Dyfrig superintended this school himself and soon raised it to fame and widespread influence. It was important to the people of Gwent to have priests who were well trained as learned and holy people in a society where most people still could not read. Oates in his book ‘The Story of Gwent’ says that the college had over two thousand students at one time!! The College at Caerleon has metamorphosised many times into carious kinds of college and is now part of the University of Wales at Newport, and the Theological teaching been removed to the College at Lampeter (Llan Pedr-the Church of Peter) .

The old Celtic idea of sanctity inclined for the most part to a great love of the life of a hermit. Each locality seems to have its hermit who in his lonely chapel celebrated the Divine Mysteries (if a priest, recited the Psalter every day, and practised austerities)

The Miracle of St Dyfrig and St Samson

The 7th century ‘Life of Samson’ shows the importance of Dyfrig of Caerleon.. Dyfrig was sometimes called ‘Papa’ by his followers but was certainly known as Bishop. At the holy island of Caldey (off Tenby) there is an ancient but unfinished inscription Magi Dubr (the tonsured servant of Dubricius).There is even another church founded by him at Porthlock in Somerset (Avon) which shows how powerful and how widespread Dyfrig’s evangelism was. Dyfrig was succeeded by David as the primary first Bishop of Caerleon (no archbishops yet)and retired to another holy island of Bardsey (Lleyn peninsular) in North Wales where he died. Teilo succeeded him at Llandaff. Dyfrig’s feast day is 14 November.


The business of the house of St. Illtyd was divided between the brethren; the ecclesiastical affairs were performed by such persons as they best suited, and the offices were distributed among the brethren. The care of the cellar was, by his advocates, granted to St. Samson, who, day and night, served the clergy to their satisfaction, and also pleased the common people.

This is a miracle of Dyfrig. The monks were often jealous of each other, and because Samson had been singled out as a future leader by Dyfrig, a certain monk complained about his generosity. There are echoes of the story of the Wedding at Cana here…

On a certain day, when he had filled the cups of the guests, and all the vessels of the cellar were become empty on the occasion of such great joy as the visit of St. Dubricius ; it was mentioned by an envious monk that the Steward had altogether wasted the drink; for having enjoyed the same office, and being deprived of it, he envied the brother Samson, because of his bountiful band. Samson, hearing the murmuring of the congregation against him, and being ashamed of so much complaint, be came to St. Dyfrig and related to him all things in order, saying, “Holy Father, flower of thy country, give me thy assistance.”

St Dyfrig , on hearing his request, prayed to God, that with respect to the distress which Samson suffered, he might liberate him; and being induced by fatherly affection, he went to the cellar, in company with Samson. And as it is said, “The Lord is wonderful among his saints,” he raised his hand, and pronounced a blessing, which being uttered, marvellous relation! immediately the vessels overflowed afresh, as if they had been that hour filled with liquor as usual; and the evil effort of envy being got rid of, they were renewed, and what was given away by bestowing bountifully was restored by prayers as a remuneration.



Even the great and learned doctors and learned men of the day came to him for help and guidance. Dyfrig was first made Bishop of Llandaff (Cardiff) and around 490AD was made Archbishop of Caerleon .The Normans seem to have reorganised the church somewhat and taken away the right to the Archbishopric for Wales. If anyone has information about this, I'd be interested. In fact Giraldus Cambrensis desperately tried during the reign of Henry II (12th century) to establish an archbishopric at St David’s but was unsuccessful.



One of Dyfrig’s deserts or ‘islands’ was at Carn Llwyd at Llancarfan Monastery (Crucigreif) later officially assigned by St Cadoc officially, as a ‘desert’.In the genealogy, Dyfrig is the brother of Dingat (of the Church at Dingestow-another monastery near Chepstow. Their father was Brychan from whose principal town the name ‘Brecon’ comes.In the Pope’s bulls, Dingestow is referred to as Merthyr Dingat-whether this was a blood martyrdom or a green martyrdom I do not know. In time Dyfrig also became Bishop of Llandaff from where Gwynlliw summoned him when he was dying. He was also at Llandaff when St Illtyd, the great sinner, who became a great saint, came to him and asked to consecrate his life to God in a Green desert Dyfrig also fixed the bounds of the burial place for him at St Illtyd’s monastery. When Samson of was summoned to Llandaff by Illtyd, they went to Dyfrig and both saw the image of a dove behind the young man. Samson was ordained a priest by Dyrfig Again a white dove appeared at the ordination, symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Samson died after many years spent in Dol in Gaul or Northern France, his body was carried back to the monastery from the coast with great reverence by the monks of St Illtyd’s Abbey.of St Illtyd, In the Epitome of the History of Britain.

Dyfrig and the Heresy of Pelagius

The church in Britain was disturbed at the time by the teaching of someone called Pelagius . Tall in stature and plump (Jerome says he was "grandis et corpulentus"), Pelagius was highly educated, spoke and wrote Latin as well as Greek with great fluency and was well versed in theology. Though a monk and devoted to contemplation and fasting, he never was a priest; for both Orosius and Pope Zosimus simply call him a "layman".St Germanus was the first to travel to Britain to refute this heresy, but St David's arguments and saintly bearing won the day. He preached before five candles , representing the wounds of Christ and while he spoke he levitated, however more of St Dewi(David) later.

Dyfrig retires

As is reward for the splendid arguments against Pelagius by David,David was chosen to succeed Dyfrig, who felt he was too old for the job, but who vigorously campaigned to have David recognised as a Saint. Pope Callixtus II did so in 1120 when the Congregation for the Formation Saints was created and was one of the first saints to be created in this way. Most previous saints were adopted by local clergy and by local congregations aware of their holiness. St Dyfrig retired to Llandaff and then to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) where he died after several years. The Holy Island of Saints was the place of his first burial, to which he was reverently borne by many of the monks of St Illtid's monastery. Urban of Llandaff later called for Dyfrig to be brought back to Llandaff, where he was interred and relics held.At the great Monastery of St David's too, there is a huge marble statue dedicated to St Dyfrig.


Coronation of Arthur

There is one last entry as to the deeds of St Dyfrig in the Lives of the Cambro British Saints St Dyfrig crowned Arthur either at Caerleon or Cirencester.

There was a Chieftain called Artheur who succeeded Iddon as High Chief of the Britons. This is not the romanticised mediaeval figure sketched by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Nevertheless he did exist , he was a warrior and his great victories against the Saxons were not without foundation.Nevertheless the Coronation of Arthur by Dyfrig is mentioned in the Lives of the Welsh Saints. However there is a discrepancy as regards the location of this, which has been given variously as Caerleon (City of Legions) and Cirencester, another Roman town. Caerleon is perhaps more likely because of its great size and amphitheatre still in evidence today, and site of great enactments,

At Pentecost, the birthday of the Church , Arthur called his people to Caerleon, still called at that time the Camp of the Legions, because situated in a pleasant position on the River Usk , near the River Severn it surpassed all cities in wealth and was a suitable place for so great a solemnity. One the one side flowed the river and on the others were the meadows and woods, and so lovely were the Roman buildings with their gilded roofs, they rivalled Rome in grandeur. Ambassadors were sent to different parts of Britain to invite the kings and princes to the court.

No prince of any note remained at home, because Arthur’s bravery was renowned.all were assembled in the city on the day of the great festival and Dyfrig made ready to celebrate the Coronation Mass at Pentecost. As soon as Arthur had put on the royal robe he was conducted to the Church-probably that of St Aaron, as St Julius's was some way west of Caerleon . Four princes were reported before him bearing 4 golden swords and in front was a company of singers, singing great poems of praise. In another part of the procession was the Queen, richly dressed and attended with great honour with her ladies. During the Mass, Dyfrig placed the crown on the head of Arthur. The petty kings and chieftains vowed with a solomn oathto advance the reputation of honour, avenge violence and oppression and any injury or dishonour offered any lady.

