Saint Tydfil
Stained glass window of St Tydfil in Llandaff Cathedral
Diedc. 480
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Feast23 August
PatronageMerthyr Tydfil

Saint Tydfil (Welsh: Tudful; martyred c. 480) is the legendary dedicatee of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.[1] The old parish church of St Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil is dedicated to her and is reputed to be the site of her death.

According to legend, Tydfil was the twenty-third daughter of Brychan, king of Brycheiniog, by his fourth wife.[2][3] She was murdered with her brother Rhun in Merthyr Tydfil, by either Welsh pagans or Anglo-Saxon pagans, and buried in the town.[1] No trace remains of her holy well Ffynnon Dydfil, which is thought to have been near the southern end of Well Street in Merthyr Tydfil.[4] The daughter church of St Tydfil's Well is in the area of Merthyr Tydfil known as 'The Quar' (quarry).

Llysworney Church in the Vale of Glamorgan is dedicated to this female saint, as was a chapel in Llantwit Major until it was given to the Abbey of Tewkesbury.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Farmer, David (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (5th., rev ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN 9780199596607.
  2. ^ Mills, A. D.; Room, Adrian (2002). The Oxford Names Companion. Oxford University Press. p. 1126. ISBN 0198605617.
  3. ^ a b Breverton, Terry. 100 Greatest Welsh Women.
  4. ^ "Tydfil's Well, (site);ffynnon Dydfil". Coflein. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
Categories