ON SS. CANNA AND COMPANIONS: CANNA, SADWREN OR SATURNINUS, CRALLO, AND ELIAN GEIMIAD OR HILARIUS, CONFESSORS, NOT BISHOPS, IN WALES,
IN THE 6TH CENTURY.
SYLLOGE.
Canna, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Sadwren or Saturninus, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Crallo, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
Elia Geimiad or Hilarius, confessor, not a bishop, in Wales. (S.)
BY V. D. B.
Sole §. The lineage and cult of the Saints in the principality of Wales, especially of St. Elian.
At earlier days I have more than once spoken of the saints of Wales, Among the saints of Wales three classes seem to be established; of whom no other memory survives except that churches are reported to have been religiously dedicated to God under their title; nor would I wish to depart from that common path, although I must confess that I seethe with almost the same doubt about them as was long ago cast into me concerning the men who were inscribed in the Irish martyrologies, of Tallaght, of Donegal, of Cashel, and of Marianus Gorman, but whose birthdays are not read in the Festilogium of St. Aengus, nor their names in the Genealogies of the saints of Ireland. Namely, as in those lists not saints only, but also the chief abbots of monasteries and founders of old churches, who were never honoured with ecclesiastical cult, seem to have been written down, so that these martyrologies must in part be considered obituaries; so the scruple comes to mind whether all those who are called saints in Wales, because churches are distinguished by their name, are truly to be called saints. For since these same men are recorded to have been founders of those buildings erected on their estates, could it not have happened that these churches, being in their ownership, were called by their name even while they were still alive, and that this appellation thereafter persisted, and even caused that, the true origin of the name gradually fading away, the churches should be said to have been dedicated under the title of those whose name they bore? Care must be taken, however, that these things not be taken in too ample a meaning: first of all, many patrons of the churches of Wales are well known; their life and deeds have been handed down in letters; and they are altogether equal to the tutelary saints of other nations: and of these there can be no doubt that a place should be given them in our work. Then others, of whom for the most part only the genealogy is known, have nevertheless certain feast days, which, although perhaps at the beginning they were celebrated for the refreshment of souls and for the anniversary memory of their death or deposition, were yet afterwards held in the same rank as the birthdays of the other heavenly ones: nor do they seem to me to be excluded, since they have been truly honoured with ecclesiastical cult, and this must be held legitimate, seeing that it is a hundred years older than the decrees of Urban. Finally there are others, who are indeed said to have been patrons or founders of churches and to have left their name to them, but to whom no festival is assigned and who have no place in the Genealogy of the saints of Britain or Wales: of these I should wish to speak only cautiously, before a new light shines. Nor does it seem that this will long have to be awaited, since now in England, in Wales, in Scotland and in Ireland very many, especially Protestants, are engaged in clearing away the rubbish from the monuments of sacred antiquity, and step by step the former religious affairs of those nations are being placed in as great a light as that poured upon Christian origins in Italy, Spain, Gaul, Belgium and Germany. And indeed what we have said so far holds also for Cornwall. *.
[2] [To the second of which St. Canna is to be referred, as having churches dedicated in her name and a feast day; whose pedigree is set forth.] Further, to the second class of the saints of Wales belongs St. Canna, wife of St. Sadwrn, who by Willis, if credit may be given to the author of the English Martyrology [A Memorial of ancient british piety or a British martyrology, supplement, page 27.], is called St. Gan, a confessor, whose birthday is kept on this day (the 25th of Oct.) at Llangan in the diocese of Llandaff and in whose name a church in the diocese of St. David's is also honoured. There is no reason why we should reckon that he erred on the feast day; the error he committed in the name and accordingly in the sex is easily explained, since it is plain that Willis did not notice that the letter c after Llan, that is church, is changed to g by the Welsh. Those who speak of St. Canna, however, I know to be only two writers, Carlisle and Rice Rees. The former, in the Glossary which he prefixed to the topographical Dictionary of Wales Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, page XXXI and XXXII., calls her a saint and the mother of St. Crallo, who lived in the 5th century; to whom he subjoined St. Cannen,
who flourished about the middle of the 7th century; but Rees, much more diligent, so that he has collected nearly five hundred saints of Wales, acknowledges one St. Canna only, who lived in the earlier part of the 6th century. Of her we shall say a few things at this place, and at the same time of her second husband and two sons, who are also reckoned among the saints of Wales.
