Dewi Sant - Saint David

Cathedral of Dewi Sant

Many ancient spiritual sites have become part of the Welsh tourism industry. It ensures that the sites are kept in good order, and bring wealth into Wales. Ignored sites have fallen into ruin. Ancient buildings that haven't crumbled are at best converted into houses, workshops or craft centres, or at worst, demolished to make way for car parks, roads or supermarkets. The most spiritual site of all, the Cathedral of Dewi Sant, St. David, is the heart of all that is holy in Wales. Dewi Sant founded his original church in the sixth century on the site. An oak box in the small chapel behind the high altar is said to contain the bones of Dewi Sant himself.

The Holy Men

From the fifth century, Dewi, Padarn, Teilo, Illtyd, Cadoc, Tegid and Bueno were holy men whose existences were recorded in scores of church documents. Dewi Sant is the only Welsh saint to have been canonised by the Church in Rome. A 'llanau' or enclosure was a site that was considered sacred. These sites were often used by early Christian holy men as bases for lives that were dedicated to work and vigil and they sometimes developed into settlements called 'clasau'. Because of this the word 'llan' gained a more sacred association. Today, when the word 'llan' appears on a Welsh map, it almost always signifies a sacred place and often the name of a Celtic saint is with it. Welsh saints would have been mainly forgotten but for these place names because little was written about most of them to verify their existence.

Saint David

But the legend of Dewi Sant has left traces across Wales. A ruined chapel close to the sea in Dewisland marks the site where, in about the year 500, Dewi's mother St. Non is said to have given birth to him. Across Wales, in the valley of Honddu in the Black Mountains, the first town of his hermitage has an ancient church dedicated to him. Here he said to have lived a simple life, depicted as barefoot, with robes made from animal skins, carrying a stick and a magical bell. He is reputed to have drunk nothing other than stream water and loved eating wild leeks. As a result the leek became the national emblem of Wales.

Tyddewi & Bardsey

The earliest written references to Dewi's existence are on two fragments of stone in the wall of the church dated to the sixth century. During an address to a large gathering of priests and people in the churchyard at Llanddewi Brefi in inland Ceridigion, the ground is said to have lifted him up above the crowd. Dewi established his own 'clasau' at Tyddewi which became so important that in the twelfth century Pope Calixtus II decreed it as a holy pilgrimage 'in search of Saint David' along with another that was regarded as necessary for holy men, the journey to Ynys Enlli, Bardsey Island, off the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd. This was the site of another sixth century Celtic 'clas', and has attracted pilgrims looking for spiritual guidance or calling for many centuries.

Leeks & Daffodils

After a lifetime of wandering Dewi Sant ended his days at Tyddewi. Crowds of saddened people gathered in the little town after supernatural signs foretold Dewi's death. They waited to hear his last sermon, the most famous of all the sermons ever preached in Wales on the lines of 'It's those little things we do in life that are for the good of others, that makes the world a better place.'

When he died the town was filled with beautiful music and the sun shone brightly. The date was March 1st. From that day onwards patriotic Welsh people have worn Dewi Sant's 'leek' in their buttonhole to commemorate the national day of Wales. But since there aren't that many leeks to be found sprouting by March 1st maybe the tradition of wearing a daffodil in the lapel sprang out of necessity, the daffodil being a plant that is usually sprouting wildly at that time of year and that looks like a small leek, and is much less cumbersome and nicer looking! See Jan Morris' 'Wales Epic Views of a small Country' Viking Press for more about Welsh History