The Coronation Banquet

Afterwards Arthur Gwynhwyfar and Dyfrig went to the Banquet-he to his hall with the men, she to her hall with the women as was the custom. Sports and celebrations were held for several days. When Arthur had to go to the various battles to fight the Saxons, he appointed his nephew Mordred as regent, as costly mistake as it turned out.

We read of this event in the annals of the saints -probably it was the earthly pinnacle of his life. I have called hum Dyfrig, his Welsh name but his Latin name Dubricius would have been that by which he became known in Church circles.

Dubricius , Archbishop of Caerleon crowned the most celebrated King Arthur , in the fifteenth year of his age. And after the fame of his liberality and proberty, was published abroad to the farthest part of the world, and he had by dreadful battles and great fatigue and had subdued many tribes to himself, he caused archbishops, bishops, kings, princes, and generals subject to him to be unanimously called together at Caerleon and there venerably celebrate the great festival at Whitsuntide (Pentecost is often called Whit Sunday or White Sunday in Britain) Being sent for, and all completed they were all called and each of them was honourably enriched with several possessions, and so all and each of them asking leave, returned home with joy.

Final Years of Dyfrig

(Dyfrig)Dubricius, feeling himself burdened with old age, greeted the brothers and retired from Llandaff to where he had returned on leaving the archbishop’s position to David at Llandewi. And on a certain island in the Irish Sea,called in Welsh Ynys Enlli and in Saxon Bardsey Island,in which 20,000 bodies of saints are buried, with watchings, fastings and prayers he lived the life of a hermit to the last day of his earthly life, and after this he was honourably buried numbered first among the saints.He migrated to the Lord in the year 612 and in 1120 he was removed by Urban,Bishop of Llandaff from the Island of Bardsey or Ynys Enlli to his Cathedral at Llandaff on the tenth of the calends of June. And after Dyfig or Dubricius the illustrious priest, Teilo was promoted to be pastor and bishop of the church at Llandaff, whose manners and laudible deeds are mentioned in histories.’

Interesting Notes

The account of the death of Dyfrig is interesting. Remember that Materiana and her maid Anna also had their dream of the angel telling them to build a church, when they made the pilgrimage to this holy island. Ynys Enlli or Bardsey Island was one of the most powerful spiritual places in Wales as a whole-an island which was the holiest in Wales, a true desert of St Augustine of Hippo. (Caldey in South Wales was a similar place, aswell as St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall). These holy locations are important for spirituality among the Welsh. Another interesting point is the terminolgogy-his soul ‘migrated’ to God- a bird symbol-flew away-very typical of Celtic style terminology. Later on, Urban, Bishop of Llandaff removed his body to Llandaff for burial as befitted a great leader of his students, powerful spiritual Archbishop and legend in his lifetime, and great Icon for Wales. He is not known, as David is for healing and scholarhip and spiritual gifts like levitation, but he knew the value of education and it seems was the founder of Caerleon College as an institution. He was a teacher and saintly pastor taking a personal interest in his students and encouraging them in what would be a difficult life.

Dyfrig was acclaimed as a saint from very early times in the same way as Ishow and Patrick, Materiana and Ceidio. This is by popular acclamation and witness and by the local bishops and archbishop. The Congregation for the formation of Saints was not yet in existence, and most early saints were made in this way. Dyfrig however earnestly campaigned for the recognition of David as a saint, and when the Congregation was formed, this occurred.

Dyfrig was a Bishop and Confessor, one of the greatest of Welsh saints; d. 612 AD. He is usually represented holding two croziers, which signify his jurisdiction over the Sees of Caerleon and Llandaff.

Praise to the Trinity-A Poem written in Ishow's time

The Holy Trinity is the unified threefold God of Christians. St Patrick used a shamrock to explain how each leaf represented a different 'face' of God. It is very difficult to explain the Trinity but I have tried in these short notes-read them before the early Welsh poem, of the type which could have been used by Ishow as a 'Spiritual Breastplate'.So the three persons are all the same God.

1.God the Father
-the Creator of Heaven and Earth-who threw the first people out of Paradise for disobedience. Death comes into the world for the first time. Gave human beings free choice to do good or evil. Have to be trained to do good -promises various old Testament figures to send a Messiah. Prophecy concerning the Saviour:Isaiah and others.
1. Born in Bethlehem
2. Born of Virgin
3.House and line of David-stem of Jesse
4.His name would be 'Emmanuel' (God with us)
5.Would be great-son of the most High
6. Would Save God's people.

2.God the Son-
The Lord Jesus Christ (The Annointed One-Holy One of God) God came to Earth in human form
via the specially prepared body of a young Jewish woman, who though frightened, agreed to do God's will. This agreement led to the salvation of the world through her child, born of the Holy Spirit
to show humans how they could return to Paradise by ways of living and believing and praying and believing the Promise of Christ, who took the sins of the world on his back like the strokes of the whip and then allowed himself to be sacrificed as a scapegoat for mankind. Those pleasing to God at the Judgement can return to Heaven. Christ gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter, whom he instructed to found a church, which would last till the end of time. Members of the Church are 'The Body of Christ' also as an Icon of Mary who made the body of Christ in her womb. Members of the Body of Christ commune together by eating the Body and blood of Christ in an amazing ritual of transubstatiation of bread and wine.This happens all over the world at different times, keeping the body working in the world through all manner of ways working at clothing the naked, feeding the hungry,and like Mother Theresa helping the dying to die with dignity.

3 God the Holy Spirit
Spirit and Giver of Life. The Comforter of the afflicted and dying.Often portrayed by a Dove . David was said to have had a dove fly on to his shoulder at the Synod of Llandew Brefi, when he was speaking against Pelagius. Holy Spirit urges people to do good actions for others and leads people to God. A sin against the Holy Spirit is the only Sin God will not forgive.

The most powerful thing a Christian can do to ward off evil and open to God is to make the sign of the Cross on forehead, heart, left shoulder and right shoulder + and then say 'In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen.

A Praise to the Trinity (from the Time of Ishow-Welsh)

On the face of the World
There was not born
his equal.
Three person God
Trinity's only Son
Gentle and Strong
Son of the Godhead
Son of Humanity
Sole Son of Wonder
The Son of God is a Refuge.
Mary's Son is a blessed Sanctuary.

A noble child was seen
Great his splendour
Great Lord and God
In the lace of Glory.

From the line of Adam
and Abraham
We were born,
But from the line of David
-the fulfilment of prophecy-
The host was born again!

By his word he saved
The blind and the deaf
From all suffering.
The ragged, foolish sinners,
And those of impure mind.
Let us rise up to meet the Trinity
Following our Salvation.
The Cross of Christ is bright
A shining breastplate
Against all harm
And all our enemies.

May it be strong
The place of our Protection

Excerpt from Celtic Spirituality by Oliver Davies (Great Classics of Christian Spirituality)Paulist Press.Translated Oliver Davies p2700-8091-3894-8.1999

Another Word on Wells

In Wales, natural springs always had an aura of holiness. When Christianity began to take over from Druidism and the Christian evangelists began to win souls for Christ. they were used for baptism. Converts, who moved to the light of the Faith understood that the water itself was holy. and so there was some belief growing up that the water itself had healing qualities, which could cure certain illnesses and conditions. This as we know now would also depend on the chemical content of the water, but who is to say God did not order this too.