The grandfather of St. Canna, then, was Emyr Llydaw, maternal cousin of St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, and prince of a petty region in Armorican Britain. From the Welsh genealogies, on whose authority we have said something in a previous volume Compare Acta SS., vol. X of October, p. 763., Rees has brought forth this pedigree [Essay on the Welsh saints, or the primitive christians, usually considered to have been the founders of churches, page 165.]; into which I have inserted the birthdays which I happened to find, and a few names at the beginning and at the end.
[3] It appears from that pedigree how holy that race was; [St. Canna, her husband St. Sadwrn or Saturninus, and St. Crallo their son, patrons of churches in Wales;] and indeed most of them, even those who had previously lived in matrimony and handled arms, were of such religion that, casting away the honours of the world, they embraced the monastic life, which was at that time very severe among the Britons. St. Canna, however, held quite another rank, being twice joined in matrimony. She was first given in marriage to St. Saturninus, in Welsh Sadwrn and Sadwrn Farchog, son of Bicanys the Armorican, and, as John of Tynemouth relates Ibid., p. 179., of Rieniguillida, daughter of Rhedyw, and accordingly brother of St. Illtud, the most celebrated abbot, and maternal cousin of Emyr Llydaw; so that St. Canna and St. Saturninus were kin. Both, born in Armorican Britain, came to Wales at the beginning of the 6th century with St. Cadfan and many others, conspicuous for sanctity, most of them of their own race. Rees designates by name [Ibid., p. 213. Compare Bonedd y saint, in the Myvyrian archaeology of Wales, vol. II, p. 31, note 1.] the saints Cynon, Padarn, Tydecho, Trinio, Gwyndaf, Dochdwy, Mael, Sulien, Tanwg, Eithras, Sadwrn, Lleuddad, Tecwyn and Maelrys. Since nearly all of these were of the noblest blood and next of kin to Cadfan, it has seemed not without merit to the Welsh hagiographer that there was one cause for them all to bid farewell to their homeland and to consecrate themselves to the monastic life or at any rate to a most pious one; and that this could be no other than that the Franks at that time invaded Armorican Britain and overturned the authority of the former princes. At that time St. Saturninus was already advanced in age, and not long after the beginning of the 6th century he met his day, leaving his name to the church of Llansadwrn in the county of Carmarthen, which was once a chapel of the parish of Cynwyl Gaio, and to another of the same name in the island of Mona, commonly Anglesey, of which he perhaps stood as founder. At the beginning of this century there still projected from the inner wall a man's head, rather unskilfully carved, which was held to be the image of St. Saturninus Carlisle, Topograph. Dictionary of Wales, under Llansadwrn.; it perhaps exists even at the present time. His wife St. Canna, moreover, is deemed to have founded, or at any rate to have communicated her name and protection to, Llanganna or Llangan in the county of Glamorgan and Llangan in the county of Carmarthen. Their son St. Crallo, who probably arrived from Armorica in Wales together with his parents, either founded or honoured with his name Llangrallo, in English Cogchurch, in the county of Glamorgan.
