• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

UK

St David: Ten things about the Patron Saint of Wales

St David: Ten things about the Patron Saint of Wales
Newsexplored
1st March 2020
5
SHARES
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
5
St David on stained glass windowImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption How accurate is this image of St David?

Celebrations are taking place for St David’s Day – but how much do we actually know about him?

Welsh people around the world will raise a toast to the greatest figure in the Welsh Age of Saints – an irony given he was a strict teetotaller.

He established many religious communities and gives his name to the smallest city in Britain.

But much of what we ‘know’ is based on the Latin writings of Rhygyfarch some 500 years after Saint David lived.

Even the image of St David has changed over the centuries.

“Much of the early images are based upon what we see in stained-glass windows where he’s portrayed as a very powerful archbishop,” said author Martin Crampin.

“But that was never the case at the time of his life.

“It’s not until last century that we see him as a hermit, or a more scholarly, humble and down-to-earth figure that perhaps fits in more with what we want to see St David.”

So meek or mighty, here are 10 facts to ponder over your bowl of cawl.

Image copyright Jonathan Edwards
Image caption Modern imagery of St David is of a simpler, humble figure

1) His birthday is a mystery

An angel foretold his birth to St Patrick, 30 years before it happened – although the exact date is believed to be some time between 462 and 515 AD.

Some say he lived more than 100 years and died on 1 March 589 – hence St David’s Day.

data-ad-format="auto">

2) He was born in a storm

Whenever it was, legend says his mother Non gave birth on a cliff-top in Pembrokeshire – during a fierce storm.

At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning from heaven is said to have struck the rock, splitting it in two.

A nearby holy well is said to have healing powers.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The spot of David’s birth is marked by the ruins of Non’s Chapel

3) He had royal heritage

His family was aristocratic. The official biography claims his father was Sant, the Prince of Powys, and his grandfather King Ceredig founded Ceredigion.


Non was a nun and later canonised herself.

4) He’s not David

That was the name he was baptised with.

But Non named her son Dewidd, or Dewi to the locals.

Image copyright Cadw
Image caption Welsh artist and Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Nathan Wyburn, created this portrait using 1,000 daffodils

5) He took centre stage at Glasto

Educated at a monastery, he became a missionary, spreading Christianity.

Dewi was a renowned preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany and south-west England.

He visited Glastonbury to rededicate the abbey and donated a travelling altar that included a great sapphire – pinched 1,000 years later.

6) He left his mark

Like any seaside tourist, David reputedly brought back a rock – though not the pink boiled sugar kind – from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

That stone now sits in an altar at St David’s Cathedral, built on the site of his original monastery.

Image copyright Loop Images
Image caption St David’s is the UK’s smallest city

7) He was a teetotal vegetarian

Strict dieters today have nothing on St David. He and his monks led a very simple and austere life living off only leeks and water.

They even refused to use oxen to plough their fields, preferring to do it by hand.

8) Miraculous stories

He is said to have cured his tutor of blindness with the sign of the cross and brought a dead boy back to life by splashing the child’s face with tears.

It is also said that the ground beneath his feet rose up to form a hill so people at the back of a large crowd in Llanddewi Brefi could hear him speak before a white dove, sent by God, settled on his shoulder.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The flag of St David

9) A celebrity of the Middle Ages

He has been the patron saint of Wales since the 12th Century, at a time when there were more than 60 churches in Wales dedicated to him.

His shrine was so important that Pope Callistus II said two pilgrimages to St David’s were worth one to the Vatican.

Vikings regularly raided the cathedral while the shrine was stripped of its jewels during the reformation in the 16th Century.

Image copyright Getty
Image caption Children across the country take part in dances and events wearing traditional Welsh clothing

10) His legacy lives on

His last words to his followers came from a sermon he gave on the previous Sunday: ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.’

The phrase ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain’ – ‘Do the little things’ – is still well-known in Wales.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemsaboutdavidpatronsaintthingswales
UK
1st March 2020
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemsaboutdavidpatronsaintthingswales

More in UK

  • Read More
    Budget 2021: What do young aspiring actors make of it?

    Views:5 By Laurence CawleyBBC News, East image copyrightLaurence Cawley image captionThe BBC spoke with members of The...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Budget 2021: 10 ways Rishi Sunak’s speech affects you

    Views:5 By Kevin PeacheyPersonal finance correspondent, BBC News image copyrightGetty Images With lives and livelihoods still at...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Scotland’s papers: Sturgeon ‘on the brink’ and furlough extended

    Views:5 image copyrightThe Herald data-ad-format="auto"> image copyrightScottish Daily Express image copyrightDaily Telegraph image copyrightThe i image copyrightMetro...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Contraception: Should the pill be sold over the counter?

    Views:5 image copyrightThinkstock The government is asking the public whether some contraceptive pills should be sold over...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    The Papers: Furlough extension and ‘last chance for pubs’

    Views:5 By BBC NewsStaff image captionThe papers are dominated by news that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will extend...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Furlough support scheme to be extended until September

    Views:5 image copyrightGetty Images The government is to announce it is extending the furlough scheme until the...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Welsh budget 2021: £1.1bn extra confirmed in new spending plans

    Views:5 image captionThe Welsh Government will have just over £17bn to spend in the next financial year...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    In pictures: Scotland’s stunning sunset

    Views:5 People from across Scotland were treated to a stunning sunset on Monday, with a lucky few...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    World Cup 2030: UK and Republic of Ireland associations back UK government support for bid

    Views:5 Wembley Stadium will host the final of Euro 2020 in June 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Tourism hotspots hit hard by Covid-19 jobs crisis

    Views:5 image copyrightReuters Parts of the UK reliant on tourism have been most affected by the Covid-19...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    The Papers: Digital travel passes and ‘prayers for Philip’

    Views:5 By BBC NewsStaff image captionEuropean leaders have pledged that a vaccination passport scheme will be open...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
  • Read More
    Trainer banned in Britain after dead horse picture

    Views:5 Gordon Elliott has trained more than 140 winners this season and is second to Willie Mullins...

    Newsexplored 1st March 2020
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Transfer rumours: Kounde, Haaland, Bremer, Neuhaus, Balogun, Ziyech, Raphinha
    Sports13th February 2021
  • Station reopening at Bow Street brings first trains for 56 years
    UK14th February 2021
  • Manchester United 3-3 Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores late goal to deny hosts
    Sports6th February 2021
  • Super Bowl half-time show: How did The Weeknd do?
    Entertainment8th February 2021
  • What is Biden doing differently at US border?
    USA3rd March 2021
  • Coronavirus: Texas and other states ease rules despite warnings
    USA3rd March 2021
  • Golden Globe Awards 2021: Stars prepare for virtual ceremony
    USA28th February 2021
  • John F Kennedy: When the US president met Africa’s independence heroes
    USA27th February 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

Scottish surveillance testing system for Covid-19 begins
Hendon stabbing: Man killed in street attack
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok