Saint Gwenfyl

Saint Gwenfyl was an early Welsh Christian saint from the Brychan family. Little is known of her life.

Saint Gwenfyl
Born6th century
ResidenceWales
Died6th century
Feast1 November
Tradition or genre
Christian

Life

Saint Gwenfyl was one of the children or descendants of Brychan. She founded a chapel named Capel Gwenvyl, which no longer exists, subordinate to Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion.[1] Other chapels at Llanddewi Brefi were Blaenpennal chapel (Saint David), Capel Bettws Lleicu (Saint Lucia) and Capel Gartheli (Saint Gartheli).[2] She shares a festival on 1 November with her sister, Saint Callwen.[3] As with Callwen, her name is only mentioned briefly in the Welsh calendars or genealogies.[4] Callwen and Gwenful were added to the number of children of Brychan in a short list of saints published in the Cambrian Register, but it would be wrong to assume they were more than descendants in some degree.[3]

Notes

    1. Smith & Wace 1880, p. 828.
    2. Rees 1836, p. 52.
    3. Rees 1836, p. 153.
    4. Cartwright 2008, p. 93.

    Sources

    • Cartwright, Jane (2008), Feminine Sanctity and Spirituality in Medieval Wales, University of Wales, ISBN 978-0-7083-1999-4, retrieved 8 April 2016
    • Rees, Rice (1836), An Essay on the Welsh Saints Or the Primitive Christians, Usually Considered to Have Been the Founders of the Churches in Wales, Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, retrieved 7 April 2016
    • Smith, William; Wace, Henry (1880), A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines: Being a Continuation of 'The Dictionary of the Bible', Little, Brown & Company, retrieved 8 April 2016
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