Deiniol
Saint Deiniol | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Deiniol atBangor Cathedral | |
| Abbot,Bishop | |
| Died | 572[1] Bardsey Island |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion |
| Majorshrine | Bangor Cathedral,Bardsey Island |
| Feast | 11 September |
| Controversy | early life |
SaintDeiniol(died 572) was traditionally the firstBishop of Bangorin theKingdom of Gwynedd,Wales.The presentBangor Cathedral,dedicated to Deiniol, is said to be on the site where hismonasterystood. He isveneratedinBrittanyasSaint Denoual.InEnglishand Latin his name is sometimes rendered asDaniel.
Life
[edit]According to a LatinLife of Deiniol,preserved in Peniarth MS226 and transcribed in 1602 by Sir Thomas Williams of Trefriw, he was the son of AbbotDunod Fawr,son ofPabo Post Prydain.The family, having lost their land in theNorth of England,were given land by the king ofPowys,Cyngen Glodrydd.
Deiniol embraced the religious life and is said to have studied underCadocofLlancarfan.Sir David Trevor describes Deiniol as one of the seven blessed cousins who had spent part of his early life as a hermit "on the arm of Pembrokeshire" but was called to be a bishop despite deficiencies in his formal education. Deiniol soon left Powys for Gwynedd where he founded the monastery ofBangor, Gwyneddunder the patronage ofMaelgwn Gwyneddwho endowed it with lands and privileges, later raising it to the rank of the official seat of a bishop, sharing a common boundary with the principality of Gwynedd. Deiniol is said to have been consecrated to that See by St.Dubriciusin the year 516.[2]Deiniol spent the remainder of his days there as Abbot and Bishop.
He attended theSynod of Llanddewi Brefiin c. 545 withSaint Davidwhen the subject of rules for penance was being discussed. According to theAnnales CambriaeDeiniol died in 584 and was buried onBardsey Island.[3]It is possible that this date, like the dates given for the deaths of David and Kentigern, is twelve years later than it should be, in which case the correct date is 572.[1]The Cathedral Church of Saint Deiniolin Bangor is dedicated in his name.[4]
Legacy
[edit]His cult in North Wales was quite extensive and several churches are dedicated to him, including Worthenbury near Wrexham andHawarden,Flintshire in the north of Wales (as well as other churches in Flintshire). There are also dedicated churches at Llangarron, Llanfor, Llanuwchllyn, Eyton, and Itton; near Cardigan Bay there is a village of Llanddeiniol - "parish of St Deiniol" - which was once the name of Itton.[5]
The church ofMarchwielis dedicated to Deiniol and there are also dedications atIttoninMonmouthshireandLlangarroninHerefordshire.
William Ewart GladstonededicatedSt Deiniol's Library,a residential library inHawarden,Flintshire, for arts students, in 1896.
In the currentRoman Catholicliturgical calendar for Wales[6]and that of the AnglicanChurch in Wales,he is commemorated on the traditional date of 11 September.
His name has been given to the Deiniol Centre, a shopping centre in Bangor.
He may be referenced in the name of the hymn tune, St. Denio ( "Immortal, invisible" ).[7]
References
[edit]- ^abJames, John William (1959)."Deiniol".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.
- ^Stanton, Richard.A Menology of England and Wales, or, Brief Memorials of the Ancient British and English Saints Arranged According to the Calendar, Together with the Martyrs of the 16th and 17th Centuries.London: Burns & Oates, 1892. pp. 445–446
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Martyrologium Romanum,2004, Vatican Press (Typis Vaticanis), page 509.
- ^Monks of Ramsgate. "Daniel".Book of Saints,1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 23 October 2012This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^"Dmitry Lapa. Holy Hierarch Deiniol, Bishop of Bangor in Wales".OrthoChristian.Com.Retrieved30 December2018.
- ^National Calendar for Wales,accessed 6 February 2012
- ^Daw, Carl P. Jr (25 May 2016).Glory to God: A Companion.Westminster John Knox Press.ISBN9781611646528.
Sources
[edit]- S. Baring-Gould and John Fisher. (1908).The Lives of British Saints
- C.J. Clark.The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and such Irish Saints as have dedications in Britain
Further reading
[edit]- Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2004)."Deiniol (d.584) ".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7110.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
External links
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