Llan (placename)

Llan () and its variants ( br, lan; kw, lann; xpi, lhan; Irish and gd, lann) are a common element of Celtic placenames in the British Isles and Brittany, especially of Welsh toponymy. In Welsh an (often mutated) name of a local saint or a geomorphological description follows the ''Llan'' morpheme to form a single word: for example Llanfair is the parish or settlement around the church of (Welsh for " Mary"). Goidelic toponyms end in ''-lann''.

The various forms of the word are distantly cognate with English ''land'' and ''lawn'' and presumably initially denoted a specially cleared and enclosed area of land. In late antiquity it came to be applied particularly to the sanctified land occupied by communities of Christian converts. It is part of the name of more than 630 locations in Wales and nearly all have some connection with a local patron saint. These were usually the founding saints of the parish,Baring-Gould, Sabine
''The Lives of the Saints'', Vol. 16, "The Celtic Church and its Saints", p. 67
Longmans, Green, & Co. (New York), 1898. relatives of the ruling families who invaded Wales during the early Middle Ages. The founder of a new ''llan'' was obliged to reside at the site and to eat only once a day, each time taking a bit of bread and an egg and drinking only water and milk. This lasted for forty days, Sundays excepted, after which the land was considered sanctified for ever. The typical ''llan'' employed or erected a circular or oval embankment with a protective stockade, surrounded by wooden or stone huts. Unlike Saxon practice, these establishments were not chapels for the local lords but almost separate tribes, initially some distance away from the secular community. Over time, however, it became common for prosperous communities to become either monasteries forbidden to lay residents or fully secular communities controlled by the local lord.

In the later Middle Ages ''llan'' also came to denote entire parishes, both as an ecclesiastical region and as a subdivision of a commote or hundred.

Place names in Wales

Places named after saints

(')
* Llanaelhaearn, Saint Aelhaiarn
* Llanafan Fawr 'Great Llanafan', Saint Afan
*Llanafan Fechan 'Little Llanafan' (now often 'Llanfechan'), Saint Afan
*Llanafan y Trawsgoed (alternatively, Llanafan, Ceredigion), Saint Afan
* Llanallgo, Saint Gallgo see St Gallgo's Church
* Llanarmon, Gwynedd, Saint Garmon
*Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Saint Garmon
* Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr, Saint Garmon
* Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, Saint Garmon or St. Germanus of Auxerre
* Llanarthney, St Arthney
* Llanasa, Saint Asaph
* Llanbabo, Saint Pabo
* Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion, Saint Padarn
*Llanbadarn Fawr, Powys St Padarn
*Llanbadarn Fynydd, Saint Padarn
*Llanbadarn y Garreg, Saint Padarn
* Llanbadoc, Saint Madoc see St Madoc's Church, Llanbadoc
*Llanbadrig, Saint Patrick
*Llanbeder, Newport St Peter
* Llanbedr, Saint Peter
* Llanbedr, Crickhowell St Peter
*Llanbedr (Radnorshire), Saint Peter
*Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, Saint Peter
* Llanbedrgoch, Saint Peter
*Llanbedrog, Saint Petroc
* Llanbedr-y-cennin, Saint Peter
* Llanbedr Pont Steffan, St Peter
* Llanbeulan, Saint Peulan
* Llanberis, Saint Peris
* Llanblethian, Saint Bleiddian
* Llanbrynmair, Saint Mary
*Llandanwg, Saint Tanwg
* Llandecwyn, Saint Tecwyn
*Llandefaelog Fach, Powys, St Maelog
* Llandegveth, St Tegvedd
* Llanddeiniol, St Deiniol
* Llanddeiniolen, Saint Deiniol
* Llandderfel, Saint Derfel
*Llanddeusant, Anglesey, two saints: Saint Marcellus and Saint Marcellina
* Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire, two saints: Saint David and Saint Teilo
*Llanddew, St David
*Llanddewi Nant Honddu ( Llanthony), St David
*Llandegfan Saint Tegfan
* Llandegla, Saint Tegla
*Llandegley, Saint Tegla
* Llandeilo, Saint Teilo
*Llandeilo'r-Fan Saint Teilo
* Llanddaniel Fab Saint Deiniol Fab see St Deiniol's Church, Llanddaniel Fab
*Llanddewi, St David
* Llanddewi Brefi, Saint David
* Llanddewi'r Cwm, St David
* Llanddewi Rhydderch, St David
* Llanddewi Velfrey, St David
* Llanddewi Ystradenny, St David
*Llanddoged, Saint Doged
* Llanddona, Saint Dona see St Dona's Church, Llanddona
* Llanddwywe, Saint Dwywe
* Llanddyfnan, Saint Dyfnan
* Llandetty, Saint Detyw and Saint Tetta
* Llandissilio, Saint Tysilio
* Llandogo, in Welsh Llaneuddogwy, St Euddogwy ( Oudoceus)
* Llandough, Llanfair, Saint Dochau/Dochdwy
* Llandough, Penarth, Saint Dochau/Dochdwy
* Llandrillo, Denbighshire, Saint Trillo
*Llandrillo yn Rhos, Saint Trillo
*Llandrinio, Saint Trunio
* Llandudoch, Saint Dogmael
*Llandudno, Saint Tudno
* Llandwrog, Saint Twrog
* Llandybie, Saint Tybie
* Llandyfaelog, St Maelog
* Llandyfan, St Dyfan
* Llandyfriog, Saint Brioc
*Llandyfrydog, Saint Tyfrydog see St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog
* Llandygai, Saint Tegai
* Llandyrnog, Saint Tyrnog
*Llandysilio, Saint Tysilio
* Llandyssil, Saint Tysul
* Llandysul, Saint Tysul
*Llanelieu, St Ellyw see St Ellyw's Church, Llanelieu
* Llanelltyd, Saint Illtud
*Llanenddwyn, Saint Enddwyn
* Llanfachreth, Saint Machreth, (derived from the Welsh soft mutation of that saint's name, and not to be confused with Llanfachraeth which is from , 'small', and , 'beach'
*Llanfaelog, Saint Maelog
*Llanfaelrhys, Saint Maelrhys
* Llanfaethlu, Saint Maethlu see St Maethlu's Church, Llanfaethlu
* Llanfairfechan `Little Saint Marys Parish`
* Llanfaglan, Saint Baglan
* Llanfallteg, Llanfallteg West, St Mallteg
* Llanfechell, Saint Mechell
*Llanfflewyn Saint Fflewin See St Fflewin's Church, Llanfflewin
* Llanfigael, Saint Figael see St Figael's Church, Llanfigael
*Llanfoist, St Ffwyst
* Llanfwrog, Anglesey Saint Mwrog
*Llanfwrog, Denbighshire Saint Mwrog
* Llanedi, Saint Edith
* Llanedeyrn, Saint Edeyrn
*Llanedwen, St. Edwen see St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen
*Llanengan Einion Frenin, also known as Engan
*Llannefydd, Saint Nefydd
* Llanegryn, Saint Egryn
* Llanegwad, Saint Egwad
* Llaneilian, Saint Eilian
*Llanelian-yn-rhos, a former civil parish in Conwy County Borough, Saint Elian (Wales)
* Llanelidan, Saint Elidan see St Elidan's Church, Llanelidan

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