Springs of pure water welling eternally with water seemed, as David Williams says, to be emanations from a mysterious world and they exhorted fear and veneration in early peoples . The Christians were quick to build on this and used the springs for baptism . There were many centuries before this rite of Baptism was taken into church. Many churches were built near to Springs and shared dedications to their saints as at Bedwas (St Barrwg of Barry)Bedwellty (Sannan-the fire god-re-dedicated to St Anne)Bryngwyn (St Peter)Govilon (dedicated to St Patrick-the only Gwentian dedication)Llangybi (Cybi) and St Maugham (St Mawgan) near Monmouth. Indeed the spring at St Maughams was used to wash and lay out Catholics in recusant times, before the bodies were buried after dark in the churchyard. Skenfrith had three springs, St Brides, near the church of the same name ,St Noes, (St Noyes) near the chapel which once stood at the west of the village and the Priests Well in Darren Wood.This started a stream considered highly beneficial.

Skenfrith Springs

Locally the water is known to be slightly red and it was believed it was coloured red by a Catholic decapitated there in the time of terrible persecution. This was thought to happen, because the then princely sum of £5 was offered to anyone who would betray a Catholic priest found in the county on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I. All priests had to leave by St John's Day (27.12.1559) or change their missal for the Book of Common Prayer, incomprehensible at that time to the Welsh speakers, who could not read or write English, and who felt it a further attack on Welsh culture.Franciscan friars who lived near Rockfield at Perthir (Llanoronwy) also believed this because they made a yearly pilgrimage to the well. A similar tradition of stones, stained by a martyr's blood also appled at St Michael's Well at Rockfield.

Ffynnon Issui-Ishow's Well

There is a similar tratiion here.Country people still tie twigs on the coping of St Ishow's Well and throw coins into the water.

Pwlmeyrick Well-Ffynnon Pwll-Meurig

This well near Mathern was reputed strongly to bring about miracles. In addition, the Welsh historian, Nenius had this to say about it

There is a spring by the wall of Pydew Meurig and there

is a plank in the middle of the springand men may wash their hands

and their faces and stand on the plank when they wash. I have tested it and seen it myself.

When the sea floods at high tide, the Severnspreads over the whole shore and

touches it, and reaches into the spring, and the spring is filled from the Severn Bore

and draws the plank with it to the open seaand it is cast about in the sea for three days,but

on the fourth day, it is found at the same spring. Now it came to pass, that a countryman

buried it in the ground to test it, and on the fourth day it was found in the spring

and the countryman who took it and buried it died before the end o the month

Superstition for us today, but very real for those who felt this was almost testing God himslef who had made the well. Such wells were often built with small chapels which became known as Baptisteries,

Ffynnon Oer at St Maughams

The 12 century Book of Llandaff (Liber landavensis) tells the following story of the Well at St Maughams(St Mawgan) Rhiwallon ap Tudfwlch was riding off after plundering churchgoers and a great fish leapt out of the Ffynnon Oer (Cold Spring) startling his horse and making him break his arm. He gave up some land to the diocese and gave back his haulThe well became a landmark on its boundaries 'The fish represented the pagan spirit of the well' says Francis Jones and ' here, under the influence of priests it has been metamorphosised into a Guardian of the Church'

Medicinal Qualities

It was believed many wells possessed medicianal qualities.People filled their small water bottles from the Priests well just as pilgrims to Lourdes did today.

The well of MAteriana, in its natual state as seen in the photos at the bottom of the blog, is the natural stste of how most wells would look and would be the place of baptism for the local priests living in the Celtic monastery or its church. Mst of our fonts only at the earliest stem from Saxon times. The early church in Gwent used the natural springs and rivers they were used to from earlier times. There are many many such interesting stories of Wells. Please check out the book The Folklore of Monmouthshire for the full text of this interesting subject.

It has been worthwhile talking about the wells because the Rite of Baptism would have taken place here, rather as in the tradition of the Apostles. The water would have been consecrated to Almighty God.

NEW PODCAST IMINANT!

St Anne's Well. also known as 'The Virtuous Well'

This well, reputedly a healing well, the waters having special powers to cure women's ailments and problems was dedicated in Christian times to St Anne, mother of the virgin Mary. This well is also known locally as 'the Virtuous Well' and many women come to pray for cures and to use the waters as such for ailments. In the Christian tradition we light candles for these prayers, but in the fields women tie coloured rags to the trees to keep their prayers at the shrine. Trellech is an interesting village south of Monmouth which also contains the 'Harold Stones' ancient stones which are said to have been hurled rom the nearest mountain in pre Christian times.

The village of Trellech was a medium sized town in the Middle Ages. It now lies under many fields although work is being done to excavate portions. The church at Trellech (dedication to St Nicholas (-yes Santa Claus-Sinta Claas is Dutch for St Nicholas) an Eastern Saint, was actually part of a Grange of Tintern Abbey. Monks would live close to the church and service it and also keep an eye on the farming etc in the area, acting as administrators. I imagine that the Plague probably impoverished the town, if it did not wipe out all the citizens as there are very few houses there now. Doctor Madeleine Grey working at the University of Newport is closely involved in investigating the town.

My new podase on Padr Ishow will be in a few days -downloadable free from Itunes! Large photos of the well at the bottom of the blog in the big pictures!

A foul Murder of the Saintly Martyr-Pater Ishow of Nant Mair

Life in the Welsh Church was very spiritual united through a communion of friendships and alliances between spiritual leaders and their monasteries. This was a continuation in Welsh culture of ‘soul friends’ or ‘soul mates’ There are numerous stories of saints showimg the monastic founders studying, working, travelling together, and frequently mentoring each other. They made pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem together. St Cadoc is known to have made seven pilgrimages to Rome.

Holding all in Common....

What made the pre Saxon churches into a culture of their own was this common spiritual kinship, and they shared a common history, common heroes, and a common love of music, poetry and stories. These British churches were not cut off from the universal Catholic church nor the Pope The storytelling, of the people, their music, art, liturgical and private prayers, were expressions of its spirituality, a spirituality which was highly community based, emphasizing, as it did, the spiritual bonds of tribe, family, and soul friends. In fact a great deal of Druidic lore and emphasis remained , not at its heart but in its appearance and poetic heart.

Listen to the Bard's delighted description of the legend of Bees and Mass Candles...

The origin of bees is from Paradise and on account of the sin of man they came from there: and God conferred this blessing on them , and Mass cannot be sung without the beeswax’!

Relics

I will speak more of relics later, although I did mention them in my Christmas edition in respect of the relics of St Sicarius at Brantome, one of the 12-24 male babies killed by Herod at the slaughter of the Innocents mentioned in the Bible. The question of the importance of relics is a huge topic in itself, and deserves a special episode. There was even a relic of St Mary Magdalene and another of St Radegund in Usk until it was destroyed by Tudor monarchs in the 16th century. There was a relic of St Margaret of Anthioch at Caerwent in Mediaeval times in a church which still holds the relics of the martyred local saints Tewdrig and Maches

People of Gwent, the Law and the Pope

Rhyme, and rhetoric were enjoyed and debated by the people and they enjoyed poetry and singing immensely. The rule of law was interesting and important. In fact by the end of the first millennium, Hywel dda, the great King had submitted his laws to the Pope for approval after studying the Justinian Code in Rome. These confirmed that at that time, Wales was divided only into Gwent Gwynedd and Dyfed. Gwent had its own code of laws. According to these laws , the Church founded on Peter was an organic part of Welsh tribal society and great prominence is given to the status of the monasteries.A man under monastic orders was a Gwr wrth grefydd and a secular priest was a dyn eglwysig wrth urddau cyssegredig’.Papal confirmation was asked for because Hywel was anxious that none of his laws should conflict with the laws of the Church. In the text of the laws, the authority of the church is clearly recognised . Welsh bishops were consecrated on the Feast of St Peter’s Chair.(Feb 22)which shows a recognition of Roman primacy.

