Llangeler () is a hamlet and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

located in north

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, Wales. The name is believed to refer to St. Gelert. Llangeler parish covers a wide area including to the west, the textile village of

Drefach Felindre Dre-fach Felindre is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It is located four miles south-east of Newcastle Emlyn. It lies at the confluence of three fast-flowing streams, the Nant Bargod, Nant Esgair and Nant Brân, where their steep-sided ...

, Waungilwen,

Cwmpengraig Cwmpengraig is a rural hamlet in Wales, located in the Teifi Valley approximately from the village of Dre-fach Felindre Dre-fach Felindre is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It is located four miles south-east of Newcastle Emlyn. It ...

and to the east,

Pont Tyweli Llandysul is a small town and community in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. As a community it consists of the townships of Capel Dewi, Horeb, Pontsian, Pren-gwyn, Tregroes, Rhydowen and the village of Llandysul itself. Llandysul lies in sout ...

which adjoins

Llandysul Llandysul is a small town and community in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. As a community it consists of the townships of Capel Dewi, Horeb, Pontsian, Pren-gwyn, Tregroes, Rhydowen and the village of Llandysul itself. Llandysul lies in sout ...

on the Carmarthenshire side of the

River Teifi , name_etymology = , image = File:Llyn Teifi - geograph.org.uk - 41773.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Llyn Teifi, the source of the Teifi , map = , map_size = , map_caption ...

. The population of the parish was 3,222 at the Census of 2001, increasing to 3,427 at the 2011 census. The

is bordered by the communities of:

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth Llanfihangel-ar-Arth is a village and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The area includes six villages: Alltwalis, Dolgran, Gwyddgrug, Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, New Inn, Carmarthenshire, New Inn and Pencader, Carm ...

;

Cynwyl Elfed Cynwyl Elfed (; sometimes Conwyl and formerly anglicised as Conwil Elvet or Conwil in Elvet) is a village and community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community includes the villages of Cynwyl Elfed, Blaenycoed and Cwmduad. It is s ...

;

Cenarth Cenarth () is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, on the border between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and close to the border with Pembrokeshire, Wales. It stands on the banks of the River Teifi, east of Cardigan and west o ...

; and

Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle Emlyn ( cy, Castellnewydd Emlyn) is a town on the River Teifi, straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in West Wales. It is also a community entirely within Carmarthenshire, bordered by those of Llangeler and Cenarth ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire; and by

Llandyfriog Llandyfriog is a Community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It includes the Adpar part of Newcastle Emlyn and the villages, Bangor Teifi, Trebedw, Bryndioddef-isaf, Glyncaled, Berthyfedwen, Pont Ceri and Llanfair Orllwyn. In 2011, the popul ...

and

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

History

The church is dedicated to St Celer, a hermit and martyr who lived in the nearby woods in the 7th century. It has a circular churchyard which suggests that the settlement is very old. There was a holy well near the churchyard and Sir John Lloyd's ''History of Carmarthenshire'' refers to an ancient stone, ''Yr hen lech'', to which was attributed healing powers. Sick persons were required to bathe in ''Ffynnon Celer'', the holy well, before sleeping on the stone. There were nine holy wells in the parish of Llangeler. Their existence was recorded by Francis Jones in his book ''Holy Wells of Wales''. Such wells were often roofed and had small chapels with niches for statues of saints, and pilgrims came in large numbers to visit them. The exact whereabouts of many of the wells in the parish have now been lost.Nine Wells of Llangeler

References

Communities in Carmarthenshire Villages in Carmarthenshire {{Carmarthenshire-geo-stub