Celtic Saints: Saint David, Patron of Wales

Today we commemorate another Celtic Saint – Saint David, Patron of Wales, said to have been the son of a Welsh chieftain. He lived in the latter half of the sixth century during the golden age of Celtic Christianity when saints were plentiful, many of them of noble rank–kings, princes, and chieftain–who lived the monastic life, built oratories and churches, and preached the gospel.

Saint Cadoc founded the great Monastery of Llancarfan. Saint Illtyd turned from the life of a soldier to that of a mystic and established the Abbey of Llantwit, where tradition links his name to that of Sir Galahad. But greatest among them was David, cousin of Cadoc and pupil of Illtyd, who was educated in the White House of Carmarathen and who founded the Monastery of Menevia in the place that now bears his name.

According to his biography, David became a priest, studied under Saint Paulinus, the disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, on an unidentified island for several years. He then engaged in missionary activities, founded twelve monasteries from Croyland to Pembrokeshire, the last of which, at Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales, was known for the extreme asceticism of its rule, which was based on that of the Egyptian Desert Fathers.

Here in this lovely and lonely outpost he gathered his followers. The Monastic Rule of David was strict, with but one daily meal of only bread with salt and herbs, frequent fasts, the drinking only of water, and hours of unbroken silence. Their days were filled with hard manual labor and no plough was permitted in the work of the fields. The monks spent their evenings in prayer, reading and writing. No personal possessions were allowed, nor did David exempt himself from the same rigorous discipline: he drank nothing but water and so came to be known as David the Waterman.

Eventually, he was consecrated Bishop of the primatial See of Wales, Menevia, afterwards known as Saint David’s in his honor. He reposed in the Lord about the year 601 AD (our St. Aidan lived from 590 – 651) and, through the years, has been venerated as one of the greatest and most beloved saints of the British Isles.

oca.org and Orthodox Christianity Then and Now.