Isfael or Ismael ( owl, Ysmail), often

anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

as Ishmael, was a 6th-century medieval Welsh

bishop of Rhos St Ishmaels or St Ishmael's ( cy, Llanismel) is a village, parish and community close to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community comprises most of the parish of St Ishmaels and had a population of 478 at the 2011 census ...

and saint. He was allegedly also a Breton prince of

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica ( Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Co ...

. Although his anglicized name invites association with the Biblical

Ishmael Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

, Isfael is actually a native Welsh name (or even epithet) meaning 'under prince'. Isfael was said to have been the son of

Budig ap Cybydan Budic II ( lat-med, Budicius; cy, Budig or '; ), formerly known as Budick, was a king of Cornouaille in Brittany in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. He was father of Hoel as well as several Celtic saints. Life Budic II was born in Cornouail ...

, a native of Cornouaille and eventual

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

, and the brother of the martyr

Tyfei Tyfei (early 6th century) was a martyr and saint of the medieval Welsh church. Life Tyfei ap Budic was the second son of Budic II of Brittany and his second wife, Anowed or Arianwedd, the daughter of Saint Issel and sister of Saint Teilo. The yo ...

and

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Euddogwy (Oudoceus) of Llandaff. His mother may have been Arianwedd or Anowed, the sister of Saint Teilo. In Rhygyfarch's hagiography, Isfael was said to have been one of the three principal disciples of Dewi Sant;Sharp, Richard & al. (trans.) "Rhygyfarch's 'Life' of St David" in ''St David of Wales: Cult, Church and Nation''
p. 121
Boydell Press, 2007. Accessed 26 Mar 2013. in the Book of Llandaff, he is also included among the students of Dubricius and Teilo and said to have succeeded David as the bishop of Menevia ( St David's). (Since he does not appear in that parish's records, it was Rees's opinion that he was at most a suffragan bishop under Teilo. Rees, W. J. (trans.) ''Liber Landavensis''
pp. 351

370 ff
Welsh MSS. Society (Llandovery), 1840. Accessed 26 Mar 2013.) His eventual see was in Rhos at present-day

St Ishmaels St Ishmaels or St Ishmael's ( cy, Llanismel) is a village, parish and community close to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community comprises most of the parish of St Ishmaels and had a population of 478 at the 2011 census ...

. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

churches of St Ishmael's in Pembrokeshire and

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known ...

and their surrounding communities are named in his honour. He was also the patron of the churches at Camrose, Rosemarket, Uzmaston, and (probably) Haroldston St Issells. A valley or inlet in Carmarthen Bay was previously known as "St. Ismael's Scar".The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire. ''An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire'', "Vol. V.County of Carmarthen."
p. 245
His Majesty's Stationery Office (London), 1917. Accessed 26 Mar 2013.

Gallery

File: St Ishmael's Church - geograph.org.uk - 876247.jpg, St Ishmael's church, Pembrokeshire File:St. Ismael's Church, Uzmaston - geograph.org.uk - 219260.jpg, St. Ismael's Church, Uzmaston. File:St Ismael's Church, Camrose - geograph.org.uk - 992620.jpg, St Ishmael's parish church, Camrose

References

{{authority control 6th-century Welsh bishops 6th-century Christian saints Medieval Welsh saints Bishops of St Davids History of Pembrokeshire People from Pembrokeshire Armorica