The Life and Miracles of St. David: Unveiling the Legend

This episode explores the fascinating story of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, delving into historical facts, legends, and myths surrounding his life, miracles, and legacy. Discover how his story has shaped Welsh culture and the enduring significance of his teachings.

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Transcript

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Let's start with a brief warning because today's episode will contain a small amount of discussion about SA. If this is triggering to you, I'd recommend not listening any further. The first day of March is a special day in the Welsh calendar because it's the day that we officially celebrate our patron saint. I am of course talking about St David's Day and the various traditions and festivities that we as a country tend to engage in. Come to Cymru on the 1st of March and you're likely to see some of our favourite traditions and some of our proudest symbology on show. Male voice choirs singing in the local shopping centres, daffodils and leeks pinned to the chest, and little children dressed up in traditional Welsh costume. But who was St David? What is it that we know about him? and why is he the celebrated Saint of Wales? In today's episode, we are going to tell the story of the Welsh patron saint, the story of Saint David. It's important to start this episode with a brief note of caution because much of what we know about St. David is mere speculation. We know very few facts about the saint and most of what we do know comes from written accounts which were themselves based on oral testimony that were gathered hundreds of years after the saint's death. For these reasons, the information contained here is the accepted truth, a version of the story that historians have thus far come to believe. I'll also ask that you forgive my pronunciation of some Welsh words. Whilst I am Welsh, I don't speak the language at the moment, although I am learning and certain pronunciations have never been natural to me. This episode was a fun one to write, not only because it's a subject that truly fascinates me, but also because many areas in which this story is set are very familiar to me. Our origin location being no different. because our story starts in the little hamlet that we now call St. Non's. This is a very small place with a tiny chapel that at most could hold 10 people and somewhere that my family visit at least once or twice a year. It holds a very special meaning for us and we often visit to light a candle for whoever is on our mind at that moment. But while the chapel itself is named after St. Non, it is important in its own way. because it's where our story starts. Well, just a little bit to the right of that location, in what is now the ruins of an original, much older chapel. It's in that ruin in around 500 AD that legend states St. David was born, his mother, St. Non, giving birth to him during a storm. However, it's here that our unreliable narration begins. because much of what we know about St. David's birth is actually only speculation. For example, while history has tended to place David's birth as having been on or around 500 AD, the exact date given varies greatly from source to source. In truth, all we really know is that St. David was born at some point between 462 and 515 AD. Much of what we know about St David comes from the pages of one important source, a piece of work known as the Buchath Dewey. The word Dewey translates to David, while the word Buchath can be translated to biography or way of life. The biography was written by a monk named Riga Vach, who also happened to be the then son of the Bishop of St David's Cathedral. This was written to be a haiography. a technical and fancy word for the biography of a holy person. But there are two key issues with it. Number one, it was written in 1080 AD, nearly 500 years after St. David had died. Much of what is shared within its pages is hearsay, stories, rumours and myths that were passed down orally from generation to generation. Its truthfulness and accuracy is therefore up for interpretation. Number one, It was written in 1080 AD, nearly 500 years after David had died. Much of what is shared within its pages is hearsay, stories, rumours and myths that were passed down orally from generation to generation. Its truthfulness and accuracy are therefore up for interpretation. And then, problem two is its motive. While the first issue is largely a fact of life within that time period, The second issue casts serious concerns over its accuracy. The document comes from a period of competing religious beliefs, with many in Celtic society wanting their religion to come out on top. It should therefore come as little surprise that this account contains many references to miracles, triumphs, and magic. These kinds of documents were not usually written to be factual biographies. as we would imagine them now. But instead, they were written to build the reputation of a saint, and to that end, many tend to draw comparisons with the original story of Jesus. The story of Saint David is no different. These kind of books were designed to inspire others to follow a certain religious way of life. And in this example, Rieger Wach was trying to boost and promote their version of the religious truth. They are saint and they are champion. To that end, many historians view the verifying of this document and story to be a somewhat pointless endeavour because fact is not what it was actually written for. But it is one of very few sources that we have. And so while acknowledging that its reliability is somewhat questionable, it's an important part of our understanding of the Welsh patron saint, starting with his birth in that beautiful little hamlet of St. Nons. So who was David's mother? We know that her name would have been Nonette and that she was the daughter of a local and powerful chief tain. For many centuries, it was assumed Saint Non was a local nun within the St. David's area. However, it has now been suggested that this might not be as straightforward as we first thought. Various sources credit her with having been a, quote, chaste woman, with some interpreting that as meaning nun, but modern interpretations assuming it might not be that clear. However, Assuming that she was a nun could have been a fair assumption in the beginning and that's for two key reasons. The first being that St. Nons was a known location of religious importance, something that pre-existed St. David by thousands of years. It was a location that was seen as holy and so if Nonette was in that area, it's likely to have been for religious reasons. The website for the St. David's Cathedral tells her story with it suggesting that the site has long been one of importance. In his account, Riga Varch references a T-guin within the vicinity, a phrase that literally means white. Secondly, his account, Riga Varch references a T. Guin within that vicinity, a phrase that literally translates to White House. It's possible that this means there was a nunnery within the local area. And then on top of all of that, there's the contextual mentality. There's a tendency to assume that women have always had reduced prominence in society, with a Victorian mentality of quote, separate spheres tending to taint our understanding of the predecessing years. But medieval women would have been much more important and relevant in public than we might assume. That said, marriage would still have been a powerful political tool. And so some women would have wanted to avoid that fate. For that reason, many chose to join the faith, becoming nuns. However, it wasn't always safe. And there are countless examples of nuns having been abused by men. Legend has it the Saint David's mother Nonette was one of these women. According to Rigovach, David's father forced himself upon Nonette and it was from this that David was born. For these reasons, Saint Non has become an important figure for those who have been victims themselves. It has been suggested that David's father was Prince Kainer of Ceredigion and that his father was the king. However, other historians have cast doubt on this. suggesting that there is a more cynical and religious reason for wanting to hide the identity of David's parents. Some believe that the idea of her having been a nun was taken far too literally, wanting to present David as having been born from a religious woman. The website for St. David's Cathedral also comments on that. Quote, naming David's parents as non and saint or nun and holy man could have been a way of saying that their identities are unknown but are appropriate for the appearance of a saint." quote. Where there now sits ruins, a chapel once sat, and it's alleged that it was in here all alone that Saint Non gave birth to Saint David. According to Rigavar, he was born during a storm, but that while the wind howled and thunder cackled all around her, a bright, warm yellow light surrounded Nonet. as David made his appearance. It's also claimed that Nonette grabbed a stone in the chapel while giving birth to St. David, that this stone cracked and that a holy stream sprung from the location, a sign that St. David was to be someone important. This stream still exists to this day and is regularly visited by those who have faith as it's still believed to have healing powers. For this reason, in 1934, A new chapel was built in the area by Cecil Morgan Griffiths, with him using local stones to continue St. Nons important story. Interestingly, just behind the newer Little Chapel sits a large building. This is St. Nons retreat and is a place for people to stay when they are in need of some quiet time or healing. Such is the strong connection to the idea of healing in that area. Until fairly recently, 2022, Several nuns actually continued to live at that site, but at that point they left for good. Saint Non is a figure who is praised and recognised globally, with several different versions of her life having been written. She's particularly known in Brittany, France, where it's alleged that she is actually buried, with the chapel there also bearing her name. In fact, their version of the story is remarkably different from ours, with their version suggesting that Saint David and Saint Non moved to the area with David having received his education at a monastery in France. Compare that to the Welsh version which has him as a homegrown hero. For the sake of this podcast episode and the history of Welsh sainthood, we are going to assume the Welsh version is the accurate one. Welsh tradition dictates that St David was educated at Henver now monastery in Cardigan and in the Tudorage of Paulinus. According to legend, Paulinus was once a blind man, but the Saint David healed him with his touch. This is the first of many supposed miracles that Saint David is said to have performed. There's another supposed miracle that brought a smile to my face. Did you know that Saint David is even said to have been responsible for the introduction of the honeybee to Ireland? No, that isn't a joke. They really claim that. The story goes that an Irish monk named Madame Nock was a beekeeper in St David's monastery in St David's city Pembrokeshire and that he was involved with the making of honey and wax. He was forced to return to Ireland for reasons that have never been disclosed, but every time he walked from the monastery to the boat, his bees