Saint Dubricius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Archbishop | |
| Born | 465(?) Madley, nearHereford,Herefordshire, England |
| Died | 550 Bardsey Island, Wales |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Anglican Communion |
| Feast | 14 November |
| Attributes | holding twocrosiers and anarchiepiscopal cross[1] |
Dubricius orDubric (Welsh:Dyfrig;Norman-French: Devereux; c. 465 – c. 550) was a 6th-centuryBritish ecclesiastic venerated as asaint. He was the evangelist ofErgyng (Welsh:Erging) (laterArchenfield,Herefordshire) and much ofsouth-east Wales.
Dubricius was the illegitimate son of Efrddyl, the daughter of KingPeibio Clafrog ofErgyng. His grandfather threw his mother into theRiver Wye when he discovered she was pregnant, but failed to drown her. Dubricius was born inMadley inHerefordshire, England. He and his mother were reconciled with Peibio when the child Dubricius touched him and cured him of hisleprosy.[2]
Noted for his precocious intellect, by the time he attained manhood he was already known as a scholar throughout Britain.[3] Dubricius founded a monastery atHentland and then one atMoccas.[4] He became the teacher of many well-knownWelsh saints, includingTeilo andSamson and also healed the sick of various disorders through the laying on of hands.[5] Dedications atPorlock and nearLuccombe on theExmoor coast ofSomerset may indicate that he also travelled in that area. He later becameBishop of Ergyng,[4] possibly with his seat atWeston under Penyard, and probably held sway over all ofGlamorgan andGwent, an area that was later known as thediocese of Llandaff. However, he may have merely been a bishop for the purpose of ordaining priests, not as administrative head of the church over a geographical area. Dubricius was good friends with SaintsIlltud andSamson, and attended theSynod of Llanddewi Brefi in 545, where he is said to have resigned his see in favour ofSaint David. He retired toBardsey Island[6] where he was eventually buried before his body was transferred toLlandaff Cathedral in 1120.
According to legend, Dubricius was made Archbishop ofLlandaff bySaint Germanus of Auxerre, and later crownedKing Arthur. He appears as a character inGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistoria Regum Britanniae andWace'sRoman de Brut, which was based on it. Much laterAlfred, Lord Tennyson featured the saint in hisIdylls of the King.
Churches dedicated to Saint Dubricius include theChurch of England churches atBallingham,Whitchurch,St Dubricius' Church, Hentland and Hamnish, all inHerefordshire,Porlock inSomerset, and theChurch in Wales churches atGwenddwr inBreconshire and atLlanvaches inNewport. The Catholic Church atTreforest is also dedicated to Dyfrig.
In the 2004 edition of theRoman Martyrology, Dyfrig is listed under 14 November with the Latin nameDubricius. He is stated to have died on Bardsey Island, 'on the north coast of Wales, as a bishop and abbot'.[7] In the currentRoman Catholic liturgical calendar for Wales[8] he is commemorated on the traditional date of 14 November.
He is usually represented holding two crosiers to signify his jurisdiction over thesees ofCaerleon and Llandaff.[3]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
