Saint Dogmael (or Docmael, Dogfael, Dogmeel, Dogwel, Toel) was a 6th-century Welsh monk and preacher who is considered a saint. His feast day is 14 June.

Life

Dogmael (or Dogfael, Dogwel) was of the house of

Cunedda Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' (reigned – c. 460), was an important early Welsh people, Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of Western Europe. Nam ...

, descended from the kings of Wales, and was the son of Ithel ap Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig. His grandmother was Saint

Meleri Saint Meleri was a late 5th century Welsh saint and Queen of Ceredigion. Meleri was one of the 24 daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog of Brycheiniog (now Brecknockshire) in Wales. She married King Ceredig of Ceredigion, one of the son of Cune ...

, daughter of Saint

Brychan Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Name variations Brychan had Irish ancestry and came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name ...

. Dogmael became a monk, and seems to have concentrated his preaching in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

, where there are a number of churches dedicated to him.

Legacy

The following of Dogfael is reflected in a number of churches in what is now north

. Based on the locations of his churches, Dogmael's cult was centered to the south of the

River Teifi The River Teifi ( ; , ), formerly anglicised as Tivy, forms the boundary for most of its length between the Welsh counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and for the final of its total length of , the boundary between Ceredigion and Pembr ...

in the

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

communities of Cemais and Pebidiog. St Dogmael's Abbey, now ruined, stands on a hillside above the Teifi. It was founded in 1120 by Robert fitz Martin and his wife Maud Peveril. It contains the traditional site of St Dogmael's grave. The village of

St Dogmaels St Dogmaels () is a village, parish and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the estuary of the River Teifi, a mile downstream from the town of Cardigan, Ceredigion, Cardigan in neighbouring Ceredigion. A little to the nor ...

is on the south side of the Teifi, facing Cardigan; St Dogmaels is named in Welsh ''Llandudoch''. Other churches include Capel Degwel nearby, St Dogwell's near

Fishguard Fishguard (, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lowe ...

and the

Church of St Dogfael, Meline Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. Llanddogwel (Llanddygfael) in

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

is also dedicated to the saint.

Butler's account

The hagiographer

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...

wrote in his ''Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints'', under 14 June,

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dogmael, Saint Children of Brychan 6th-century deaths