would follow him. On three occasions, he returned the bees to David, but on each occasion, they followed him yet again. The final time this happened, St David blessed them. telling Madame Nock to take them back to Ireland with him and hence introducing the honeybee to the population. Similarly, he's also credited with having given Wales its national emblem, the leek. Allegedly, during a battle with the Saxons, David ordered his men to pin leeks onto their bodies, allowing each to identify the other. The most famous of the miracles and the one to which St. David is most closely associated is the rising mound of Llandudie Brevy. The legend suggests that David was preaching to a crowd when a number of people complained that they couldn't hear him. So important was his word that the ground beneath him sprang up, raising him above them all. At that moment, a dove landed on his shoulder. A church now sits in that area, with it claimed that the church is built directly upon where David stood. Miracles and myths aside, The Synod of Brevi was an event that is now believed to have been of huge historical importance, the myth perhaps overshadowing the real power that David was beginning to possess at this moment in his life story. The word synod is a religious one, but it most easily translates into that of an assembly. The Synod of Brevi was said to have taken place in around 545 AD, and it's suggested that David was initially reluctant to attend. According to records, Paulius, St. David's tutor, had suggested that the synod invite his pupil. They decided to do so, and David stole the show. Records suggest that the synod was organised to discuss the hearsay of Palagion. The goal of this meeting was to condemn the teachings. Palagius was an Irish theologian that took a wildly different approach to the idea of sin, and it was his opinion that the church had long been misinterpreting the topic. He believed that human choice was more important in the salvation process than had been previously accepted. He disputed the idea of original sin, the suggestion that all humans are by their very birth sinful beings. Instead, he argued that we each have free will and that by this teaching, we choose whether or not we act on things. To that end, he didn't agree with baptising babies as they were too young to have sinned and too young to have chosen. By the time St. David was born, Pelagius was already dead, but his beliefs were still being taught by followers. By the time St. David was born, Pelagius was already dead, but his beliefs were still being taught by followers. It was a movement that had gained considerable momentum in certain areas, including parts of Britain, Palestine, and North Africa. but for the most part, it was a thought process that the Church in England and Wales vehemently disagreed with. It was their response to this issue that was being discussed by David and the other attendees of the assembly. At the Synod of Breivy, the leader resigned to make way for David, who had impressed with his interventions. He left there as the elected leader of the Church in Wales. He's credited with then having been responsible for a second Synod in Carleion, in around 500 AD. St David is then credited with having been responsible for a second synod in Carleion in around 550 AD. This one became known as the Synod of Victory. Some historians believe that this was a continuation of the Synod of Brevi, but others dispute this, suggesting that the focus was more likely to have been related to a new code of conduct that was being discussed. But others dispute this. suggesting that the focus was more likely to have been related to a new code of conduct that was being discussed. To this day, historians credit St. David's influence as having been pivotal in the limiting of the spread of plagiarism views in that period. It's alleged that St. David left the area in around 547 AD, potentially at the same time that there was an outbreak of yellow fever. It's therefore possible that St David joined the hundreds of others fleeing the region, but he chose to carry his faith with him. A few years later, in around 550 AD, St David is believed to have returned, now establishing his monastery on the exact location where the cathedral now sits. Unlike the gorgeous building that sits there now, it was likely that his building was initially the Beehive kind, meaning that there would have been a number of wooden huts that would have made up the monastery facility. According to legend, St. David decided to return to Pembrokeshire following a visit from an angel, with his instructions being to return and build a monastery. St. David, along with St. Aidan of Ireland and a number of his friends abided and returned to the area. The evening of their return was marked with a celebration, with a large fire having been set to mark it. However, and be known to them, they'd set fire to land that was owned by Boyer, an Irish chief tain. While not directly relevant to this story, it is worth pointing out for historical verification that Pembrokeshire has a strong connection to Ireland, the coast not being all that far from the homeland of our Celtic brothers and sisters. In fact, to this day, you can hop on a ferry in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire and find yourself in the Irish port of Rosalee, a short while later, but be warned, as someone who's done this, it is famously a rough and choppy crossing. Boyer and his family had lived in the area for a while and were said to have terrorised the local people, but faced with a fire lit by a band of holy men, uh a fear is said to have overcome Boyer and his troops. Quote, David came into the valley below his fortified homestead and lit fires which staked