How did the people of Monmouthshire enjoy themselves?

They were (and are!) fond of joking , being facetious , telling good humerous stories, being satirical and ready with witty sayings. Like the Romans, they also consulted soothsayers called Awenyddion whom they believed could forecast events. On being consulted , these people went into a sort of exstasy, and gave their enthusiastic view of incoherent nonsense, and then the person who had paid had to make of it what he could. These were not bards, who were experts in music and poetry. Interestingly, the word for ‘poetry’ was the same word as for ‘harmony’ in singing in Welsh.

Early Hermits , Saints and Martyrs usually of Royal blood

In the Old Welsh tradition, there were many tales of men and women of royal blood, who forsook everything as according to the gospel and going to live out their lives in God’s service as we saw Materiana and Ceidio do last week. I mentioned that strong in this tradition, which was shared by St Augustine of Hippo, was the model of the desert and giving up their lives in the service of God. This was contained in the idea of a white or green martyrdom.

'White' and 'Green' Martyrdoms

The idea of White Martyrdom was that a would be saint would set sail in a boat (often poetically reckoned to be a leaf) and go wherever the waves took him or her. This would be where God had sent them. They would not always go by sea. Holy hermits often went on long walks over mountains and set up their own settlement or hermitage where they felt God wanted them to go.

A story exists of the Irish Saint Ea being driven on to the coast of Cornwall on a leaf and Arriving at St Ives to which she gave her name-(slightly changed by English usage now). St Barruc set sail from Brittany and landed at what is now Barry-named after him to create his hermitage. Here he became a soul friend of and worked with St Cadoc , son of Gwynlliw of Newport) who was working at Cadoxton or 'Cadoc’s town.' Here they would labour to help the community but generally pray and work in God’s service. Having arrived on the sea, the sea taking them to where God wanted them to be, they would set up a Green Martyrdom.

With this in mind, here is the story of an early Gwentian saint and martyr- Pater Ishow of Nant Mair

There was once a man called Ishow, (Esau) a holy man who dreamt of serving God in such a ‘Green Martyrdom’He set out from his father’s house, possibly that of Brychan Brycheiniog and began walking over the Black Mountains and in the shadow of the Skirrid Holy Mountain, he walked down through one of the most beautiful and secret valleys in Gwent and arrived at a tiny place high up in the mountains. So spiritual is this place that there was even a private revelation of the Virgin here in the nineteenth century.

A Note about the Skirrid before I go on, as it is important for our story of Gwent

The Skirryd is often called ‘St Michael’s Mount as the local legend says, at the time of the crucifixion at the time of Jesus death, the veil of the temple at Jerusalem was ripped in half. At the same time, the archangel Michael brought down his flaming sword on the Skirryd and cut a deep gash in it. The mountain remains holy to this day. In times of persecution many Catholics climbed to the top to take part in secret Masses and rosaries if there was no priest. Even to this day, on the Feast of St Michael in September and Good Friday, Catholics climb to the top for Mass and veneration of the cross.

Farmers are said to drive up and take away ‘holy soil’ to put on their land if it became barren and almost all churches within sight of it are dedicated to St Michael, usually as well as to Our Lady. The Skirrid has been a holy place all through Christian times and it is easy to see why Ishow built his cell within sight of it on the other side of the valley and also why our great patron Saint David built his small cell in the green valley in its sight before he rose to prominence. He intended to do a Green Martyrdom there all his life, but as we shall see, God usedDavid's great talents of oratory, scholarship and humility to protect the church from the false claims of Pelagius at Llandewi Brevi.

If you drive on the mountain road from Llanfihangel Crucorney near Abergavenny up towards Llanthony, a tiny left hand turn signs you to Fforest and to Patrishow. You need to drive quite a few miles up the narrow country roads to get there. Nant Mair (Mary's Brook) is quite deep below.

Pater Ishow's Daily Office, his mission

Ishow, or Issui which was a Welsh form of the name Esau. became a hermit.He built his cell on the banks of the enchanting brook named Nant Mair (Mary's brook)named for the Mother of God. Every morning he would say his morning psalms and praises. Occasionally he would be visited by a priest who would say Mass He lived there for many years in prayer and charismatic contemplation winning the affection of the country folk who fed him, so he would pray for them. Even today the local farmers and country people look after and care for the little chapel. In fact the place became so holy that a preaching cross was established there for that little parish, where Archbishop Balwin arrived with Gerald the Welshman to raise money and men to fight with King Richard the Lion Heart in the Crusades. There is still the preaching mark to commemorate this on the wall near the gate-a cross etched out of a stone.

Ishow was greatly loved and did what he was told in the Bible, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry and giving shelter to those who came upon the little chapel in their travels over the mountains. He fasted often and gave away his food to the poor.

A Knock on the Door...Welcoming Ritual

One night, it was a cold and draughty night there was a knock on the door. A stranger stood outside asking for shelter from the wind and the rain. Isshow invited him inside as was the custom. The man gave up his weapons and Isshow brought wa rmwater wash his feet, which the accepted quickly and Ishow made him very welcome.Ishow prepared for the wayfarer to stay overnight. He fed him with some bread and meat and warm beer and made him comfortable for the night He said his night offices, that is the psalms and prayers used even to today in the church and went to bed.He would rather prophetically say the Nunc dimittis, before he slept. ‘Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace’…..the song of Simeon the Temple Priest, when he had seen the child Jesus.

The following morning, he got up and made breakfast for the stranger and talked to him, because he sensed the stranger was troubled. But the ungrateful stranger suddenly demanded Ishow’s money.-He did not understand his holy calling and that this meant he had none! Isshow told him he had no money, only what people gave him. Infuritated, the stranger stabbed or throttled the old man, who after a lifetime of service as a hermit met his Lord and Maker in a real blood martyrdom. Shockwaves were felt through the countryside. Local people brought candles and flowers. His Requiem must ave been attended by many people.The bishops of Hereford who visited now and again and also priests who visited him, began to visit the little chapel of the Martyrs shrine and he was believed to have been buried there. The hermitage grew in importance as a Martyrs shrine and a larger stone building added to accommodate all the pilgrims. The font of the church bears a rudely cut inscription-'i tepore genillin'...me fecit'which gives a clue to the date of the church. Cynhyllin (cunhillin)was Lord of Ystradwy (Uh strad-oo-ee) in 1056 so before the Battle of Hastings was being fought, holy men were praising God here.

A Martyr of the Catholic Church

He was named a martyr by Bishop Herewald in the 11th Century.In recent years the little church and hermit’s cell have been restored and a large statue erected in the cell to the Blessed Saint. His good life and sacrifice always remembered by local people,where as the name of the ungrateful murderer is unknown and unremembered..

