WELSH
585
WELSH
denee; on tho other hand thr laws of Howel clearly
assume that a married priest wan subject to penalty;
his oath was invalidated (Laws and Institutes of
Wales, 505) and his children horn suhseqiient to his
priest hooil were held illcKitiinate. "When a clerk
takes a wife by gift of kindred, and has a son by her,
and afterwards the clerk takes priest's orders, and
subsequently, when a priest, has a son by the same
woman, the son previously begotten is not to share
land with such a son, as he was begotten contrary to
the decree" (ib., 217 and 371).
GouGAUD, Les ckr^ienUs ceUupies (Paris, 1911): J. E. Lloyd, History of Wales (2 vols., London, 1911); Sir John Rhys. Celtic Britain (London, 1884); Newell, History of the Welsh Church (London, 1895); Walter, Das alle Wales (Munich, 1856); ZlMMEB, The Celtic Church of Great Britain and Ireland. Eng. tr. (London, 1902); Idem, Pelagius in Ireland (Berlin, 1901); H. Wiluams in CeUische Zeitschrift, IV (1902). lengthy review of Zimmer; Idem, Some aspects of the Christian (Church in Wales in Transactions of the Society of Cymrodorion (1893-94); Wade Evans. Welsh Medin-ml Law (Oxford, 1909): J. Romilly Allen, Monnwr-'.^l H-->,^r; nfihe British Church (London, 1889); Bund, The C(l> ' ' ■"■ '■ <•' II .j/cs (London, 1907), a work written with a strong i' K ■ :. I . i^; FoN8.SAGRrvE8, S. Gildas de Ruis
et la Soci&i- !,!■ . i -,;,■ (Paris, 1908). Though mainly
concerned with a (lilitniiL branch of Celtic Christianity, the Catholic reader may albo be urged to make acquaintance with the small but valuable work of J. Salmon. The ancient Irish Church <i.s a witness to Catholic Doctrine (Dublin, 1898). Nearly all the most important texts bearing on the matter discussed in this article will be found collected in Haddan and Stubbs, Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents, I (Oxford, 1869). See also the publication of the British Government, Owen, The ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales (London, 1841).
Herbert Thurston.
Welsh Monastic Foundations. — Few saints of the early British Church, ;i,s it existed before the Saxon invasion, are known to history; the names of St. Alban, SS. Jfulius and Aaron seem to be the only ones that have come tlown to us of the coimtless martjTS slain in Britain in the time of Diocletian. But if we follow the British Church when driven into Wales in the fifth century, we meet at once with s:unts and scholars, whose names are little known to Ent;Iish- epcaking Catholics. Wales became a home for the saints. Within its borders there are no less than four hundred and seventy-nine villages and towns that derive their names from local Saints. Thus Llandewi marks the spot where St. David, Bishop of Caerleon and then of Menevia (fifth century), is said to have finally refuted Pelagius; Llangybi near Caerleon recalls the name of St . Cybi ; Llanbadern near Aberyst- with that of St. Padern: Heddgelert is associated with St. Celert; Llangattock with St. Cadoc; Llandudno with St. Tudno, etc. The old Celtic idea of sanctity inclined for the most part to a great love for the ere- mitical life. Each locality seems to have its hermit who in his lonely chapel celebrated the Divine Mys- teries (if a priest), recited the Psalter every day, and practised austerities.
The arrival of St. Gcrmanus of Auxerre in Britain (fifth century), to oppose the heresy of Pelagius, seems to have given the first impetus to the formation of monastic schools. On his second visit, accompanied by St. Severus, Bishop of Trier, he established semi- naries throughout the land. These schools soon became famous; those of Ross and Hentlanon the Wye in Herefordshire alone contained one thousand scholars. "By means of these schools", says Bede, "the Church continued ever afterwards pure in the faith and free from heresy". The saint ordained St. Dubricius Archbishop of Llandaff, and St. Iltutus (Iltyd) priest, recommending to them and others the multiplication and assiduous care of these monastic schools where sacred learning was to be cultivated. Almost immediately a great development of monastic life took place and all over Wales monasteries and monastic colleges arose which became renowned sanctuaries of holiness and homes of sacred learning.
Llancarvan monastery in Glamorganshire, three miles from Cowbridge, and not far from the British Channel, was founded in the latter part of the fifth
century by St. Cadoc (Drane, "Christian Schools
and Scholars", I, 56). He was the son of Gundleus
(Ciwynlliw), a prince of South Wales, who some years
before his death renounced the world to lead an ere-
mitical life near a country church which he had built.
Cadoc, who was his oldest son, succeeded him in the
government, but not long after followed his father's
example and received the religious habit from St.
Tathai, an Irish monk, superior of a small community
at Gwent near Chepstow, in Monmouthshire. Re-
turning to his native coimty, Cadoc built a church and
monastery, which was called Llancarvan, or the
"Church of the Stags". Here he established a
monastery and college, which became the seminary
of many great and holy men. The spot at first seemed
an impossible one, an almost inaccessible marsh, but
he and his monks drained and cultivated it, trans-
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Valle Crucis Abbey, Wales
forming it into one of the most famous and attractive rehgious homes in South Wales. The plan of the building included a monastery, a college, and a hospi- tal. The ancient lolo MS. (Welsh) gives an account of the numerical strength of this monastery: "The College of Cattwg [Cadoc] in Llancarvan with three cells [halls or subject houses] and a thousand saints [monks], together with two cells in the Vale of Neath" (Cambria Sacra, 3S8 sq.).
St. Iltut (Illtyd) spent the first period of his relig- ious life as a disciple of St. Cadoc at Llancarvan. St. Gildas the Wise was invited by St. Cadoc to deliver lectures in the monastery and spent a year there, during which he made a copy of a book of the Gospels, long treasured in the church of St. Cadoc. The Welsh felt such reverence for this book that they used it in their most solemn oaths and covenants. Seeing his moniistery thoroughly estabhshed, St. Cadoc visited several of the famous religious houses and colleges in Ireland, and then undertook a pilgrim- age to Rome and Jerusalem (a. d. 462). From the latter city he brought home with him three altar- stones which had touched the Holy Sepulchre. He died at Benevenna (Weedon) in Northamptonshire in the beginning of the sixth century, leaving Kllenius his successor as abbot, "an excellent disciple", says Leland, "of an excellent master".
Llaniltyd Vawr Monastery, also known as Llan- Iltut and Llan-twit, situated on the sea-coast in Gla- morganshire, not far from Llancarvan, was founded and governed for many years by St. Iltut (Iltyd), a noble Briton, who was a native of Glamorgan.shire, and a kinsman of King Arthur. It was St . Cadoc who inspired him with a contempt of the world and a thirst for true wisdom. Iltut renounced his large possessions, received the tonsure at the hands of St.
