Rhygyfarch or Rhigyfarch (in contemporary late

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

orthography Ricemarch, 1057–1099), eldest son of

Sulien Sulien was an 11th-century Bishop of St David's, for two periods (1073-1078 and 1079/80-1085/6). He died about 1090/1. Sulien is closely associated with the '' clas'' church at Llanbadarn Fawr near Aberystwyth where it appears that he took ref ...

, whom he may have succeeded in 1091 as

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in ...

, was the author of the earliest surviving and standard ''Life of

Saint David David (; ; ) was a Welsh Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Mynyw 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 about his life. ...

''. The original text was written in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

but was translated into Welsh later in the Middle Ages as ''Buchedd Dewi''. The translation did much to enhance the cult status of Saint David in Wales and was in itself an important landmark in

Medieval Welsh literature Medieval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. This includes material starting from the 5th century AD, when Welsh was in the process of becoming distinct from Common Brittonic, and continuing t ...

. He also wrote Latin poems, including one dealing with the different versions of the

Psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters were ...

, and another called "Planctus Ricemarch" (Rhygyfarch's Lament), bemoaning the state of those parts of south Wales under Norman occupation.

References

Bishops of St Davids 11th-century Welsh poets Medieval Latin-language poets 11th-century writers in Latin People from Ceredigion Welsh biographers 11th-century Welsh bishops 1057 births 1099 deaths 11th-century Welsh writers {{UK-RC-bishop-stub