ON SS. BROTHEN AND GWENDOLINE, VENERATED IN WALES,
IN THE 6TH CENTURY.
CommentaryBrothen, Confessor, in Wales. (S.)
Gwendoline, Abbess, in Wales. (S.)
A. T.
Of both Saints What has happened to many Saints in Wales, that almost their bare names have come to our knowledge, either from the sacred fasti in which they were inscribed, or from churches consecrated to God under their invocation, while scarcely, or not even scarcely, any distinct memory of the things illustriously done by them has remained among men; the same seems, so far as I have been able to attain by investigating, to have happened to St. Brothen and St. Gwendoline. Nor yet is there reason why we should on that account pass them over; since we profess to treat of all the Saints who are venerated in the whole world, and almost daily insert into our work several Martyrs for no other reason than that the Hieronymian Martyrologies indicate their names and arenas. Receive, therefore, in a few words what we have to say of each Saint.
[2] memory among writers A diligent searcher of hagiographical matters for his homeland, who at London in the year 1761 published in the English language the Memorial of ancient British Piety, or British Martyrology Memorial of ancient British piety, or a British Martyrology., writes thus in the Supplement of this work at the 18th day of October Supplement to the British Martyrology, p. 27.: In Wales, the festival of St. Gwendoline, abbess, in whose honour various churches were dedicated. Likewise the memory of St. Brothen, venerated in the parish of Llanfrothen in the county of Merioneth. And these things he professes to have received from Willis, namely from the surveys of the dioceses of St. Asaph and Bangor which he published at London in the years 1720 and 1721 Survey of the cathedral church of St. Asaph, … of Bangor., but which we lack. The names of SS. Brothen and Gwendoline also appear in the alphabetical Calendar of Saints which the distinguished Harris Nicolas inserted in his Chronology Chronology of History, pp. 139 and 152. London edition of 1838.; but here the 15th day of October is ascribed to each. Moreover, both those names, according to the Welsh orthography Brothen and Gwyddelan, are to be found in the Glossary prefixed to the topographical Lexicon of Wales composed by Nicholas Carlisle Topographical Dictionary of the dominion of Wales, pp. XXX and XXXV.; where Brothen is said to have lived about the end of the sixth century, while of Gwendoline it is asserted that only a few things are known.
[3] and churches in Wales. And from the said Lexicon is confirmed what we have already seen above, that St. Brothen is the patron of the parish of Llanfrothen in Merioneth, or the county of Merioneth; and this is sufficiently indicated even by the very name of the parish: for the word llan designates a church, and Frothen is for Brothen by an inflexion or interchange of letters proper to the Welsh idiom, so that Llanfrothen sounds the same as Church of Brothen. As regards St. Gwendoline, although I would readily believe the said Martyrologist asserting from Willis that various churches were erected under the patronage of this holy abbess, I have met with none in Carlisle's Lexicon except the church of the parish of Llanwyddelan in the county of Montgomery. The name of this parish is composed of the word llan and the native appellation of the Saint herself, Gwyddelan, the letter g vanishing by the laws of Welsh grammar; and accordingly it signifies Church of Gwendoline.