his claim to the area. Boyer sent his warriors to drive David and his companions away, but David cast a spell, which made Boyer's men and all his cattle fall as if dead. Boyer made peace with David and converted to Christianity. So David lifted the enchantment. But Boyer's wife was still opposed to David and sent her maid servants to bathe naked in the river to tempt David and his men. When this failed, she lured his stepdaughter into the valley and cut off her head. A miraculous healing well sprang from the spot. This martyrdom sealed the fate of paganism in the area. Boyer's wife went mad and ran away, and Boyer was beheaded by invaders after turning against David. Legend has it the fire fell from heaven and destroyed all traces of Boyer, end quote. Interestingly, the area was excavated in 1902 by Sabine Baring-Gould. She discovered a number of buildings and huts that do appear to have been charred. The links to Ireland continue throughout the life of St David, and there's even an account that suggests that Patrick, the Saint of Ireland, was foretold of St David's birth. According to legend, St Patrick was travelling in Wales when he visited the area in which the city of St. David now sits. He realised how powerful the region was and decided that it was the perfect location for preaching. However, while he was there, he was briefly visited by an angel who advised him that the area had already been reserved for someone of importance, a person who would be born 30 years later. It said that Patrick was initially furious, but in the end, he left. confident that this other man was to follow in his wake. Aside from his travel and the reported miracles, very little else is known about the life of St. David. However, we do know that he was a skilled preacher who founded monastic settlements across Wales, Brittany, and the southwest of England. There's even some evidence to suggest that he founded the famous Abbey in Gloucester. It's also believed that he traveled to Jerusalem. with a stone that now sits in the high altar of St. David's Cathedral said to have been brought back from that location by him. It's also been suggested that it was while he was in Jerusalem that St. David was consecrated as a bishop. What we do know about St. David is that he was said to have been a humble and austere man who expected his followers to live a simple life. This meant ploughing the fields by hand, possessing very few possessions, and eating a diet that only met essential needs. His way was in line with the Celtic way, with other religious figures across Scotland, Ireland, France, and Cornwall tending to be connected in this approach. Quote, their days were centered on prayer, work in the fields, ploughed themselves, and reading. They ate one meal a day of bread, herbs, or vegetables, and only drank water, end quote. At the time, this approach was remarkably different to other denominations within the area. Many of whom enjoyed lavish feasts, had servants and expected gift giving. Whereas David and his men prioritized the assisting of others. From what we know, David chose to only eat a handful of vegetables with meat and all forms of alcohol said to have been strictly out of bounds. He chose to only drink water. and is said to have developed a reverence for the natural world, urging his followers to take care of nature. But it was with water that he found a deep spiritual connection, and it's reported that he was even given the nickname Dewi Dever because of his connection to it. It's suggested that David would regularly stand neck deep in streams and coves around the St. David's Coast, reading Psalms and scripture. If you've been to Pembrokeshire or Wales in general, at any time of the year, including the summer, you'll understand how jarring of a thought that is. Welsh water is cold, freezing, and not something most of us would have had the discipline to tolerate. But water was a continuing feature that dominates the story of St. David's life, with it being suggested that wells popped up wherever he preached or at any location that had importance to his life. There's a final fact about St. David that is repeatedly recorded in sources about him and which seems interesting in its non-relevancy. And that is that St. David was said to have been abnormally tall for the time period, with some sources suggesting that he was over six feet tall. It's interesting to me that of all the parts of his life that are missed out from the sources, his seemingly tall height is recorded. I wonder if it's more of a symbolic thing than a real thing. Was it that they wanted us to believe that St. David was this huge and towering man because of how important he was to these religious ways of life? And finally, while we're not gonna get into it here, it was once rumoured that St. David was even the nephew of King Arthur. Again, how much of any of this is true and how much is grandstanding, we may never understand. The final words spoken by St. David are recorded and these came from a sermon that he performed the Sunday before his death. These words, quote, be joyful, keep the faith and do the little things that you have heared and seen me do, end quote, continues to have a lasting impact on Wales. The adapted phrase, quote, do the little things in life, end quote, continues to be meaningful for Welsh people across the world. It's reported that St. David died on the 1st of March, hence that being the day on which we celebrate him. But as with his birth and many of the other associated facts, the exact date of his death is unknown. However, some credit it as being the early 600s, but historians tend to place his death as having happened in 589 AD. He was buried in the monastery he founded. with the eventual