Events

We have been sharing the fruits of our research at a series of project events around Wales since 2014, accompanied by a touring exhibition. Members of the project team have represented the project at international conferences and also given talks for local societies.

Vitae Sanctorum Cambriae
Lives of the Welsh Saints

speakers and delegates at the Vitae Sanctorum Cambriae conference.

26–7 September 2019
Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, Faculty of English
University of Cambridge

This two-day conference brought together a wide range of scholars to present recent work on Latin and Welsh saints’ Lives.

Speakers: Angela Kinney, Francesco Marzella, Jane Cartwright, Jenny Day, Joshua Byron Smith, Fiona Edmonds, Sarah Waidler, Ben Guy, David Callander, Barry Lewis, Andrew Rabin, Martin Crampin, Karen Jankulak, Thomas Clancy and Paul Russell.

International Conferences

The project organised three full sessions at Leeds International Medieval Congress on 1 July 2019, including papers by past and present members of the project team.

Further papers by the project team that were relevant to the project were also presented at the 16th International Congress of Celtic Studies in Bangor on 25 and 26 July.

Gloucester Abbey and the Lives of the Welsh Saints

Sant Dyfrig, St Dubricius, figure in stained glass

Saturday 3 November 2018
Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral

An afternoon of talks on the connections between Gloucester and the collection of legendary material concerning Welsh saints. A surviving Life of Dyfrig, adopted as co-patron of Llandaff Cathedral, was rewritten in Gloucester, and other Lives of Welsh saints are thought to have been composed in either the priories of Monmouth or Brecon, but arguably based on material compiled at Gloucester. Further saints’ Lives were recorded in a medieval legendary originating in Leominster, the third volume of which is now held in Gloucester Cathedral Library.

Speakers: Paul Russell, Angela Kinney, Francesco Marzella and Martin Crampin.

St Asaph, St Kentigern and the Saints of Wales

Sant Asa, St Asaph, medieval stained glass

Tuesday 4 September 2018
St Asaph Cathedral

An opportunity to meet researchers from the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies and the University of Cambridge at the cathedral who presented their work on Welsh saints. The project exhibition was also installed in the cathedral throughout August.

The Saints of Llandaff

Stained glass window showing St Teilo with the building of Llandaff Cathedral.

Saturday 11 November 2017
Prebendal House, Llandaff Cathedral

An afternoon of talks presenting work in progress on saints in Wales. The speakers presented new research on the Book of Llandaff, Lives of Welsh saints, including Dyfrig, Teilo and Euddogwy, patrons of Llandaff Cathedral, and stained glass in the building.

Speakers: Paul Russell, David Parsons, Ben Guy and Martin Crampin

Llandaff talks PDF

Stories of the Saints

The opening of Bonedd y Saint

Saturday 3 June 2017
Drwm, National Library of Wales

This day conference presented the research from a four-year project editing Welsh Lives, poetry and genealogies of saints in Wales, and launched a new research project on the Latin Lives of Welsh saints.

Speakers: David Parsons, Paul Russell, Alaw Mai Edwards, Jenny Day, Ann Parry Owen, Martin Crampin, J. Wyn Evans

Padarn and the Saints of Wales

Stone figure from the Llanbadarn Fawr cross.

Saturday 1 April 2017
Church of St Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr

An afternoon of talks about St Padarn and the saints of Wales, drawing on evidence from medieval literature, place names and visual culture.

Speakers: Gerald Morgan, Paul Russell, David Parsons, Martin Crampin and Peter Lord
Talks in Welsh and English, simultaneous English translation available

Organised by the ‘Cult of Saints in Wales’ project, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in cooperation with St. Padarn’s Church, Llanbadarn Fawr, and the St Padarn Team 517–2017.

Llanbadarn Talks PDF

Stories of the Saints Exhibition

February – June 2017

A series of talks and events coincided with the ‘Stories of the Saints‘ exhibition at the National Library of Wales. David Parsons gave a lunchtime talk at the Library on 1 March, ‘Chwedlau’r llan: seintiau Cymru o Benfro i’r Fflint’, and both David and Martin Crampin gave gallery talks on 29 March. Martin also delivered a lunchtime lecture on 17 May and a one-day conference was held at the Library on 3 June.

