![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Picture1.png?resize=157%2C300\")
<\/a>Dewi\u2019s teacher was a monk called Peulun – Paulinus – who himself had studied under Saint Illtyd (who had established his monastery and centre of learning in Llanilltud Fawr – Llantwit Major). One of Dewi\u2019s first miracles is said to have been the restoring of Peulun\u2019s sight when he be-came blind. Dewi became a renowned teacher and preacher – and his fame spread far and wide. About 1200 monasteries were founded in his name in Wales and as far away as Devon, Cornwall and Brit-tany. His base was the Celt-ic monastery which he es-tablished at Glyn Rhosyn (Moorland Vale) in Pem-brokeshire – where St David\u2019s Cathedral stands to-day. Life at the Glyn Rhosyn Monastery was hard – as David\u2019s rule prescribed that the monks had to pull the plough themselves without the help of animals – and like Dewi himself, they were to drink only water and eat only vegetables and bread with salt and herbs.The monks spent their evenings in prayer, reading or writing. Sometimes it is said that as a self imposed penance Dewi would stand up to his neck in cold water, reciting scripture! As a missionary, he travelled throughout Wales, southern England and Brittany and even made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he was consecrated bishop.<\/p>\nMany miracles are ascribed to Dewi, including raising a dead child back to life and restoring Peulun\u2019s eyesight. But the most famous miracle associated with him is the formation of a hill beneath his feet when he was preaching to a large gathering at Llanddewi-brefi. (As if Wales needed another hill!!!). And during this sermon, a white dove is said to have settled on his shoulder – which explains why the Saint is often depicted with a white dove. The adoption of the leek as the emblem of Wales can also be ascribed to Dewi. It is said that when the Welsh were in battle against the Saxons, David advised the Welsh soldiers to wear leeks in their hats so that they could be distinguished from the enemy.<\/p>\n
During and after Dewi\u2019s lifetime, St David\u2019s grew in importance as a place of pilgrimage – attracting pilgrims from all over Britain and the Continent. Scholars believe that Rhygyfarch\u2019s \u2018Life of David\u2019 helped promote St David\u2019s in importance – in its competition with Canterbury. It was decreed that two pilgrimages to St David\u2019s were equal to one to Rome – and that three equalled one pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We know that Dewi\u2019s popularity in Wales was firmly established by the 10th Century. In the poem \u2018Armes Prydein\u2019 (The Prophecy of Britain) – composed in the 10th Century, the manuscript of which survives, – the author prophesises that all the Celtic peoples will unite to fight off the Anglo Saxon armies – and do so under the banner of Dewi. So it is evident that Dewi was recognized as the leader of the Welsh people by that time. By the way Dewi\u2019s banner is still widely flown – you may have seen it and wondered what it represented. It comprises a gold cross on a black background.<\/p>\n
Dewi is thought to have died on March 1st in the year 589 and of course, March 1st is known as Dydd G\u0175yl Dewi (The day of the festival of Dewi) – St David’s Day. It has been recognized as such since the 12th Century. Today, on that day, school children dress in national costume and adults wear a leek or a daffodil (introduced by David Lloyd George, who wasn\u2019t enamoured of the leek as an emblem!!) to commemorate our Patron Saint. Dewi, of course, is the only Patron Saint in the four countries of Britain and Ireland who was born in the country of which he is the Patron Saint. (Andrew was one of the Apostles; Patrick was born in Britain – possibly in Wales; George was a Cappadoccian Greek and a soldier in the Roman Army),<\/p>\n
Dewi\u2019s last sermon is widely quoted at this time of the year of course. Translated, it says –<\/p>\n
\u2018Be happy. Keep your faith and beliefs – and do the little things which you have heard and seen me do\u2019. <\/em><\/p>\nStill good advice – even after fifteen hundred years!<\/p>\n
Dydd G\u0175yl Dewi hapus iawn i chi i gyd.<\/p>\n
A very Happy St David\u2019s Day to you all.<\/p>\n
Ann M. Jones<\/p>\n
\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dewi Sant – Nawddsant Cymru Saint David – the Patron Saint of Wales Dewi was the Bishop of Mynyw in South West Wales – what today is called St David\u2019s – in the 6th Century. The date of his birth is not clear but it is generally accepted that he died on March 1st in the year 589. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[228],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3EJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4241,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4241","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":0},"title":"ST DAVID – WALES AND BEYOND","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th February 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"ST DAVID - WALES AND BEYOND St David was born in Pembrokeshire around 500 AD to Sant, a prince of Cardigan, and St Non, the daughter of a chieftain. Little is known about his life. He was brought up near Aberaeron and is said to have been baptised by St\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe History Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe History Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=40"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5546,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5546","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":1},"title":"What Else Happened On St David’s Day?","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"WHAT ELSE HAPPENED ON ST DAVID'S DAY? March1st is arguably the most widely known and important day in Welsh history and culture. Across the country we mark the death of St David, patron saint of Wales, who died on 1st March in 589 AD. Most celebrations take traditional forms, such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/goons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12644,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12644","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":2},"title":"Place-Names Derivation – Fawr \/ Llantwit Major","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES LLANILLTUD FAWR \/ LLANTWIT MAJOR The name Llanilltud is made up of two elements - \u2018llan\u2019 and \u2018Illtud\u2019 (\u2018Illtyd\u2019). The first element is an old Celtic word, which I will discuss in detail at a later date. Suffice to say at this stage that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14151,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14151","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":3},"title":"Welsh Traditions","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WELSH TRADITIONS In this short series we\u2019ll take a step back in time to remind ourselves of some of the interesting traditions which took place in Wales in the past. We\u2019ll begin with a look at what in Welsh are called \u2018Merched y Gerddi\u2019 - literally translated, \u2018The Garden Girls\u2019.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6530,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6530","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":4},"title":"Llanthony","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th August 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Llanthony We parked at Llanthony Priory, in the care of Cadw and freely open to the public. The hamlet of Llanthony nestles in the heart of the beautiful Vale of Ewyas. This is the easternmost valley of the Black mountains, described by Gerald of Wales in 1188 as \u2018encircled on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Picture7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14028,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14028","url_meta":{"origin":14057,"position":5},"title":"Daffodils At The Ready And Not Just For St David\u2019s Day","author":"Alan Williams","date":"13th March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"DAFFODILS AT THE READY AND NOT JUST FOR ST DAVID\u2019S DAY St David\u2019s Day has long been associated with daffodils and they have become a symbol of Wales, not least because they bloom around the 1st of March each year. The humble \u2018daff\u2019 has always been special to us here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Readers Articles of Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Readers Articles of Interest","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=228"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14057"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14057"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14058,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14057\/revisions\/14058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}