Saint Cadfan ( la, Catamanus), sometimes

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 Gideon, was the 6th century founder-

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

Tywyn Tywyn (Welsh language, Welsh: ; in English language, English often ), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community (Wales), community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the histo ...

(whose church is dedicated to him) and Bardsey, both in

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

, Wales. He was said to have received the island of Bardsey from Saint

Einion Frenin Saint Einion Frenin (Welsh: old ', mod. ' or ', "Saint Einion the King"; la, Ennianus or ''Anianus'') was a late 5th-Abersoch Virtual Guide"History: The Pilgrim's Trail and Some of Its Churches" Accessed 18 Nov 2014. an ...

, king of Llŷn, around 516 and to have served as its abbot until 542.

Life and legacy

Most of the information we have about Cadfan is from the

awdl In Welsh poetry, an ''awdl'' () is a long poem in strict metre (i.e. '' cynghanedd''). Originally, an ''awdl'' could be a relatively short poem unified by its use of a single end-rhyme (the word is related to ''odl'', "rhyme"), using cynghanedd ...

by Llywelyn the Bard in the 12th century. According to this he sailed from Brittany to

with 12 other saints, although some suggest that they came instead from

Llanilltud Fawr Llantwit Major ( cy, Llanilltud Fawr) is a town and community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry and Penarth, and ahead of Cowb ...

. A Breton nobleman, he was said to be the son of Eneas Ledewig (Aeneas of Brittany) and

Gwen Teirbron Gwen Teirbron (French: Blanche; Latin: Alba Trimammis or Candida; possibly English: Wite) was a Breton holy woman and wife of Fragan who supposedly lived in the 5th or 6th century. Her epithet is Welsh for '(of the) three breasts'. Veneration Po ...

(Gwen Three Breasts), daughter of

Budic II 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 Cornou ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

. He journeyed to Britain accompanied by the children of Ithel Hael o Lydaw (of Brittany): Baglan, Flewyn,

Gredifael Saint Gredifael (also spelt Gredivel, Gredivael or Credifael) is the patron saint and founder of St Gredifael's Church, Penmynydd, in Anglesey, Wales. According to ''Enwogion Cymru'', Gredifael was a saint who lived in the early part of the si ...

Tanwg Saint Tanwg is the patron saint of Llandanwg, Gwynedd, Wales. He is presumed to be the founder of St Tanwg's Church, the small church at Llandanwg near Harlech, although the presence of an inscribed stone which has been dated to the 5th cent ...

Twrog Saint Twrog - feast day 26 June - was a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded the church at Maentwrog, having come to Wales early in the Age of the Saints. Early life It is believed that Twrog was the son of Ithel Hael o Lydaw of Brittany. He ...

, Tegai, Trillo, Tecwyn and Llechid. Other reputed followers include Maël and

Ilar International League of Associations of Rheumatology (ILAR) is an international body of the associations of Rheumatologists from around the world. It comprises partner organisations PANLAR, Paamerican League of Associations for Rheumatology, EULAR ...

. Wade-Evans thought ''Kentinlau'', who accompanied Cadfan to

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. C ...

, should be identified with Cynllo.Wade-Evans, A. W. (1944). ''Vitae Sanctorum Britanniae et Genealogiae''. They may have fled the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

. At

Llangadfan Llangadfan is a small village in Powys, Wales, based in the community of Banwy. The village lies on the A458 between Foel and Llanerfyl, from Llanwddyn. Dyfnant Forest is located nearby. The village is said to be known for its country dances. ...

in northern

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

he founded a church before moving on to Bardsey. He also established a ''clas'' at

(traditionally the first such ''clas'' in Wales) which became a wealthy site, served by an abbot and clerics from 1147 to 1291, mother church of the

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which wer ...

Meirionnydd Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a cantref, a district and, as Merionethshire, a county. Kingdom Meirionnydd (Meirion, with -''ydd'' as a Welsh suffix of land, literally ''Land adjoined to Meirion ...

south of the River Dysynni. His feast day is 1 November.

References

Sources

Biography from the Dictionary of Welsh Biography
*The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales, University of Wales Press, 2008,

External links

St. Cadfan - Saints & Angels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadfan Medieval Breton saints Medieval Welsh saints Companions of Cadfan Roman Catholic monks Welsh Roman Catholic saints Year of birth unknown Year of death missing