ST BEUNO, ABBOT OF CLYNNOG - 21 APRIL

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL

Saints celebrated on the 21st of April

WELCOME!

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

SAINT BEUNO, ABBOT OF CLYNNOG 

(Saint Beuno, or Beunor, Abbot of Clynnog, in Caernarvonshire, Confessor.) He was a native of Powis-land (a great principality in Wales, and anciently comprised all the country that lay between the Severn as high as the bridge at Gloucester, the Dee, and the Wye), and son of Beugi, or, as the Welsh write it, Hywgi, grandson to the prince of Powis-land, or at least part of it, called Glewisig. 

HIS EDUCATION

For the sake of his education he was sent into Arvon, the territory opposite to Anglesey, from which island it is separated by the river, or rather arm of the sea.

THE AREA

This country was also called Snowdon forest, from its hills, the highest in Britain, which derive their name from the snow which covers them, being called in Welsh, Craig Eriry, words of the same import with their English name Snowdon. 

These mountains afford such an impregnable retreat, and so much good pasture, that the usual style of the sovereigns was, Princes of North-Wales, and Lords of Snowdon. 

Sejont, called by the Romans Segontium, was the capital city, situated on the river Sejont. Its ruins are still visible near the town and castle of Caernarvon, (or city of Arvon,) built by Edward I, on the mouth of the river, at the great ferry over to Anglesey. 

That island had been, under the pagan Britons, the chief seat of the Druids, and was afterwards illustrious for many holy monks and hermits. 

THREE GREAT MONASTERIES

On the coast opposite to this island, in the county of Caernarvon, stood three great monasteries: that of Clynnog Fawr, near Sejont, or Caernarvon; that of Conway, on the extremity of this county, towards Denbighshire, on the river Conway, which separates the two counties; from which it is called Aberconway, that is, Mount of the Conway. It was the burying-place of the princes of North-Wales. 

Edward I built there a strong castle and town facing Beaumaris, the capital of Anglesey, though the passage here is much broader than from Caernarvon. Bangor, or Banchor, i. e. White Choir, or Place of the Choir, was on the same coast, in the midway between Caernarvon and Aberconway. 

This monastery and bishopric were founded by St Daniel, about the year 525. The very town was formerly called Bangor Fawr, or the Great Bangor: but the monastery and city were destroyed by the Danes; and, though the bishopric still subsists, the town is scarcely better than a village. 

HE FOUNDED SEVERAL ABBEYS

St Beuno seems to have had his education in the monastery of Bangor: he afterwards became the father and founder of several great nurseries of saints. Two monasteries he built in the isle of Anglesey, Aberffraw and Trefdraeth, of both which churches he is to this day titular saint. On the continent, he founded Clynnog, or Clynnoc fechan, i. e. Little Clynnog; and Clynnog Fawr, or Vawr, i. e. Great Clynnog. This last was situated near the river Sejont, and the present Caernarvon. 

Cadvan was at that time king of North-Wales, and had lately gained a great victory over Ethelred, king of the pagan English Saxons of Northumberland, who had barbarously massacred the poor monks of Bangor, in the year 607, or somewhat later. St Beuno made the king a present of a golden sceptre, and the prince assigned a spot to build his monastery upon, near Fynnon Beuno, or Beuno’s well, in the parish of Llanwunda, of which he is titular saint. 

HE COULD NOT DEVOTE TO GOD ANOTHER'S PATRIMONY

But when he was beginning to lay the foundation, a certain woman came to him with a child in her arms, saying, that ground was this infant’s inheritance. The holy man, much troubled hereat, took the woman with him to the king, who kept his court at Caer Sejont, and told him, with a great deal of zeal and concern, that he could not devote to God another’s patrimony. The king, refusing to pay any regard to his remonstrances, the saint went away. 

But one Gwyddeiant, cousin-german to the king, immediately went after him, and bestowed on him the township of Clynnog Fawr, his undoubted patrimony, where Beuno built his church about the year 616. King Cadvan died about that time; but his son and successor Cadwallon surpassed him in his liberality to the saint and his monastery. 

A MIRACLE

It is related, amongst other miracles, that when a certain man had lost his eye-brow by some hurt, St Beuno healed it by applying the iron point of his staff: and that from this circumstance a church four miles from Clynnog, perhaps built by the person so healed, retains to this day the name of Llanael hayarn, i. e. church of the Iron brow: though popular tradition is not perhaps a sufficient evidence of such a miracle; and some other circumstances might give occasion to the name. 

HIS FEAST DAYS

The year of his death is no where recorded. He is commemorated on January 14 and April 21. And on Trinity Sunday great numbers resort to the wakes at Clynnog, and formerly brought offerings to the church.   

The monastery passed afterwards into the hands of Benedictines of the congregation of Clugni: whence it had the name of Clynnog, or Clunnoc, being formerly known only by that of its founder. The church, built of beautiful stone, is so large and magnificent as to remain to this day the greatest ornament and wonder of the whole country, especially St Beuno’s chapel, which is joined to the church by a portico. In this chapel, the fine painted or stained glass in the large windows is much effaced and destroyed, except a large figure of our blessed Saviour extended on the cross. 

ST BEUNO'S TOMB

Opposite to this crucifix, about three yards from the east window, is St Beuno’s tomb, raised above the ground, and covered with a large stone, upon which people still lay sick children, in hopes of being cured. 

This great building, though very strong, is in danger of decaying for want of revenues to keep it in repair. Those of the monastery were chiefly settled on the Principal of Jesus College in Oxford, except what was reserved for the maintenance of a vicar to serve the parish. 

ASSOCIATED CUSTOMS

Some still bring offerings of some little piece of silver or chiefly of lambs, which are sold by the church-wardens, and the money put into St Beuno’s box, to be employed in repairing the chapel. From an ancient custom, farmers in that country continue to print on the foreheads of their sheep what they call St Beuno’s mark. Mr Robert Vaughan of Hengwort, the great Welsh antiquarian, has given us an ample list of benefactions bestowed upon Clynnoc, by princes and others. 

(From Fr Butler's Lives of the Saints - 🎨 Courtesy of EWTN Ireland)

Legend has it that when sailing off Wales's coast, Saint Bruno dropped his psalter into the waves. A curlew flew by, scooped it up and took it to the shore to dry.  The saint was so grateful he blessed the bird. (EWTN Ireland)