Saint Govan ( cy, Gofan) (died 586) was a hermit who lived in a fissure on the side of coastal cliff near

Bosherston Bosherston (Welsh: ''Llanfihangel-clogwyn-gofan'', translates to "St Michaels above the cliffs of St Gofan") is a village and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Bosherston has a population of approxi ...

, in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales.

St. Govan's Chapel St Govan's Chapel is a chapel located at St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthensh ...

was built in the fissure in the 13th century on what is now known as St. Govan's Head.

Legends

One story says Govan was an

Irish monk The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a series of expeditions in the 6th and 7th centuries by Gaelic missionaries originating from Ireland that spread Celtic Christianity in Scotland, Wales, England and Merovingian France. Celtic Christianity sprea ...

who travelled to Wales late in life to seek the friends and family of the abbot who had trained him, variously identified as

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 ...

or Saint Ailbe of Emly. Another story identifies Govan with Gawain, one of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

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; another that he was originally a thief. Govan was set upon by pirates, from Ireland or the nearby

Lundy Island Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...

. The cliff opened up and left a fissure just big enough for him to hide in until the pirates left. In gratitude, he decided to stay on along the cliff, probably to help warn the locals of the impending pirate attack if they were to return. Govan lived within a small cave in the fissure of the cliff. This is now reached by a long flight of stone steps, the number of which is said to vary depending on whether one is ascending or descending. The present small vaulted chapel of local limestone was built over the cave and dates from the 13th century although the site may have been of monastic importance since the 5th century. St Govan may be identified with Sir Gawain, one of

's knights, who entered into a state of retreat in his later years.Richard Keen and Ian Burgum, pg. 111, ''Wales''. Orion Publishing Group (1997). Originally, Govan caught fish and took water from two nearby springs. Both are now dry; one was where the medieval chapel now stands, the other, which was lower down the cliff, later became a holy well. A legend says St Govan's hand prints are imprinted on the floor of his cave and his body is buried under the chapel's altar. The cave was once a popular place for making wishes.

The Bell Rock

Another legend regarding St Govan concerns his silver bell. He is supposed to have kept the bell in the tower of the chapel. When the bell pealed, its sound was of perfect tone and clarity. But pirates who heard the sound left St Govan desolate when they stole the bell. Angels flew in and took it from the pirates and returned it to the hermit. To stop the pirates returning and taking it again, the angels encased the bell in a huge stone, that is, the Bell Rock which is found at the water's edge. The legend said that when St Govan "rang" the stone, its vigour had become a thousand times stronger.

References

External links

A history of St Govan.

St Govan's
pictures of the head and chapel, from photolibrarywales.com
Historic image of the chapel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Govan People from Pembrokeshire Medieval Welsh saints Welsh hermits 6th-century Irish people 586 deaths Irish expatriates in Wales Year of birth unknown Angelic visionaries 6th-century Welsh people 6th-century Christian saints Irish hermits