Saint Curig | |
---|---|
Bishop | |
Born | Unknown, estimated at c. 800 |
Residence | Llangurig |
Died | Landerneau |
Venerated in | Church in Wales |
Patronage | Capel Curig, Llangurig, Porthkerry, Langstone and Llanilid |
St Curig was a Celtic Roman Catholic bishop and saint of Wales during post Roman times. [1]
St Curig settled in Wales in the 7th century AD, during the reign of Maelgwn Gwynedd, for whom he was described as being a warrior. [2]
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 [and forced] three of Maelgwn's sons ... to give Gurig [ sic ] land." [2]
Upon landing at Aberystwyth, "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, or Curig's seat." [1] This is the site of the present day village of Llangurig.
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." [3] Jones describes it as being used to cure patients.
He is sometimes associated with Saint Ilid or St Dona. He is remembered in the church of St Curig in Llangurig and the chapels called Capel Curig in Porthkerry, Langstone, Newport and Llanilid, all in Wales. The church of St. Julittas`s in Capel Curig is traditionally said to have been founded by him.
Curig is thought to have migrated to Brittany at the end of his life and there are several churches there bearing his name. He is said to have died at Landerneau and been buried at Locquirec. [3]
He is commemorated on 16 June. [4]
Maelgwn Gwynedd was King of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position among the Brythonic kings in Wales and their allies in the "Old North" along the Scottish coast. Maelgwn was a generous supporter of Christianity, funding the foundation of churches throughout Wales and even far beyond the bounds of his own kingdom. Nonetheless, his principal legacy today is the scathing account of his behavior recorded in De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by Gildas, who considered Maelgwn a usurper and reprobate. The son of Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion and great-grandson of Cunedda, Maelgwn was buried on Ynys Seiriol, off the eastern tip of Anglesey, having died of the "yellow plague"; quite probably the arrival of Plague of Justinian in Britain.
Taliesin was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts of at least three kings.
Samson of Dol was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany with Pol Aurelian, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Malo, Patern (Paternus) and Corentin. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany, and was the nephew of Athrwys ap Meurig.
Germanus of Auxerre was a western Roman clergyman who was bishop of Autissiodorum in Late Antique Gaul. He abandoned a career as a high-ranking government official to devote his formidable energy towards the promotion of the church and the protection of his "flock" in dangerous times, personally confronting, for instance, the barbarian king "Goar". In Britain he is best remembered for his journey to combat Pelagianism in or around 429 AD, and the records of this visit provide valuable information on the state of post-Roman British society. He also played an important part in the establishment and promotion of the Cult of Saint Alban. The saint was said to have revealed the story of his martyrdom to Germanus in a dream or holy vision, and Germanus ordered this to be written down for public display. Germanus is venerated as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, which commemorate him on 31 July.
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. It is now a very popular visitor destination in the Snowdonia National Park. The population of the community as of the 2021 census was 476, a decline on the previous census.
Capel Curig 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 at the 2011 census. It lies at the junction of the A5 road from Bangor and Bethesda to Betws-y-Coed with the A4086 road from Caernarfon, Llanberis, Pen-y-Pass and Pen-y-Gwryd. It is surrounded by hills and mountains, including Moel Siabod and Pen Llithrig y Wrach.
Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog in Mid Wales.
Llangurig is both a village and a community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population was 723 in the 2011 UK Census. The community includes the hamlet of Cwmbelan.
Saint Cybi (Welsh), or Cuby (Cornish), was a 6th-century Cornish bishop, saint, and, briefly, king, who worked largely in Cornwall and North Wales: his biography is recorded in two slightly variant medieval 'lives'.
Non was, according to Christian tradition, the mother of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.
Saint Padarn's Church is a parish church of the Church in Wales, and the largest mediaeval church in mid-Wales. It is at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, Wales.
Padarn was an early 6th century British Christian abbot-bishop who founded Saint Padarn's Church in Ceredigion, Wales. He appears to be the same individual as the first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. His early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.
Eglwys y Bedd is all that remains of a 14th-century church in Anglesey, north Wales. It is set within the churchyard of St Cybi's, Holyhead, and may have been built on the site where Cybi lived and ministered. It is reputed to house the grave of Seregri, an Irish warrior who lived in the area in the 5th century.
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 that Curig rested on the hill here and looked down into the Wye Valley. He decided to build a church in the valley, which is still there today in the village of Llangurig.
Saint Einion Frenin was a late 5th and early 6th century Welsh confessor and saint of the Celtic Church. His feast day was originally given as 9 February, although this had moved to the 10th or 12th by the 16th century and is no longer observed by either the Anglican or Catholic church in Wales.
Saint Aelhaiarn or Aelhaearn was a Welsh confessor and saint of the British Church. He was a disciple of Saint Beuno. His feast day was usually observed on 2 November, although it is sometimes recorded as the 1st and is no longer observed by either the Anglican or Catholic church in Wales.
Kathy Louise Jones is a Welsh Anglican priest and chaplain. From January 2016 to June 2021, she was Dean of Bangor making her one of the most senior priests in the Church in Wales. Previously, she was the Lead Chaplain of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in the Diocese of Newcastle, Church of England.
Saint Tydecho was a 6th century saint of Wales.
Clydwyn is a 6th-century Pre-Congregational Saint of Wales.
Curg (Lwyd,) or the Blessed, was a saint celebrated for his learning and holy life, who came and settled in Wales in the seventh century. Having landed at Aberystwyth, he travelled inland, and rested upon the summit of a high mountain, which still bears the name of Esteddfa Gurig, or Curig's seat; from whence looking around him, he perceived a fertile valley, in the retirement of which he determined to build a church, which is called from him Llangurig, in Montgomeryshire. He was also a bishop of a see in Wales, which is supposed to have been that of Llanbadarn Vawr.