Iestyn (saint)
Encyclopedia
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.
(a Celtic kingdom in what is now southwest England). His brothers were recorded as including Cador
, Duke of Cornwall, and Cyngar (another saint who is commemorated in the name of the church at Llangefni
, Anglesey). Iestyn, a hermit and confessor who was probably a follower of the Anglesey saint Cybi, founded two churches in north Wales: one at Llaniestyn, Gwynedd, and another (St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn
) in Anglesey
. The Anglesey church contains a late 14th-century carved effigy stone of him wearing a hooded cloak with a broach, holding a staff in his right hand and an inscribed scroll in his left. The inscription, in Latin, says that Iestyn lies here and notes also the names of the donors of the effigy. It may originally have been used as a shrine for the saint. He may also have founded the church at St Just in Roseland
, in a part of modern-day Cornwall
within his father's influence, and has also been linked with a church in Brittany
, in northern France.
His feast day is not included in the Welsh calendars of saints, but was marked at his church on Anglesey on 12 April and 10 October, and at his church in Caernarfonshire on 10 October.
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
and another 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...
, both in north Wales.
Life and commemoration
Iestyn's dates of birth and death are not recorded. According to some sources, he flourished in the early 6th century; according to others, he was active in the 7th century. He is said to have been the son of Geraint ab Erbin, a ruler of DumnoniaDumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
(a Celtic kingdom in what is now southwest England). His brothers were recorded as including Cador
Cador
Cador was a legendary Duke of Cornwall, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudo-historical History of the Kings of Britain and previous manuscript sources such as Vita Sanctus Carantoci circa 1100 from Cotton Vespasian xiv...
, Duke of Cornwall, and Cyngar (another saint who is commemorated in the name of the church at Llangefni
Llangefni
Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangefni was 4,662 people and it is the second largest settlement on the island...
, Anglesey). Iestyn, a hermit and confessor who was probably a follower of the Anglesey saint Cybi, founded two churches in north Wales: one at Llaniestyn, Gwynedd, and another (St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn
St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn
St 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...
) 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...
. The Anglesey church contains a late 14th-century carved effigy stone of him wearing a hooded cloak with a broach, holding a staff in his right hand and an inscribed scroll in his left. The inscription, in Latin, says that Iestyn lies here and notes also the names of the donors of the effigy. It may originally have been used as a shrine for the saint. He may also have founded the church at St Just in Roseland
St Just in Roseland
St Just in Roseland is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated six miles south of Truro and two miles north of St Mawes....
, in a part of modern-day Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
within his father's influence, and has also been linked with a church in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, in northern France.
His feast day is not included in the Welsh calendars of saints, but was marked at his church on Anglesey on 12 April and 10 October, and at his church in Caernarfonshire on 10 October.
See also
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:- 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 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... - St TyfrydogTyfrydogTyfrydog 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...
at St Tyfrydog's Church, LlandyfrydogSt Tyfrydog's Church, LlandyfrydogSt 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...