Bodfan (or ''Bodfaen'') was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
in the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
churches.
Biography
He was the son of
Helig ap Glanawg
Helig ap Glanawg (standard modern Welsh orthography: Helig ap Glannog) is a legendary figure described in various accounts dating to at least as early as the 13th century as a 6th-century prince who lived in North Wales.
Post-medieval tradition ...
and died in the 7th century.
[St Bodfan]
from Catholic Online, retrieved 8 June 2013 Supposedly, he saw his family's land inundated by the sea and became a religious.
[ Bodfan then became a monk on Bardsey Island and later established the first church at ]Llanaber
Llanaber is a linear coastal village in north west Wales, about north of Barmouth on the A496 road. The Irish Sea lies directly to the west and the Rhiniog mountains directly to the east.
Facilities
Its main attraction is the large beach whic ...
. His brothers Brothen, Celynin and Rhichwyn are also regarded as saints and also have churches dedicated to them around Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
and Conwy.[Megalithic.co.uk]
retrieved 8 June 2013
Legacy
He is the patron saint of many churches in Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
in north-west Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, such as St Mary and St Bodfan Church in Llanaber and St Bodfan church in Abergwyngregyn. Also, in Llanaber are the ''Llanaber Stones'', they are two very large rocks with 5th- and 6th-century Latin carvings, 1 km from the local church, they are known in the area as ''St Bodfan's Stones''.[
His feast day is on 2 June.Benefice of Llanaber with Barmouth and Caerdeon with Bontddu]
retrieved 8 June 2013
See also
* Helig ap Glanawg
Helig ap Glanawg (standard modern Welsh orthography: Helig ap Glannog) is a legendary figure described in various accounts dating to at least as early as the 13th century as a 6th-century prince who lived in North Wales.
Post-medieval tradition ...
* Llanaber
Llanaber is a linear coastal village in north west Wales, about north of Barmouth on the A496 road. The Irish Sea lies directly to the west and the Rhiniog mountains directly to the east.
Facilities
Its main attraction is the large beach whic ...
References
{{authority control
Welsh Roman Catholic saints
7th-century Christian saints