Saint Cynllo () is a
British 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 ...
, who lived in the late 5th and early 6th centuries, generally described as a brother of Saint Teilo. Cynllo was known for "...the sanctity of his life and the austerity of his manners."
Life
Cynllo is variously described in the genealogical ''
Bonedd y Saint'' as the son of
Usyllt and brother of
Teilo. Later genealogies have him a grandson of
Coel Hen.
[Baring-Gould, Sabine. ''The Lives of the British Saints: The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain'', Vol. 2, C. J. Clark, 1908, p. 263]
/ref> Wade-Evans thought he should be identified with ''Kentinlau'' who accompanied Saint Cadfan from Brittany to Ceredigion. References to him as ''Cynllo Vrenin'' (Cynllo the King) suggest that he was in possession of his ancestral dominions before devoting himself to religious life.[Williams, Robert. ''A biographical dictionary of eminent Welshmen'', W. Rees, 1852, p. 93]
/ref>
Cynllo's knee imprints, made as he said his devotions, are said to exist in a rock, near the farm Felin Gynllo, which lies just outside Llangoedmor
Llangoedmor is a village 2 miles east of Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales.
It is also the name of a community Council which encompasses Llechryd, Pant-gwyn, Ceredigion, and Neuadd Wilym. Llangoedmor ( cy, the church the great wood), is derived fro ...
in Ceredigion. A Middle Welsh poem, ''The Consolations of Elffin'', attributed to the infant Taliesin includes the line, ''Ni bydd coeg gweddi Cynllo'', "The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain."
Several churches are dedicated in his honour, but there is no reliable account of him. Churches and chapels were dedicated to him over almost the whole of Gwerthrynion
Gwrtheyrnion or Gwerthrynion was a commote in medieval Wales, located in Mid Wales on the north side of the River Wye; its historical centre was Rhayader. It is said to have taken its name from the legendary king Vortigern ( cy, Gwrtheyrn). For mo ...
and Maelienydd.
There is a church in Ceredigion commemorating Saint Cynllo at Llangynllo (said to stand on the site of his monastic cell) and Nantcwnlle
Nantcwnlle is a community in Ceredigion, Wales, including the villages of Talsarn, Ceredigion
Talsarn is a hamlet in the community of Nantcwnlle, Ceredigion, Wales. It lies some 16 miles (26 km) south of Aberystwyth, 64 miles (103 ...
, and also the church of St Cynllo in the community of Nantmel in the historic county of Radnorshire
, HQ = Presteigne
, Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996)
, Origin =
, Status = historic county, administrative county
, Start ...
, now part of Powys, and at Llangynllo
Llangunllo (sometimes Llangynllo) is a village and community in central Powys (formerly in Radnorshire), Wales, located about 5 miles west of Knighton. It is named after St Cynllo. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 369.
It ...
west of Knighton. Llanbister
Llanbister is a small village and community with a 2011 population of 382 in Powys, mid Wales, in the historic county of Radnorshire.
Facilities
The village is not directly served by a railway station: the nearest is Llanbister Road railway s ...
was a spring called ''Pistyll Cynllo''.[
]
Feast day
By the fifteenth century St. Cynllo's feast day had been set as 17 July,[ although Baring-Gould, quoting the sixteenth century ''Haford'' MS, shows August 8.
Cynllo does not appear on the Roman Catholic National Calendar for Wales, although every parish is encouraged to celebrate its patronal feast. The calendar indicates that "Where no other indication is given the celebration is an optional memorial.""National Calendar for Wales", Liturgical Office England and Wales]
/ref>
A new calendar for the Church in Wales was produced in 2003; Cynllo does not appear in that either although both the Catholic and Anglican calendars have a general commemoration in November for Welsh saints. Those parishes which continue to commemorate Cynllo appear to conform to the 17 July.
References
Sources
*Haslam, Richard (1979). ''The Buildings of Wales: Powys''.
*Wade-Evans, A. W. (1944). ''Vitae Sanctorum Britanniae et Genealogiae''.
External links
Catholic on-line:
St Cynllo
{{authority control
Southwestern Brythonic saints
6th-century Christian saints
Companions of Cadfan