Deiniol
Encyclopedia
Saint Deiniol was the first Bishop of Bangor
in the Kingdom of Gwynedd
, Wales
. He is also venerated
in Brittany
as Saint Denoual. In English
, the name is translated as Daniel but this is rarely used.
Very little is known of the saint's life, but the tradition that he was the first Bishop of Bangor is very strong. He was apparently consecrated in 545 by Saint David
. The present Bangor Cathedral
is dedicated to Deiniol and is said to be on the site where Deiniol's first monastery
stood. His feast day is September 11.
A Latin life of Deiniol has been preserved in Peniarth MS226 transcribed by Sir Thomas Williams of Trefriw in 1602. He was the son of Dunod Fawr
, son of Pabo Post Prydain
. The family were originally rulers of an area in what is now the North of England, but having lost these were given lands by the king of Powys, Cyngen ap Cadell
. Deiniol is said to have studied under Cadoc of Llancarfan and later was given land by Maelgwn Gwynedd king of Gwynedd
to found a monastery on the site where Bangor Cathedral now stands. He attended the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi
in c. 545 with Saint David when the subject of rules for penance was being discussed.
He may also have been the founder of the monastery of Bangor-on-Dee
(Bangor Iscoed or Is-y-coed), Flintshire
, though whether the early abbot there named Saint Dunod
was his father or not is unclear. The church of Hawarden
in Flintshire is dedicated to Deiniol. William Ewart Gladstone
dedicated Saint Deiniol's Library
, a library for arts students, in 1896. The church of Marchwiel
is also dedicated to Deiniol and there are also dedications at Itton in Monmouthshire
and Llangarran in Herefordshire
. According to the Annales Cambriae
, Deiniol died in 584 and was buried on Bardsey Island
.
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
in the Kingdom of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He is also venerated
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
as Saint Denoual. In English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, the name is translated as Daniel but this is rarely used.
Very little is known of the saint's life, but the tradition that he was the first Bishop of Bangor is very strong. He was apparently consecrated in 545 by Saint David
Saint David
Saint David was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and a relatively large amount of information is known about his life. However, his birth date is still uncertain, as suggestions range from 462 to...
. The present Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Christian worship situated in Bangor, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol....
is dedicated to Deiniol and is said to be on the site where Deiniol's first monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
stood. His feast day is September 11.
A Latin life of Deiniol has been preserved in Peniarth MS226 transcribed by Sir Thomas Williams of Trefriw in 1602. He was the son of Dunod Fawr
Dunod Fawr
Dunod Fawr is a figure known from the Welsh Genealogies believed to have been a noble in the post-Roman Hen Ogledd. Dunod was a son of Pabo Post Prydain and is believed to have succeeded his father as ruler of a small polity somewhere in what is now the North of England, possibly in Lonsdale and/or...
, son of Pabo Post Prydain
Pabo Post Prydain
Pabo Post Prydain was a king somewhere in the Hen Ogledd or Old North of sub-Roman Britain.According to the Old Welsh genealogies of British Library, Harleian MS 3859, he was a son of Cenau ap Coel Hen...
. The family were originally rulers of an area in what is now the North of England, but having lost these were given lands by the king of Powys, Cyngen ap Cadell
Cyngen ap Cadell
Cyngen ap Cadell was a king of Powys in eastern Wales.-Biography:Cyngen was of the line of Brochwel Ysgithrog and after a long reign as king of Powys went on a pilgrimage to Rome and died there in 855...
. Deiniol is said to have studied under Cadoc of Llancarfan and later was given land by Maelgwn Gwynedd king of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
to found a monastery on the site where Bangor Cathedral now stands. He attended the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi
Synod of Brefi
The Synod of Brefi was a church council held at Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion, Wales around 545.The synod was apparently called in order to condemn the heretical teachings of Pelagius, although this is far from certain. It was an important milestone in the rise of Saint David...
in c. 545 with Saint David when the subject of rules for penance was being discussed.
He may also have been the founder of the monastery of Bangor-on-Dee
Bangor-on-Dee
Bangor-on-Dee is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is a village in the ancient district of Maelor in Wales, situated on the banks of the River Dee...
(Bangor Iscoed or Is-y-coed), Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, though whether the early abbot there named Saint Dunod
Saint Dunod
Saint Dunod was a late 6th/early 7th century Abbot of Bangor-on-Dee of north-east Wales.Dunod is best known as being the only Welsh ecclesiastic mentioned by name, in Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, as having been at the meeting of the Welsh bishops with Saint Augustine of...
was his father or not is unclear. The church of Hawarden
Hawarden
Hawarden is a village in Flintshire, North Wales. Hawarden forms part of the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh/English border. At the 2001 Census, the population of Hawarden Ward was 1,858...
in Flintshire is dedicated to Deiniol. William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
dedicated Saint Deiniol's Library
St Deiniol's Library
Gladstone's Library, known until 2010 as St Deiniol's Library , is a residential library in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales.The library was founded by the Victorian statesman and politician William Ewart Gladstone ....
, a library for arts students, in 1896. The church of Marchwiel
Marchwiel
Marchwiel is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.It is about 2 miles south-east of Wrexham town on the A525 road towards Bangor-on-Dee...
is also dedicated to Deiniol and there are also dedications at Itton in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
and Llangarran in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. According to the Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
, Deiniol died in 584 and was buried on Bardsey Island
Bardsey Island
Bardsey Island , the legendary "Island of 20,000 saints", lies off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftan, "Barda". It is ...
.