Pilgrimage

If you want to make your own plgrimage to Patrishow- (and it is WELL worth it!) From Abergavenny take the main Hereford Road and turn left at Llanvihangel Crucorney. After the Skirrid Inn take a left turn down (Signposted to Llanthony Priory) and keep going for three miles. Turn left at the Left hand sign to Forest Coal Pit and Patrishaw (a hamlet)Keep driving up the mountain and suddenly you will see it on the left. There is a small car parl. There is also a holy Well of Pater Ishow. The Hermitage is next to the Church, which has recently been restored by the Church in Wales who now have ownership for it. The Mediaeval Preaching Cross is very interesting. Afterwards travel back down to the road you turned from and drive on to Llanthony Abbey. There , as part of the ancient parish church is the Cell of Blessed St David of Wales. The monastery was destroyed by Hentry VIII in the sixteenth century but the Crypt boasts a good restaurant and is open for walkers all day Sundays. I am told the beer is fine, and there is a hotel. When you have finished continue up the mountain along the road and you will come to Capel y ffin. Turn LEFT at the little junction and as you go up the mountain on the Right Hand Side, you will see the place where the Virgin is claimed to have been seen by three choir boys in the nineteenth century. This is on private land, but the owner has a pony trekking business and is very kind. This used to be a monastery run by a Victorian and eccentric but sincere Anglican Monk Ignatius Lyne. The Monastery eventually merged with Prinknash but was subsequently sold, as it proved too expensive. The owner is trying to raise money to refurbish and reroof the Oratory.

If you do visit the little church or hermit’s cell,and it is well worth a visit as it has been so beautifully restored, say a rosary for this kind holy man who came to such a horrible end and just be glad there are people like him today working in Darfour, in Zimbabwe and in Kenya , trying to bring about God’s Kingdom by giving themselves up to his service in their own White and Green Martyrdonm and facing great danger, often giving their lives to do the same things for people as Ishow Materiana and Ceildio in ancient Gwent.

















Be it mine to praise Him, God has guarded us
Who is great in Who praises: God has made us
Him as Ruler I adore, God will save us:
For He has increased the fruit God is our Hope,
Of His charity. Worthy and perfect-- Beautiful His destiny.

We are O and A'd of him God has come
Tough he was of highest heaven Though he was imprisoned
King of Trinity In his gentleness
God was sorely tried when he entered Sovereign most blessed
Suffering and pain He shall make us free for the Judgement
Day!
To God we were lost From the blood stained rood
Except the ransom Salvation came forth
Of a blameless decree To the wide Universe
Mighty Shepherd!
Never shall the merit of Christ decay!
Amen.
Old Literature recorded in the Black Boook of Carmarthen (Ceredigion)

A Gwent Saint and Martyr!-Pater Ishow of Nant Mair-

Life in the Welsh Church was very spiritual united through a communion of friendships and alliances between spiritual leaders and their monasteries. This was a continuation in Welsh culture of ‘soul friends’ or ‘soul mates’ There are numerous stories of saints showimg the monastic founders dying, wosturking, travelling together, and frequently mentoring each other. They made pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem together. St Cadoc is known to have made seven pilgrimages to Rome! St David was consecrated Bishop in Jerusalem (Caer Salem)

What made the pre Saxon churches into a culture of their own was this common spiritual kinship, and they shared a common history, common heroes, and a common love of music, poetry and stories. These British churches were not cut off from the universal Catholic church nor the Pope The storytelling, of the people, their music, art, liturgical and private prayers, were expressions of its spirituality, a spirituality which was highly community based, emphasizing, as it did, the spiritual bonds of tribe, family, and soul friends. In fact a great deal of Druidic lore and emphasis remained , not at its heart but in its appearance and poetic heart.

The early Welsh Bards literally 'waxed lyrical' about the liturgy and form of the Mass in the Middle Ages:

The origin of bees is from Paradise and on account of the sin of man they came from there: and God conferred this blessing on them , and Mass cannot be sung without the beeswax’.!

I will speak more of relics in later podcasts, although I did mention them in my Christmas edition in respect of the relics of St Sicarius at Brantome, one of the 12-24 male babies killed by Herod at the slaughter of the Innocents mentioned in the Bible. The question of the importance of relics is a huge topic in itself, and deserves a special episode. There was even a relic of St Mary Magdalene in Usk until it was destroyed by Tudor monarchs in the 16th century.There was also reputedly a shrine and therefore possibly a relic of St Margaret of Antioch at Caerwent in the Middle Ages

How did people in ancient Gwent enjoy themselves?
Rhyme, and rhetoric were enjoyed and debated by the people and they enjoyed poetry and singing immensely. The rule of law was interesting and important. In fact by the end of the first millennium, Hywel dda, the great King had submitted his laws to the Pope for approval after studying the Justinian Code in Rome. These confirmed that at that time, Wales was divided only into Gwent Gwynedd and Dyfed. Gwent had its own code of laws. According to these laws , the Church founded on Peter was an organic part of Welsh tribal society and great prominence is given to the status of the monasteries.A man under monastic orders was a Gwr wrth grefydd and a secular priest was a dyn eglwysig wrth urddau cyssegredig’.Papal confirmation was asked for because Hywel was anxious that none of his laws should conflict with the laws of the Church. In the text of the laws, the authority of the church is clearly recognised . Welsh bishops were consecrated on the Feast of St Peter’s Chair.(Feb 22)which shows a recognition of Roman primacy.

How did the people of Monmouthshire enjoy themselves?
They were (and are) fond of joking , being facetious , telling good humerous stories, being satirical and ready with witty sayings. Like the Romans, they also consulted soothsayers called Awenyddion whom they believed could forecast events. On being consulted , these people went into a sort of exstasy, and gave their enthusiastic view of incoherent nonsense, and then the person who had paid ad to make of it what he could. These were not bards, who were experts in music and poetry. Interestingly, the word for ‘poetry’ was the same word as for ‘harmony’ in singing in Welsh.

In the Old Welsh tradition, there were many tales of men and women of royal blood, who forsook everything as according to the gospel and going to live out their lives in God’s service as we saw Materiana and Ceidio do last week. I mentioned that strong in this tradition, which was shared by St Augustine of Hippo, was the model of the desert and giving up their lives in the service of God. This was contained in the idea of a white or green martyrdom.

The idea of White Martyrdom was that a would be saint would set sail in a boat (often poetically reckoned to be a leaf) and go wherever the waves took him or her. They would not always go by sea. Holy hermits often went on long walks over mountains and set up their own settlement or hermitage where they felt God wanted them to go. A story exists of the Irish Saint Ea being driven on to the coast of Cornwall on a leaf and Arriving at St Ives to which she gave her name-(slightly changed by English usage now). St Barruc set sail from Brittany and landed at what is now Barry-named after him to create his hermitage. Here he became a soul friend of and worked with St Cadoc , son of St Gwynlliw of Newport) who was working at Cadoxton or Cadoc’s town. Here they would labour to help the community but generally pray and work in God’s service. Having arrived on the sea, the sea taking them to where God wanted them to be, they would set up a Green Martyrdom.

With this in mind, here is the story of an early Gwentian saint and martyr

There was once a man called Ishow, a holy man who dreamt of serving God in such a ‘Green Martyrdom’He set out from his father’s house, possibly that of Brychan Brycheiniog and began walking over the Black Mountains and in the shadow of the Skirrid Holy Mountain (Yskyrrid fawr), he walked down through one of the most beautiful and secret valleys in Gwent and arrived at a tiny place high up in the mountains.