[4] [St. Elian, son of the same St. Canna and of Gallgu Rieddog, is still venerated by the Protestants of Wales, the ancient rites and honours being corrupted.] After the death of St. Saturninus, St. Canna admitted another marriage, namely with Gallgu Rieddog, son of Carcludwys, of the stock of Cadrod Calchfynydd Rice Rees, Essay on the Welsh saints, p. 267., by whom she conceived and brought to light St. Elian Geimiad; which name, since the Welsh are accustomed to call St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, Elian Esgob (esgob namely being bishop for them), they turn in Latin and English into Hilary [Ibid., in the place cited. Compare Bonedd y saint, in Myvyrian arch. of Wales, vol. II, p. 45.]. His surname is Ceimiad Ibid., p. 41., or pilgrim, visitor of holy places; which the author of the History of the island of Mona changed into Cannaid, splendid: and this error was also suggested to Carlisle Topog. Dict. of Wales, under Llan Elian. by the minister of the parish of Llanelian in the island of Mona, whose church he is said to have founded or at any rate left his name to. The cult of St. Elian still persists there; which you will wonder at less if you recall that a hundred years ago there were still many adherents of the Catholic religion in Wales; who indeed through the shortage of priests gradually fell away, while continuing to hold the ministers of the Anglican church in hatred, and, if they listen to any, rather lending an ear to the dissenters: by which word every kind of wanderer is comprehended. At the beginning of this century, then (Carlisle published his Dictionary of Wales in the year 1811), the minister of that place wrote to Carlisle Ibid., in the place cited.: "There is here a little spring, whose name is Ffynnon Elian, the spring of St. Elian, the fame of which was once very great, although the water is tasteless and lacks every power of healing. A few years ago a small building stood four rods * distant from the church, which was then joined to the chancel by a walkway. It seems to have been built to be a monastery for St. Elian. It doubtless had a small bell, since the place for it survives. Its name is Myfyr, that is, Seat of Meditation or Asceterion. Formerly the church was adorned with many painted images of St. Elian; and also of the apostles Compare Camden, Britannia, edition of Gough, vol. II, p. 572.: these last are nearly destroyed, not so those of St. Elian. In the Myfyr or monastery there survives an old monument of superstition (the words are those of a not sufficiently fair Protestant), namely a chest of oak, fixed to the wall, of semicircular form, six feet long, three wide and four high, with an opening a foot wide and about three high; which doubtless is the former tomb of St. Elian. At the solemnity of the dedication, which is celebrated in the month of August, all the people enter it and are persuaded (this persuasion is superstitious) that if they enter easily and, after having turned themselves three times in it, likewise go out easily, they will not die within the year; but if otherwise, they will not see the end of the year. In the church, moreover, there is a box, called Cuff Elian, having the form of a trunk, round in the upper part and fastened to the wall with iron nails, with an opening by which alms may be put in. These must necessarily be made by those who wash themselves in the spring of St. Elian, otherwise they will get no benefit from it. Formerly much money was collected from this, when pilgrims came from all the counties of North Wales; so that three estates are reported to have been bought from it Ibid., p. 570.. Now the little chest is opened once a year on the feast of St. Thomas the apostle. Caswallon Llaw Hir, surnamed Long-armed, endowed that church with many privileges and also with lands, which were occupied by free tenants in the name of St. Elian; but now the holy man (this is a new Protestant irony) has been despoiled of all those goods, except that he still receives twenty pounds a year from an estate." Rice Rees, another minister of the Anglican church, who published in the year 1836 his Essay on the saints of Wales, likewise is the authority that the cult of St. Elian still persists Essay on the Welsh saints, p. 268.; that his name is celebrated in the superstitions of the principality; that recently miraculous cures obtained at his shrine (this is the oak chest of which we spoke just now) have been rashly admitted; and that the spring, Ffynnon Elian, which is near the church, is even now held by the neighbouring country people to be endowed with miraculous power. Carlisle in the Glossary with which his topographical Dictionary of Wales opens declares that St. Elian flourished at the end of the 6th century; but in the Dictionary, under the word Llanelian, about the year 450. From the things that we have adduced it is plain that the holy man lived a whole century later. The age of the others is likewise sufficiently manifest.
Annotata* Cornouailles Cornwall
* yards