Leeds International Medieval Congress

4 July 2016

The project held a full session at this international conference (Saints in Wales), including papers by Jane Cartwright, Jenny Day and Martin Crampin, chaired by Janet Burton.

St Winefride & Holywell

Santes Gwenfrewy, medieval stained glass

Saturday 25 June 2016
Church of St James, Holywell

An afternoon of talks on St Winefride and Holywell. Subjects included the medieval Life of Winefride, medieval poetry to the saint, and the importance of the well to visitors in the Romantic period. There was also a talk on St Winefride’s well with an opportunity to visit the site.

Speakers: Jane Cartwright, Mary-Ann Constantine, Tristan Gray Hulse and Eurig Salisbury

St David & Saints in Wales

Dewi Sant, Narberth, stained glass by Joan Fulleylove.

Monday 29 February 2016
Tŷ’r Pererin, St Davids

An afternoon of talks presenting work in progress on saints in medieval Wales. The subjects included the different Welsh versions of the Life of David and the poem to David by Gwynfardd Brycheiniog, as well as images of David and place-names in Pembrokeshire relating to saints.

Speakers: Martin Crampin, Jenny Day, Ann Parry Owen and David Parsons

Medieval Saints in Glamorgan

Mair Fadlen, Llanilltud Fawr; Mary Magdalene, Llantwit Major

Saturday 7 November 2015
Church of St Illtud, Llantwit Major

An afternoon of talks presenting work in progress on saints in medieval Wales. The subjects included the Welsh Life of St Mary Magdalene, the Life of St Illtud, place-names in Glamorgan relating to saints and images of saints in stained glass and sculpture.

Speakers: Jane Cartwright, Martin Crampin, Karen Jankulak and David Parsons

Llantwit Major Talks PDF

Deiniol - Bangor

Medieval Saints in Gwynedd

Saturday 12 September 2015
The Diocesan Centre, Bangor

An afternoon of talks presenting work in progress on saints in medieval Wales. The subjects included new research on local saints, the genealogies of the Welsh saints, and a tour of the cathedral to see images of saints in stained glass.

Speakers: Martin Crampin, Alaw Mai Edwards, Barry Lewis and David Parsons

Bangor Talks PDF

 

15th International Congress of Celtic Studies

14 July 2015, Glasgow

The project held a full session at this week-long conference (Hagiography and History 2 – The Cult of Saints in Wales), including papers by Eurig Salisbury, Alaw Mai Edwards and Barry Lewis, chaired by David Parsons. Martin Crampin also gave a paper in the following session (Hagiography and History 3).

For more on Martin’s paper, and another for the ‘The Middle Ages in the Modern World‘ conference at the University of Lincoln, see his blog post.

Medieval Breconshire and the Welsh Poets

16 May 2015, Brecon

As part of a day-conference on Medieval Breconshire and the Welsh Poets, Eurig Salisbury asked ‘Sut i gael 42 o seintiau mewn un gerdd? Moliant Huw Cae Llwyd i seintiau Brycheiniog’ (How do you get 42 saints into one poem? Huw Cae Llwyd’s praise for the saints of Brycheiniog).

Conference: The Cult of Saints in Wales – Sources and Contexts

Cynhadledd, Caerfyddin; Confernce, Carmarthen

16–19 September 2014, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen

This conference was held as part of the AHRC-funded ‘The Cult of Saints in Wales: Medieval Welsh-language Sources and their Transmission’. The principal aim of the project is to produce an electronic edition of the poetry addressed to saints, the prose lives, and the saints’ genealogies which make up the Welsh-language hagiographical corpus.

At the conference some of these texts were examined and discussed; the aim being to locate them in a wide range of contexts. At its broadest, the theme encompasses the whole range of local responses to hagiography across Celtic-speaking countries, Britain and Europe.

Click here for the programme.