The Skirrid is often called ‘St Michael’s Mount. As the local legend says, at the time of the crucifixion at the time of Jesus death, the veil of the temple at Jerusalem was ripped in half. and darkness descended over the world! At the same time, the great Archangel Michael brought down his flaming sword on the Skirrid mountain and cut a deep gash in it. The mountain remains holy to this day. In times of persecution many Catholics climbed to the top to take part in secret Masses and rosaries if there was no priest. Even to this day, on the Feast of St Michael in September and Good Friday, Catholics climb to the top of the Skirrid for Mass it is a very holy place! They venerate of the cross there ,often in the tiny little ruined chapel dedicated to St Michael.. Farmers are said to drive up and take away ‘holy soil’ to put on their land if it became barren and almost all churches within sight of it are dedicated to St Michael, usually as well as to Our Lady. The Skirrid has been a holy place all through Christian times and it is easy to see why Ishow built his cell within sight of it on the other side of the valley and also why our great patron Saint David built his small cell in the green valley in its sight before he rose to prominence. He intended to do a Green Martyrdom there all his life, but as we shall see, God used his great talents of oratory, scholarship and humility to protect the church from the false claims of Pelagius at Llandewi Brevi.

If you drive on the mountain road from Llanfihangel Crucorney near Abergavenny up towards Llanthony, a tiny left hand turn signs you to Fforest and to Patrishow. You need to drive quite a few miles through narrow country roads to get there.

Ishow, or Issui which was a Welsh form of the name Esau. became a hermit.He built his cell on the banks of the enchanting brook named Nant Mair (Mary's brook)named for the Mother of God. Every morning he would say his morning psalms and praises. Occasionally he would be visited by a priest who would say Mass He lived there for many years in prayer and charismatic contemplation winning the affection of the country folk who fed him, so he would pray for them. Even today the local farmers and country people look after and care for the little chapel. In fact the place became so holy that a preaching cross was established there for that little parish.

Ishow was greatly loved and did what he was told in the Bible, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry and giving shelter to those who came upon the little chapel in their travels over the mountains. He fasted often and gave away his food to the poor. One night, it was a cold and draughty night there was a knock on the door. A stranger stood outside asking for shelter from the wind and the rain. Isshow invited him inside as was the custom. The man gave up his weapons and Isshow brought wa rmwater wash his feet, which the accepted quickly and Ishow made him very welcome.Ishow prepared for the wayfarer to stay overnight. He fed him with some bread and meat and warm beer and made him comfortable for the night He said his night offices, that is the psalms and prayers used even to today in the church and went to bed.He would rather prophetically say the Nunc dimittis, before he slept. ‘Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace’…..the song of Simeon the Temple Priest, when he had seen the child Jesus.

The following morning, he got up and made breakfast for the stranger and talked to him, because he sensed the stranger was troubled. But the ungrateful stranger suddenly demanded Ishow’s money.-He did not understand his holy calling and that this meant he had none! Isshow told him he had no money, only what people gave him. Infuritated, the stranger stabbed or throttled the old man, who after a lifetime of service as a hermit met his Lord and Maker in a real blood martyrdom. Shockwaves were felt through the countryside. Local people brought candles and flowers. His Requiem must ave been attended by many people.The bishops of Hereford who visited now and again and also priests who visited him, began to visit the little chapel of the Martyrs shrine and he was believed to have been buried there. The hermitage grew in importance as a Martyrs shrine and a larger stone building added to accommodate all the pilgrims. The font of the church bears a rudely cut inscription-'i tepore genillin'...me fecit'which gives a clue to the date of the church. Cynhyllin (cunhillin)was Lord of Ystradwy (Uh strad-oo-ee) in 1056 so before the Battle of Hastings was being fought, holy men were praising God here.
He was named a martyr by Bishop Herewald in the 11th Century.In recent years the little church and hermit’s cell have been restored and a large statue erected in the cell to the Blessed Saint. His good life and sacrifice always remembered by local people,where as the name of the ungrateful murderer is unknown and unremembered..

You can visit Patrishow at the same time as the cell of David at the little church in Llanthony and Llanthony Abbey (Augustinian) which was destroyed during the 16th century but still has an interesting little restaurant in the Crypt and hotel in the monastic buildings-and it's open all day Sunday for walkers wanting to walk up the track, high up over the mountain where you can see seven counties and walk over to Hay on Wye. It is a haven for people jumping off the mountains with parachutes (parascending?). The Goilden Valley (Vale of Ewyas) is one of the loveliest and remote areas in Wales and we are so lucky to have it as pasrt of the ancient Kingdom of Gwent.

If you visit the little church or hermit’s cell, (and it is well worth a visit as it has been so beautifully restored,) say a rosary for this kind holy man who came to such a horrible end and just be glad there are people like him today working in Darfour, in Zimbabwe and in Kenya , trying to bring about God’s Kingdom by giving themselves up to his service and facing great danger, often giving their lives to do the same things for people asMateriana and Ceildio and Ishow or Esau who paid for his kindness and concern with his life, in ancient Gwent.

In Preparation-For Information

On Saturday is the big Two Rivers Festivals at Chepstow. Altough it has nothing directly to do with Catholicism, the Mari Lwyd will be making a wassailing appearance-with the horses head and everything. There is a website dedicated to the event.
Afternoon:Children's Mari Ceremony from the Welsh School in Chepstow.
Early Evening is the meeting of the English on the Chepstow Bridge, who are then invited to take part in the Mari Jollifications.
Main Mari Lwyd Ceremony is at Chepstow Castle at 8. All details on their website. You will remember this is a bit of a hybrid custom, the linking of a horses head with jaws which clank shut quite frighteningly whilst going around peoples doors at Christmastide requesting money in song, and challenging house owners to sing back. One of my podcast dealt with the origins, the Mediaeval Mass and celebration of Mary at Christmas (Mari Lwyd, (Grey Mary) actually meaning 'Venerable Mary'in that sense. This custom was stopped when the Tudors founded their own church. So the people went around singing special carols, but using a horses head, harkening back to earlier customs, celebrating Rhiannon the horse goddess who carried the souls of the dead into the next world. When the Saxons came they also added the Wassailing tradition, so the pagan custom is also celebrated here as bits of toast soaked in cider are hung on an apple tree for a good harvest and cider poured onto apple tree roots as an 'offering' for a good harvest! Waste of good cider!! This Saturday 19th Jan. New Podcast andpost coming soon about Pater Ishow of Nant Mair in the Golden Valley!

A Gwentian Queen and Saint

Todays podcast tells the story of Madryn(St Materiana) a daughter of North Wales . She was loved and cherished as a child and grew up a Christian Princess. Wales and the West Country had long been associated with Christianity-remember the legend of Joseph of Arimathea in Glastonbury. This trader was said to have regularly travelled to Cornwall and in the 80s, a landslip gave credence to this when artefacts and other products from the first century Middle East was found on the site of the Tintagel Castle. Legend has it that it was one of his dwellings. Madryn and her maid Annan (both later Sainted by the Church) made a pilgrimage to Bardsey Island, said to be one of the holiest places in Wales. They slept on the island and had an identical dream, that God was telling them to build his church there. When they awoke-they complied.Of course it was a mud and wattle church. There are numerous Gwynydd sites with namescommemorating her there. In Gwent, or Ewyas as North Gwent was called, a whole dysnasty of Silurian Kings came forth but eventually all came to be dominated by Vortigern's Powys to the North of the country. He saw to it that his only son Vortimer became it's King and Vortimer married Rowena, the daughter of Hengist (remember Hengist and Horsa? Two Saxons who were paid to keep the other Saxons away)

Of course,Vortimer had a son called Honorious by the Romans (Ynyr Guent-pronounced Unnuh Gwent) Vortimer married Ynyr Gwent to the beautiful Princess Madryn , which was to strengthen the alliance of the Western Kingdoms, but the Saxons were relentless and as everyone knows Vortigern and his wife Rowena died in the burning of Caer Guothigirn . This can only be the oron Age Hill fort of Tre'r Cairi (Castell Gwrtheryn) north of Gwent-possibly near Roman Gobannium or Abergavenny. If anyone has a picture or feedback from this I would be pleased to put it up.

