Saint Baglan was a 6th-century

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

who lived at Baglan in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Life

Baglan is said, on doubtful evidence, to have been a Breton prince, the son of

Ithel Hael Ithel Hael or Ithel Hael o Lydaw was a prince of Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending i ...

. He studied at Saint

Illtud Saint Illtud (also spelled Illtyd, Eltut, and, in Latin, Hildutus), also known as Illtud Farchog or Illtud the Knight, is venerated as the abbot teacher of the divinity school, Bangor Illtyd, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in Gla ...

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

school at Llanilltud Fawr ( Llantwit Major) and later travelled to the

Vale of Neath The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 dual ...

as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. He founded the church at Baglan and lived in a cell adjoining it."Saint Baglan", Welsh Icons
Legend says that he was seen (either by

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 learni ...

) carrying fire in his

robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

without burning it so Illtud gave him a crozier and instructed him to build a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

where he found a tree that bore three fruit. He found a tree that had a litter of pigs, a beehive, and a crow's nest; however, he preferred a spot lower down on the flat (either where St Catharine's church now stands or further out towards the bay). What was built by day was washed away by night (or disappeared at night, or was moved to the site by the tree at night). Finally, he gave in and built the church by the tree "Baglan, Neath Port Talbot", Welsh Directory
/ref>(presumably this site was rebuilt in the medieval period as St Baglan's church which burned down in 1954 and is now a sad ruin). The crozier apparently survived until the 17th century.

Life

References

See also