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Saint Elli was a 6th-century Welsh
Saint Elli was a 6th-century Welsh 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 ...
, or possibly two saints. Llanelli
Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...
in Carmarthenshire and Llanelly
Llanelly ( cy, Llanelli) is the name of a parish and coterminous community in the principal area of Monmouthshire, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, south-east Wales. It roughly covers the area of the Clydach Gorge. The popula ...
in Monmouthshire (formerly in Breconshire) are both named after Elli.
There are traditions about a male saint Elli and a female saint Elli, and there are depictions of a male and of a female saint.
According to one legend, Elli or Ellyw was a daughter or granddaughter of King Brychan. Elli founded a church on the banks of the River Lliedi
The River Lliedi ( cy, Afon Lliedi) has its source near Mynydd Sylen Llanelli and Llannon in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The river fills the Cwm-Lliedi Reservoirs and meets the sea at the Loughor Estuary (Welsh-Moryd Llwchwr) at the former Carmarthe ...
, which attracted peasants who settled nearby. This community became the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire.
A different account is given in the 11th century ''Vita Cadoci'' (life of Cadoc
Saint Cadoc or Cadog ( lat-med, Cadocus; also Modern Welsh: Cattwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the British church as a centre of learnin ...
), which says that Elli was the son of the Queen of the Islands of Grimbul, and the foster son of Saint Cadoc. When travelling in foreign lands, Cadoc landed on the islands of Grimbul. Grimbul's queen was barren, but after Cadoc interceded for her she bore a son, Elli, who she entrusted to the care of Cadoc. Cadoc took Elli to the '' clas'' (ecclesiastical settlement) at Llancarfan
Llancarfan is a rural village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village, located west of Barry and near Cowbridge, has a well-known parish church, the site of Saint Cadoc's 6th-century clas, famed for its learning. Cainnech of A ...
, where he was educated. The ''Vita Cadoci'' says that Elli succeeded Cadoc as Abbot of Llancarfan when Cadoc was preparing to leave for Benevento
Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...
.
The hagiographer Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 ...
(1834–1924) argued that Llanelieu Church in Powys was dedicated to the female St Ellyw or Elyw, but doubts that she was related to Brychan. He connects Llanelli and Llanelly with the male disciple of Cadoc.
Two Church in Wales
The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...
churches are dedicated to St Elli, St Elli Church in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and St Elli's Church in Llanelly, Monmouthshire. Saint Elli is also venerated in both the Roman Catholic Church
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 the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
.
References
6th-century Christian saints 6th-century births Welsh hermits Roman Catholic monks Medieval Welsh saints Female saints of medieval Wales Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 6th-century Christian monks 6th-century Welsh people {{Saint-stub