It is likely that the Saxons land grab then extended south. The capitol of Silurian Gwent at that time was at Venta Silurum or Caer went, capitol city of ancient Ewyas but either Honorius sent Madryn and two sons, one of which was Ceidio and one other away to a safe place or they escaped when he had been killed. They were anxious to kill him and it was usual to kill the family too at that time. The Saxons were complete pagans at this time and held life cheap. Sure enough Honorius was killed in a subsequent battle and succeeded by Iddon, probably a kinsman or rival, because Honorious was the only son of Vortimer living. None other is mentioned in the Welsh manuscripts.The Vikings continued wreaking havoc rowing up and down the Usk and the Wye.

You can only imagine the sadness, grief and sense of isolation and abandonment which overcame Materiana in her hour of grief.It is possible she had only taken her two youngest sons with her, who were not old enough to bear arms. Where did Materiana go? Either she went via Sudbury to Bristol by boat or coracle. She may have crossed the bridge at Chepstow and gone overland to Bristol, or she may have gone to Caerleon or Pilgwenlly where there were natural harbours, Pillgwenlly being more secret.

The ancient would have seen this as a 'White Martyrdom'. Like St Ea of St Ives, who is said to have floated into St Ives on a leaf, probably a small boat too, Materiana and her small sad band set off in their little boat-maybe even a fishing boat and trusted their lives to God. God took her to Cornwall to the Valency Valley, where of course people spoke the same language. Welsh is one of the most ancient languages in the world and spoken everywhere befir the Saxons' arrival.

Dedicating her work to God in order to atone for what she would have seen as their sins, she raised a shelter, brought up her two sons in the Christian faith. Dedicating herself and possibly her maid Annan to do God's Kingdom on Earth. the grieving widow found a wooded and leay valley near the harbour, where with money she had brought with her she set up a small monastic cell.

She must have been a strong and powerful woman. There are no records about the one son, but the other son Ceidio grew up fearlous and pious and was said to have been a magnificent preacher. A small spring appeared near the cell and so she had a water supply and began to see to the needs of local people who needed help, all the while preaching Christ's good News of Eaternal Life. They dedicated themselves to Holy living. They accepted their exile, their lot. Both had lost home, husband and father, status, been abandoned to great hardship and yet still looked to help thers. They were an example of 'agape' Christian selfless love. Madryn herself became a healer and healed with herbs and water and with prayer.They shared their food with the poor. They gave clothes to people who had none and food to those who needed that and was one of the Holy Band of Women of God who did missions like this, cuminating in our own times with the life of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who made Christ's mission her own too.

Priests were few and far between, and it is believed Ceidio was ordained as a priest , either at Exeter or at Truro, since he was instrumental in having a new church building put up in honour of his beloved mother in another place they worked-Tintagel (Dyndagell in British-Kerniw-Ygrain's Land) She had taught her son all she had learned from the holy French priests at her father's court. He would have been ordained on the Feast of St Peter's Chair (22nd February) as was the custom in the early church.

The siteof her Monastery, the magnificent Valency Valley is an amazing and explosive site of greenery shot through with daffodils and narcissi and the pungent smell of the wild garlic. She and Ceidio grew their own food with the help of their grateful patients and people they had helped. Cedio went about his business, saying Mass and Confession, adoration of the Sacrament, he ordained others,christened babies, confirmed new Christians and taught them the faith. He officiated at Requiems and commended the souls of the dying to the next life. Other young men came and the monastery flourished . It is worth pointing out that since Materiana and Ceidio both lived there, that the little cell was a 'conhospitae' or home for both holy men and women working together in the service of God. Sometimes they married and their children were also brought up in the religious community. This has again become the case in many Benedictine communities today, largely because land is not so cheap and plentiful and an atheistic style government has removed the charitable status of religious houses. Ceidio, in common with practice at the time would have made his pilgrimage to Rome and even Jerusalrm. Sources are only so rare becaus records were contantly being destroyed by Raids of the Vikings and Saxons. Nearly all the documents of St David;s Abbey at St David's West Wales, perished at the hands of the Vikings. It is only because some monks wrote down the tales of St David that they survived!

Materiana probably counted off the verses of the psalms and the 'Our fathers' on her wooden beads. The local community loved her for all her care of them and her saintliness was later recognised by the church, when it began to organise itself properly. ONly priests could write and so what we do know comes from well proected and hidden Welsh stories. The local people accepted her and so the other people did too.At St Materians's you can see a beautiful stained glass window with her churches of St Materiana and Minster Church in her hands. She is portrayed with a crown on her head and with a halo, as she was later accepted by the Church authorities in Rome. The local people must have built both churches within a few years after her death/Materiana and Ceidio created a haven of peace, and her love given to her pople at Minster. The people flocked there for help. If you want to find St Materiana's church in Tintagel, just turn down a little steep road to the left of the main road which will take you past another little chapel of later date. If you want Minster, you need to drive to Boscastle from Tintagel, not tuen off to the harbour and arry on on the main road. You will see it rather badly signposted to the left. It is a fabulous site in the spring.

After many years of Christian healing and devotion, Blessed Materiana died at her cell and was buried with honour, and her relics interred into the floor of the Chapel in the little Church where she still lies today. Later it became occupied after the Conquest by a small Benedictine Priory from France, who were recalled to Normandy when the 'alien' priories were closed during the French wars. The name 'Boscastle' comes from Bottreaux Castle of the Normans, butthe name is not connected with Minster. The church has been lovingly cared or by the Community and we saw all their attempts to pay for the damage , especially to the ancient flooring of this ancient place, when the terrible floods devastated Boscastle. in summer 2005.

In the Valley to the North of the Minster is the very lovely St Materian;s Well (you can see a photo below)What is amazing is the small size of the original cell-even in its stone incarnation!.
A stone seat has been placed at the top of the road for the less able bodied to see the ancient Church and its wonderful setting.Even though, as an Anglican Church it has devoloped a graveyard, the twittering of the birds, the pungent smell of herbs and garlic and spring freshness pervated everywhere and gave a glimpse of heaven. The church , although small is supported by a tiny congregation is well maintained, having benefitted from the Boscastle Fund and so important work which needed to be carried out , has been more urgently seen to.

I had been to the crowded little Catholic Church in Tintagel for the Vigil Mass and for the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday and tried to imagine how it would have all appened here in this ancient church,.Minster has been untouched by human hand and is in an area of outstanding natural beauty.and very much the church Materiana had kept. Since our visit was timed actually to her Feast Day in the Church on April 9th, it was apt to say a prayer for her work.

St Materiana's other dedication is sited near the location of Tintagel Castle and stands on a wild promontary, although curiously it is always warmish and quiet inside. It is dominated by a huge painted German Crucifix at the back and has a number of interesting statues of Materiana and some Stained glass. The ownership is with St Geroge's Chapel in Windsor.

I have often , mentally gone back to that space in time, that little valley in a time capsule and thanked God for Materiana and her care of the poor Cornish and of course St Ceidio and all his work of evangelisation. It is interesting to note, since I write this at Epiphany, that had God not come down for us non Jews, Ceidio and Materiana would not have taken Christ's promise of a better life in the next world and followed their white and then their green martyrdoms. They would have received many gifts of love from the locals people, but none so great as the folk memories which raisedin their memory two strong stone churches in this formerly poor area of Cornwall. They transformed their abandonment, terrible grief at the loss of husband and father and loss of status and created a haven for other people, where they could find love and care. Francis of Assissi followed this Way later-the Way and the Truth and the Life. Just what you need when life gives you a bum hand.

