St Curig was a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

of Wales during post Roman times. St Curig settled in Wales in the 7th century AD, during the reign of

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd (; died c. 547)Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text). was King of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position among t ...

, for whom he was described as being a warrior. Lore describes Maelgwn becoming angered by his warrior's new-found religious beliefs, and in response Curig "caused Maelgwn and his men to go blind nd forcedthree of Maelgwn's sons ... to give Gurig land." Upon landing at

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

, "he travelled inland, and rested upon the summit of a high mountain, where he settled a green, which still bears the name of

Eisteddfa Gurig Eisteddfa Gurig is a hamlet located in Ceredigion on its border with Powys and situated along the A44. Its name comes from the Welsh word ''eisteddfa'', meaning seat and the name of St Curig. This gives the meaning of Curig's seat. It is said ...

, or Curig's seat." This is the site of the present day village of

Llangurig Llangurig is a village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population was 723 in the 2011 UK Census. The community includes the hamlet of Cwmbelan. The River Wye, the A470 and the A44 trunk roads pass through Llangurig, as do th ...

. In Thomas Jones' ''Gerald of Wales'', St Harmon's Church is described as having (until the late 16th century) a crucifix of St Curig's, "which extends slightly at the top, on both sides, in the shape of a cross, and which is covered round with gold and silver." Jones describes it as being used to cure patients. He is sometimes associated with

Saint Ilid Saint Ilid is a semi-legendary saint of Wales. He has at times been identified as Joseph of Arimathea, perhaps because he is referred to as a "man of Israel" and to have been born Jewish. Moreover, he is said to have returned from Rome with ''Car ...

or St Dona. He is remembered in the church of St Curig in

and the

chapels A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are o ...

called Capel Curig in

Porthkerry Porthkerry () is a hamlet in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the Bristol Channel coast of South Wales within the community of Rhoose between that village and the town of Barry to the east. It is very close to the end of the runway of ...

Langstone, Newport Langstone is a village and community (Wales), community of Newport, Wales, Newport, Wales. The community had a population of 4,730 in 2019. Location Langstone is situated on the eastern edge of the city and is one of Newport's more affluent ...

and

Llanilid Llanilid is a small settlement of in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is in the historic county of Glamorgan. Llanilid is part of the community of Llanharan along with the villages of Bryncae, Brynna, Ynysmaerdy, Peterston ...

, all in Wales. The church of St. Julittas`s in

Capel Curig Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 ...

is traditionally said to have been founded by him. Curig is thought to have migrated to

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

at the end of his life and there are several churches there bearing his name. He is said to have died at

Landerneau Landerneau (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille and Léon, east of Brest. The name is from Lan Ter ...

and been buried at

Locquirec Locquirec (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Geography The village is built around the church and the marina. The town of Locquirec is home to several beaches: Port beach, in the center of the v ...

. He is commemorated on 16 June.

References

{{Authority control 7th-century births Welsh Roman Catholic saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown