Uno by name, uno by nature.

St Beuno is one of the most important saints in North Wales. And though he did lead a solitary life, his name is actually Old Welsh Bou[g]nou, which loosely means ‘knowing cattle’. To this day, Beuno is the patron saint of sick cattle.

#thread

From this, you might imagine Beuno came from an agricultural background… But no! He was the grandson of Powys prince born in the 7th century. However, Beuno chose the monastic life over the monarchic and packed off to Bangor, where he became an abbot.

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Beuno was an active missionary. Eleven churches are dedicated to him, including one in Culbone, Somerset… which is England’s smallest church and can only hold about 16 people. It’s believed the church is built on the site of Beuno’s hermit cell.

: Richard Mascall

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On the other hand Beuno’s church at Clynnog Fawr on the Llŷn peninsula is a 15th-century whopper. It was here that Beuno built his monastery and here that he died. However, apparently, both monastery and Beuno's chapel were destroyed by Vikings in and around AD 978.

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Near the church is St Beuno’s holy well. A dunking could heal epilepsy, rickets and impotence. To complete the treatment, after bathing, the patient spent the night on Beuno’s tomb. The tomb was deemed unsafe and destroyed in 1856.
Not Vikings this time, just Victorians.

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Beuno’s great gift was raising people from the dead. This included his niece Winefride who chose to be a nun and had her head cut off by a jilted lover (occupational hazard back then…) St Winefride's Well, " Lourdes of Wales", is a most beautiful and popular holy well.

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We’re honoured to care for one of the churches dedicated to St Beuno. It's at Penmorfa - near Porthmadog. It's a 14th-century church, that had some work in the 18th century, and a 19th-century restoration.

You can read more here: http://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/penmorfa/ 

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