cathedral then being built in the same location. It's believed that his body and belongings would have been regarded as sacred and would likely have been buried under a shrine. It was in death that St. David was to become St. David and to be fully recognized with his fame and renown growing exponentially during the medieval period. In fact, by the medieval period, the stories of St. David spread far and wide. with an Irish manuscript being the first known document in which he is mentioned. During this period, his body and possessions would have been viewed as relics, and at this point, they would have likely been held in a reliquary. This was essentially a sacred container that was specifically used for the protection of relics. Perhaps you can see where this is going here, because at some point in time, that vessel and what it contained went missing. St. David's Cathedral was a site of mass pilgrimage during the medieval period, with some sources claiming that it was one of the most important shrines in Christendom. St. David's Cathedral became a site of mass pilgrimage during the medieval period, with some sources claiming that it was one of the most important shrines in Christendom. Such was St. David's prominence and importance during that period. In fact, many have compared his popularity to that of a cult, with thousands of people said to have adored him and his legacy. In the end, the Pope authorized that it was such an important area of pilgrimage, it was decided that two visits to St. David's would equate to one visit to Rome and three would be Jerusalem. Thousands of people made the journey. Visit Wales describes the site's importance. Quote, nowhere in Britain is there a more ancient cathedral settlement for it reaches back 14 centuries and survived the plunder of Norsemen in the Dark Ages." That said, the shrine of St. David was plundered and destroyed on a number of occasions with two of these being of particular importance. The first was when a fire ravaged it and the second was when the Vikings raided and two bishops were killed. And yet it was rebuilt on every single occasion. The monastery David founded in the city of St David has long since vanished but in its place now sits a majestic and beautiful cathedral. Built using cement that was made from local shells affording it an almost glittering effect, the cathedral was constructed using the unique Caerbode stone. This stone comes from the cliffs just to the south of the cathedral and in the 20 terms when restoration was undertaken Quarry there had to be reopened purely for that purpose. The cathedral, as it now stands, started to take shape in the 1180s and its development is perfectly described in an article on St. David's ideas. Quote, the cathedral is the result of centuries of endeavor, an amalgam of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Victorian architecture. They were periodic disruptions. In 1247, an earthquake caused considerable damage. The Holy Trinity Chapel with its fan vaulted ceiling was built by Bishop Vaughan between 1509 and 1522. A decade later, the knaves magnificent oak ceilings were constructed. The marshy ground wouldn't support the weight of a stone ceiling." The stone has a purplish colour, giving it a unique appearance. It is truly one of the most magnificent buildings. Miraculously, the cathedral also survived the Reformation under Henry VIII. probably because it wasn't, by that point, a monastery. But it was badly damaged by Cromwell's round heads in 1648. The Victorians were responsible for a huge amount of restoration to the building, and in 2005, a 5.5 million refurbishment was awarded. It's estimated that the cathedral costs 2,250 pound a day to manage. That equates to over 800,000 pounds a year. If you ever visit and can afford to do so, please consider leaving a tip in the tip box. It is a stunning building and is hugely important to Welsh history. It's also strategically built in a dip, meaning you can barely see it from the actual city centre. And by the way, it is a small city. But then when you start to walk towards it, it is magnificent. In the 1100s, the then Pope officially canonised St David, making him the saint that we all know now. However, there is no surviving evidence to document this and so technically his canonization is actually unproven. In 1270, several bones were located outside the cathedral. The story of this discovery is an interesting one in itself. It's suggested that the priory of oonry, John D. Gamage had received a dream about the bones. According to this legend, He was told that the bones of St. David were buried just outside the door of the cathedral. And so he traveled there to test this theory. The dig did uncover a set of bones and so they had to be St. David as far as everyone present was concerned. In 1275, a new shrine was built by Bishop Richard de Caro with the original having been lost during a Viking raid in 809. The shrine bears a depiction of three saints. images that are believed to show St. David, St. Patrick and St. Justinian. This drawing still exists to this day and it was restored in 2012. Having secured funding, St. David's Cathedral commissioned a talented artist to restore the depictions. Historians believe that it would have originally housed a body with the presumption being that it was likely that of St. David. However, as you can guess, it's not there now. In 1282, King Edward I visited and is said to have left with several bones and relics that belonged to St David. A few months later, it's alleged that these bones were displayed at the Tower of London. They were placed on the high altar and cynical historians believe that this was in a bid to demonstrate English dominance over Wales. However, in around 