Rhygyfarch or Rhigyfarch (in contemporary late

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...

orthography Ricemarch, 1057–1099), eldest son of Sulien, whom he may have succeeded in 1091 as

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the St Davids, city of ...

, was the author of the standard ''Life of

Saint David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail ab ...

''. The original text was written in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

but was translated into

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 ...

later in the Middle Ages as ''Buchedd Dewi'' and did much to enhance the cult status of Saint David in Wales. He also wrote Latin poems, including one dealing with the different versions of the

Psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...

, and another called "Planctus Ricemarch" (Rhygyfarch's Lament), bemoaning the state of those parts of south Wales under Norman occupation.

References

Bishops of St Davids 11th-century Welsh poets Medieval Latin poets 11th-century Latin writers People from Ceredigion Welsh biographers 11th-century Welsh bishops 1057 births 1099 deaths 11th-century Welsh writers {{Bishop-stub