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celtic cross, Llanddwyn Island, Newborough Warren and Llandwyn Island, St Dwynwen, Welsh patron saint of lovers
The National Nature Reserve of Newborough Warren and Llanddwyn Island are located on the south-western corner of the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales and will always be one of my favourite places on earth. I have written about the island before, but for St Valentine’s Day this is an extract from an existing page about its connection with Wales’ own patron saint of lovers, St. Dwynwen. (St. Dwynwen’s actual feast day is January 25th).
The name Llanddwyn means “The church of St. Dwynwen”. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, the Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine, and the island is alternatively named ‘Lover’s Island’.
The mythology surrounding St. Dwynwen has several slightly varying versions, but the essence of the stories is similar.
Dwynwen lived during the 5th century AD and was one of 24 daughters of St. Brychan, a Welsh prince of Brycheiniog (Brecon). She fell in love with a young man named Maelon, but rejected his advances. This, depending on which story you read, was either because she wished to remain chaste and become a nun or because her father wished her to marry another. She prayed to be released from the unhappy love and dreamed that she was given a potion to do this. However, the potion turned Maelon to ice. She then prayed that she be granted three wishes: firstly that Maelon be revived, secondly that all true lovers find happiness, and last that she should never again wish to be married. She then retreated to the solitude of Llanddwyn Island to follow the life of a hermit.
The plaque in the island’s museum:
Last year (Jan 2013), a project to restore the chapel was begun and below is a link to a short video giving a progress report and some views of the island:
Update: BBC Wales have just showed a news item on the latest status at St. Dwynwen’s – see our lads at work via this link here
Llandwyn Island
The island is beautiful, wild and feels far more remote than it is nowadays. It can be a bleak, windswept place at any time if the year, but especially so in the winter. Here are a few of my views featuring some of the landmarks of the place
theresagreen said:
Thank you John, you’re very kind. I am very fortunate to live in a part of the country where beautiful scenery, wildlife, history, myth and legend are all inextricably woven together.
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john todaro said:
Superb post!
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theresagreen said:
It is a lovely story, if a little sad. I could think of worse places to go to live as a hermit though – good to know the Welsh patron saint of love is female too!
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Anny said:
Oh how lovely – wonderful to have such a story to attach to the place and worthy of a pilgrimage.
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Paul Seligman (@SeligLeisure) said:
Llantrisant Folk Club, in South Wales, has an evening to celebrate St Dwynwen’s day each year, on the Wednesday (our club night) nearest to Sy Dwynwen’s Day (January 26th). This included an animated re-telling of the story this year, as well as loosely connected songs and stories of love thwarted or successful. http://www.folkwales.org.uk/folk.html
It’s nice to see your pictures of the island where the story is set.
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theresagreen said:
How lovely! If I still lived down there I might have joined you – sounds interesting. I’ll be doing more about Llandwyn-as soon as the weather calms down a bit I’ll be going to check out nesting cormorants there.
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