1530, during the Reformation, Bishop Barlow became the Bishop of St David's. and he made it his mission to end the role that relics played in religion. To that end, it's believed that he dispersed all the remaining evidence related to David's shrine, potentially destroying the bones and all related relics. Potentially destroying any remaining bones and all related relics. Historians have quoted him as having said that he'd seized, quote, two heads of silver plate enclosing two rotten skulls, two arm bones, and a worm-eaten book, covered with a silver plate." quote. Could this have been the relics and the remaining remains of St. David? And why would Bishop Barlow have wanted to destroy them? For the rationale behind this, we have to turn to Henry VIII, the King of England known of course for his six wives. For that rationale, we have to turn to Henry VIII, the King of England who is of course known for his six wives. There are so many issues with how Henry VIII has traditionally been discussed. because as interesting as his six weddings are, although I would argue that the wives themselves are far more interesting, the reign of Henry VIII is dominated by events that have huge historical importance. Most academic Tudor historians will agree, as many of these events have left scars on our culture and society that exist to this day. One of these is the dissolution of the monasteries, an event that is vitally important to understanding why Bishop Barlow may have wanted to destroy the relics of St. David. But to understand that event, we need to back up slightly and turn our attention to the very first of Henry's six wives, Catherine of Aragon. Born in December 1645 in Spain, Catherine was actually married to King Henry VIII's older brother, Arthur, before he died at a very young age. In 1502, just a year after their wedding, Arthur passed away, aged only 15 years old. This left Catherine as a widow, age 17, in a foreign country. And it also meant that Arthur's younger brother, Henry, was now heir to the throne. In 1509, she married Henry, and a few weeks later, she and he were made the king and queen. During their marriage, Catherine fell pregnant numerous times, losing most of the babies along the way. She was only able to give King Henry one child, a daughter. But Henry was fixated on the creation of an heir, and after years and years of marriage, he and Catherine had still not manifested a surviving boy child. A factor that tends to be entirely overlooked in most brief histories of the king and his queens is the sheer volume of physical and emotional stress that Catherine of Aragon must have gone through. From what we know, Catherine fell pregnant on at least six occasions. but of these pregnancies, only one survived adulthood. This was common for the period with mortality rates tending to be fairly poor, but it was something for which Catherine was unduly judged. Of her six pregnancies, Catherine is said to have birthed three boys, but none of them survived. Her first son, born in 1511, survived for a month before dying from an unrecorded cause. It's unclear what happened to their second son, who was conceived in 1533. and it's believed that their third conceived in 1514 was stillborn. It's hard to imagine the toll that this kind of trauma must take on a person. And that's without considering the societal difference that meant Catherine was probably being held responsible. But she was. And as far as Henry was concerned, he wanted out. It's believed that Henry had been discussing the idea of annulment or divorce from as early as 1520. In 1525, Henry met Anne Boleyn. who was serving Queen Catherine as one of her maids. He'd previously been having an affair with Anne's sister, Mary, and it seems that Henry wanted to make Anne his mistress. In fact, this is recorded in a letter between the couple with him promising Anne that he would take her as, quote, his sole mistress, casting off all others than yourself out of mind and affection and to serve you only, end quote. But Anne wanted more. and asserted that she wanted to be the queen. With the marriage over to all intents and purposes, and now with his new love interest, King Henry's resolve was strengthened further. But it was not an easy process. People didn't get divorced in that period, and typically divorced couples were prevented from marrying again. This would not suit Henry. He tried to argue that their marriage was immoral because of her earlier marriage with Arthur. Before she and Henry had actually married, Catherine had vowed that due to his declining health, Catherine had never consummated her marriage with Arthur. Henry must have believed her because he'd gone ahead with the wedding, but whether or not out of an attempt to simply get a divorce or because of the problem with the various pregnancies, he suggested now that this wasn't true, that the marriage had been cursed from the beginning because of her consummation of the earlier marriage. Sources from the time suggest that King Henry became obsessed with one particular quote from Livicatus, which read, quote, if man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness and they shall be childless, end quote. He's obviously applying that rule loosely, he was not childless and he and Catherine did have a child, a daughter. Henry would not be granted his annulment. The issue is said to have been of great importance and it consumed the attention of the king and his aides. They called it the quote, great matter. And with the Pope and church refusing to annul the marriage, the king and his court set about finding their own way. However, it wasn't just for religious reasons that the annulment was denied. In fact, Catherine's nephew was