So perhaps we can say tody a prayer 'Holy Saint Materiana and Ceidio, pray for us'Amen

Christmas in Monmouthshire

Christmas festivities are wide ranging and special in Gwent. The Anglican churches such as at St Gwynlliw's (Woolos) and St Gabriels in Cwmbran are rich in carol services and Christingles. The schools take the oppurtunity to use the Churches for Carol services and they do quality nativities. The Welsh ones are lovely too with nativity plays whic include harp music and the mystery of the Nativity, even including the Magnificat.

Carol singing still happens. The Children's choir sang at a supermarket and at Tredegar House the big mansion of Sir Henry Morgan and former site of St Joseph's Convent. Above all it was accompanied by the Mari Lwyd ( the gray horse head known as grey Mary) but meaning the Venerable Mary. The origin of this custom, and the Gwentian carol equivalent was played on the podcast by a harp. The Mari made another appearance at the Star Hotel in Llanfihangel Crucorney near Abergavenny on Christmas Eve and again on 18th January will appear again in Chepstow as part of the Two Rivers Festival, when the Welsh march to the middle of the bridge over the Wye and invite the English over the enjoy all the festivities.

The origins of this custom is a hybrid, and at least half of it has originated from the ancient miracle plays of Christmas , when particular honour was paid to Mary who had agreed to God's plan to save humankind by coming to earth in the form of a man. A special Mass was said and very often, as in continental style, a statue carried around to the sound of carols and white candles, followed by a special Mass (Mary's Plygain and Mass) When Catholic worship was ruthlessly suppressed, the Plygain remained as an early morning carol singing service and the customs about Mary reverted to an earlier pagan custom of the worship of the old Welsh goddess Rhiannon (Epona) who was said to ride a dead soul into the next world.Of course during Cromwell's time, this was all suppressed, but with the Restoration of Charles II the ancient customs reappeared-possibly as a covert way of continuing Mary's Plygain, or simply enjoying the custom for the fun it was, terrifying ladies with the great snapping jaws and being offered hospitality and money for singing the traditional carols. An account of the last Mari at Caerleon was in 1932-possibly the war put a stop to it.

We took the Mari a superb creation made by Mrs Catherine Probert all decorated with robbons and a pine wreath around the mountain from Coedeva up to Cwrt Henllys and it was awesome seeing the great silver horse walking up the mountain and accompanying the carollers.

Tredegar House was awesome, the Great hall bedecked with Holly and Ivy and enormous Christmas Trees with myriad white lights being the only lighting. Underneath the tree before the great fireplace was the excellent little choir, pink cheeked from the cold night air. They sang earnestly, their true little voices marking a point in their lives which would disappear into the memories of their parents, as they sang with such excellence and sincerity. The audience, gathered to hear and gave enthusiastic applause.Then the children did a tour of the house-saw the various scenes from A Christmas Carol, met Scrooge in his bedroom and teased and taxed him , wishing him a Merry Christmas and singing him carols which he hated and sent them off angrily, at which the children screamed and teased him more! Other popular rooms were occupied by scenes from the Victorian pantomime Cinderella, and I thought the Ugly Sisters rather good. The evening finished with a party in the servants hall, with Chocolate Logs and minced pies and copious amounts of Mulled wine for the non drivers and juices for the drivers.The band with wind instruments, a harp an accordion and a bodrhan played lively Welsh airs and great fun was had by all.

On Christmas Eve, I attended another Christmas service . This was in the Church in Wales at St Gabriels in Cwmbran. It was the primary Christmas Service for the Children, all of whom turned up in party clothes, or dressed as angels or characters from the Nativity Play. The Christmas tree lights (coloured) were the only electric lights. The whole church was lit by candlelight and the childrens faces glowed with light. There was a nativity by very young children and standing room only. Our Lady's statue was lit by a hundred small votive lights and when the children began to process around with their Christingles it was lovely.

All these things have been talked about on the podcast. We returned to Griffithstown and at the Christmas Eve meal and then the presents were distributed as the had been left by Father Christmas earlier. For an hour or more there were shrieks of joy and the sound of the children playing their games and the whole interesting and joyful to see. My mother watching, thinking back to her childhood in Germany and we back to ours, all the joy of it, and the people whom we loved and whose 'eyes have hid their lustre in the grave'. I believe they were there too watching the joy! Happy Happy Christmas! Long may it continue to delight and enthrall those who are children at heart!

On Christmas Day, there was a visit to te Catholic Chapel at Llanarth Court. This is the oldest Catholic Chapel in Gwent which survived the persecutions and survived being demolished or burned by the government . It was very sweet insdie and you can see some of the photos here. Its dedication used to be to Our Lady,but is now to St Michael the Archangel. This is the powerful angel of St Michael's Mount or in Welsh the Skirryd Fawr which towers over Abergavenny. During the time of the Crucifixion ,when the veil of the Temple was rent in two, the mountain shattered in two halves. Some say the it was sliced in two by the great sword of Michael, The name Ysgryd implies that which has been shivered or shattered. A church honouring St Michael was built on the top and during the time of the terrible persecutions, catholics used to climb to the top of the mountain for secret Masses and Rosaries. St Michael was their protector, and through all the hangings and drawings and quarterings of the priests at this time (all of whome were local boys) through all the fines and pinishments, the Catholic community held firm, supported by the prayers and practical resistance by the local Catholic landowners, who did what they could to protect and help and provide money to protect the priests and places of worship which were often demolished or attacked if they lay outside some of the grnd houses.I will come back to all this later-for indeed the following day we say a priest hole in the White Hart Inn-another secret place to hide a priest at a Mass Centre in a pub. This was a good cover as they could pretend they were there to drink if the soldiers came.

Llanarth Chapel had a well played organ and flute and a lovely Christmas morning service. Boughs of greenery with red bows hung everywhere and before the altar a lovely tiny nativity scene decorated with more greenery.
It was a lovely Mass with pretty music and lovely people, whom I later met. I am sure I shall see them again. There were a number of patients from the hospital there, who seemed to be upset, but overall, it was fascinating to see all the Mediaeval stained glass and the special statue of the Virgin, which may have been there when the chapel had been disguised as a chicken house at one time to disguise it from priest humters. After two hundred years of such persecution,many people had given up church all together and others had simply given in to attending the Church in England, being unable to stand the fines and the terror any longer. However Llanarth Chapel stood proud ,a worthy relic of those times into the twentieth century itself and we learned that the Archbishop, Peter Smith will visit soon.You can see some of he Llanarth pictures around the pages here, including the statue of St Michael of the Skirrid or Holy Mountain. God's people had been saved and the Church growing again, evern exceeding Anglican attendance at services. Up the hill from the chapel lay the ancient monastery which had honoured the great Welsh Saint Teilo. Now in Anglican hands, this too had a burial ground for the Catholics who had owned the church and living and in it were buried many of the heroic Herberts, and a Knight of the Realm. Within a few short weeks. I had visited the house of the Morgans and the Herberts, those heroes of that difficult period. It had been a very Happy Christmas and New Year was even better.Happy New Year to all my listeners of the Podcast Mary in Monmouthshire and readers of this blog! God Bless you in all your projects and with good health (Iechyd da) in the year 2008 AD.