Tyfrydog
Encyclopedia
Tyfrydog was a Christian from north-west Wales
in the fifth or sixth century, who was later venerated as a saint. He is said to have established a church in Anglesey
, and although no part of the original structure remains, the current church is still dedicated to him. A nearby standing stone is said to be the remains of a man that he punished for stealing the bible from the church.
, at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula
in north-west Wales
. Some of his siblings are also venerated as saints. Twrnog is commemorated at the church in Llandyrnog
, Denbighshire
, in north-east Wales, while his brother Tudur (or Tudyr) was recorded as a saint from Darowen, Powys
, in west Wales. His sister, Marchell, is reported to have established Ystrad Marchell, near Welshpool
in mid-Wales, where an abbey (Strata Marcella
) was later built.
, a small village in Anglesey
, north Wales. The tradition is that he established the church in about 450. No part of a building from that period survives; the earliest parts of the present structure date from about 1400. Llandyfrydog takes its name from the church and the saint: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "-dyfrydog" is a modified form of his name.
He is venerated as a saint, although he was never canonized by a pope: as the historian Jane Cartwright notes, "In Wales sanctity was locally conferred and none of the medieval Welsh saints appears to have been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church". The feast day of St Tyfrydog is 1 January.
About 1 miles (1.6 km) from the church, there is a field with an upright stone about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. The stone is known as "the thief of Dyfrydog". It is said to be a man turned into stone by St Tyfyrdog for stealing the church's bible; the lump near the top of the stone is said to be the sack on the man's shoulder. It is also said that the man's soul is periodically chased around the field during the night, chased by "demons with red-hot pitchforks."
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in the fifth or sixth century, who was later venerated as a saint. He is said to have established a church in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, and although no part of the original structure remains, the current church is still dedicated to him. A nearby standing stone is said to be the remains of a man that he punished for stealing the bible from the church.
Life and family
Little is known for certain about Tyfrydog's life, and his dates of birth and death are unknown. He is said to lived towards the end of the sixth century, although another account has him as active during the middle of the fifth century. His father is recorded as being Arwystli Glof ab Seithenyn, active in the middle of the sixth century. Both he and his father are said to have been part of the Christian community on Bardsey IslandBardsey Island
Bardsey Island , the legendary "Island of 20,000 saints", lies off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftan, "Barda". It is ...
, at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
in north-west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Some of his siblings are also venerated as saints. Twrnog is commemorated at the church in Llandyrnog
Llandyrnog
Llandyrnog is a large village in Denbighshire, Wales lying in the valley of the River Clwyd, about from Denbigh and from Ruthin.- Amenities :...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, in north-east Wales, while his brother Tudur (or Tudyr) was recorded as a saint from Darowen, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, in west Wales. His sister, Marchell, is reported to have established Ystrad Marchell, near Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
in mid-Wales, where an abbey (Strata Marcella
Strata Marcella
The Abbey of Strata Marcella , was a medieval Cistercian monastery situated at Ystrad Marchell on the west bank of the River Severn near Welshpool, Powys, Wales.- Founding :...
) was later built.
Commemoration
Tyfrydog is the patron saint and the reputed founder of St Tyfrydog's Church, LlandyfrydogSt Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog
St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog is a small medieval church, in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey, north Wales. The date of establishment of a church on this site is unknown, but one 19th-century Anglesey historian says that it was about 450...
, a small village in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales. The tradition is that he established the church in about 450. No part of a building from that period survives; the earliest parts of the present structure date from about 1400. Llandyfrydog takes its name from the church and the saint: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "-dyfrydog" is a modified form of his name.
He is venerated as a saint, although he was never canonized by a pope: as the historian Jane Cartwright notes, "In Wales sanctity was locally conferred and none of the medieval Welsh saints appears to have been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church". The feast day of St Tyfrydog is 1 January.
About 1 miles (1.6 km) from the church, there is a field with an upright stone about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. The stone is known as "the thief of Dyfrydog". It is said to be a man turned into stone by St Tyfyrdog for stealing the church's bible; the lump near the top of the stone is said to be the sack on the man's shoulder. It is also said that the man's soul is periodically chased around the field during the night, chased by "demons with red-hot pitchforks."
See also
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:- St CaffoCaffoCaffo was a sixth-century Christian in Anglesey, north Wales, who is venerated as a saint and martyr. The son of a king from northern Britain who took shelter in Anglesey, Caffo was a companion of St Cybi, and is mentioned as carrying a red-hot coal in his clothes to Cybi without his clothes...
at St Caffo's Church, LlangaffoSt Caffo's Church, LlangaffoSt Caffo's Church, Llangaffo is a 19th-century church, in the south of Anglesey, north Wales, about from the county town, Llangefni. It was constructed in 1846 to replace the previous medieval church in the village of Llangaffo. The new building includes a number of monuments from the old church,... - St CwyllogCwyllogSaint Cwyllog was a Christian holy woman who was active in Anglesey, Wales, in the early 6th century. The daughter, sister and niece of saints, she is said to have founded St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog, in the middle of Anglesey, where a church is still dedicated to her.-Life and...
at St Cwyllog's Church, LlangwyllogSt Cwyllog's Church, LlangwyllogSt Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog is a medieval church near Llangwyllog, in Anglesey, north Wales. St Cwyllog founded a church here in the 6th century, although the exact date is unknown. The existence of a church here was recorded in 1254 and parts of the present building may date from around 1200... - St ElethElaethElaeth was a Christian king and poet in Britain in the 6th century who is venerated as a saint. After losing his territory in the north of Britain, he retreated to Anglesey, north Wales, where he lived at a monastery run by St Seiriol at Penmon...
at St Eleth's Church, AmlwchSt Eleth's Church, AmlwchSt Eleth's Church, Amlwch is a parish church built in the Neo-classical style in 1800 in Amlwch, a town on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. It stands on the site of earlier buildings, with the first church here said to have been established by St Elaeth in the 6th century... - St IestynIestyn (saint)Iestyn was a Welsh hermit and confessor in the 6th or 7th century who is venerated as a saint. He was the founder of two churches, one in Gwynedd and another in Anglesey, both in north Wales.-Life and commemoration:Iestyn's dates of birth and death are not recorded...
at St Iestyn's Church, LlaniestynSt Iestyn's Church, LlaniestynSt Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn is a medieval church in Llaniestyn, Anglesey, in north Wales. A church is said to have been founded here by St Iestyn in the 7th century, with the earliest parts of the present building dating from the 12th century. The church was extended in the 14th century, with... - St PeulanPeulanSaint Peulan was a Welsh holy man in the early part of the 6th century, the son of Paulinus, a saint from south Wales who taught Saint David. A follower of Cybi, a saint associated with the island of Anglesey in north Wales, Peulan is commemorated in the dedication of the church he reportedly...
at St Peulan's Church, LlanbeulanSt Peulan's Church, LlanbeulanSt Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan is a disused medieval church in Llanbeulan, in Anglesey, north Wales. The nave, which is the oldest part of the building, dates from the 12th century, with a chancel and side chapel added in the 14th century...