Happy St David's Day!

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The earliest biography that we have about St David was written about 500 years after his death, so it is difficult to know for certain which of the legends and traditions about him are true. He was ordained as a priest, lived as a monk and later became the Bishop of Menevia and Archbishop of Wales. Tradition teaches that while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land he was consecrated as an archbishop by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. This is also an example of one of St David’s missionary journeys. During his life, St David founded a number of monasteries. The monks were known for eating and drinking very little – water and bread with salt and herbs, perhaps watercress – while ploughing the fields without oxen and looking after the beehives during the day, and praying and studying in the evenings. The monks were not allowed any
personal possessions – it was an offence to say “my book”. The monks also provided hospitality, food and clothes to pilgrims, other travellers and people living in poverty in the local community. Despite his frugal vegetarian diet, which no doubt included leeks, one of the symbols of Wales, he is reported as being tall and strong. There are many legends about St David. One of the best known is that as he was preaching to a crowd of people, a hill rose up where he was standing so all the people could see him, and a dove landed on his shoulder. This is where the village of Llanddewi Brefi is today. It is also said that he cured his elderly teacher, the monk St Paulinus, of blindness. In his sermon the Sunday before he died, St David said:

“Be joyful and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have heard about and seen me do. I will walk the path that our fathers trod before us.”

St David’s body was buried in the grounds of his monastery, where the Cathedral of St David now stands.