the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and he was regarded to be the most powerful ruler in Europe. and he was said to control the Pope. There was no way that annulment was ever going to be granted. This was personal. And so King Henry took the decision into his own hands with Protestant reformers urging him along the way. In 1531, still marriage to the King, but now clearly out of favour, Catherine was banished from the court. In 1531, still marriage to the King, but now clearly out of favour, Catherine was banished from the court. In July that year, she saw Henry for the last time and cruelly was not permitted to take her daughter with her. The child he believed he didn't have earlier was now not allowed to leave his custody. Unfortunately, Catherine never saw her child Mary again. In 1532 and then in 1534, Henry declared his independence from Rome and hence the Church of England was born with the King now its supreme leader. In 1532, Henry declared his independence from Rome and hence the Church of England was born with the King now its supreme leader. In 1533, his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was declared quote null and void by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cramer, a figure who is now entirely under the King's control. Shortly after, King Henry married Anne Boleyn, his second wife. All of this resulted in the destruction of the Catholic faith in many parts of the UK, with the monastery bearing a particular brunt of this anger. The reason being that they tend to have the strictest reverence for their religion. Their commitment to their faith is lifelong and strict, meaning that they are often the bastions of the religion for which they have entered. And so the monasteries were destroyed. And with this, relics and other aspects of that religious life were also targeted. Many of these objects were valuable, and so there was also a financial reason why King Henry VIII eventually confiscated numerous assets and valuables from the monasteries around Wales and England. Both of these reasons, a financial and religious aspect, were the reasons why so many relics were destroyed in that period. In 1865, during restoration work by the Victorians, a cache of bones was discovered behind the high altar. For the most part, these were deemed to have been unimportant and were reburied underneath a stone in the floor. In the 1920s, a story circulated that the set of bones were those of St. David, and Dean William, who was then at the cathedral, became convinced that they were the missing saint. He had the bones excavated, and it's suggested that he even took them home with him, storing them underneath his bed. Eventually convinced himself but unable to prove it, he placed them inside of a casket and re-interned them in the high altar. The bones were a source of interest for decades after, until they were officially tested in the 1990s. The Bishop of St. David's, Wyn Evans, decided that it was time to put the rumours to bed and authorised the use of carbon testing on the bones. In 1996, these bones were finally tested, but the news was disappointing. The remains were found to have belonged to three separate people, two men and a woman, but none of them had lived in the sixth or seventh centuries. In fact, they were much more recent and experts believe that they had likely lived during the 12th and 14th century. They were not the bones of St. David, but based on where they were buried, it is likely they were of some importance. It has recently been suggested that some of the bones might have belonged to St. Corradog. who died in 1124. However, the academics found that it was more likely that the Bones belonged to former clergy members, with them having been interned in their original location for reasons that have never been understood. For Dr. Jonathan Wooding from Lampeter University, who discussed the topic at a conference in 2002, the Bones were suspicious from the beginning. He told the BBC that, quote, There's always been a doubt about the relics in that they were discovered in a sort of miraculous way. The bones of St. David remain lost, potentially forever. Perhaps the best surviving legacy of St. David is the city that now bears his name. Set in the beautiful county of Pembrokeshire, the city of St. David's is the smallest by population in the United Kingdom. The city was given city status in the 12th century. around the same time that the construction of the cathedral officially began. It also coincides with the movement to promote the legacy of the patron state. It briefly lost its city status in 1886, but this was restored by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. It's a city in which I have spent copious amounts of time, as we have a caravan very close by, and it's therefore a place that is incredibly special to me. It's quaint, picturesque, and filled with the most special kind of memories. But it's a place that thoroughly deserves a visit. It is truly one of the most lovely places to visit. While we English speaking know it to be the city of St. David, its Welsh name is far more fitting. As the location where St. David first created his monastery and was eventually to be buried, the Welsh name of Te Dere, which literally translates to David's house, feels far more fitting. It is the home to St David's legacy and David's house feels like an apt name. How much of St David's story is fact, how much is fiction, and of course how many of the myths that are sprinkled into the story are true is a personal belief and will generally depend on your religious leaning. But that he was a great man with great importance for Welsh society cannot be overrated. And to this day, St David remains an important part of Welsh culture. you