Video Meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor

August 8 - St. Ellidius, 7th century Welsh Saint

Hirnant   View from St. Illogan tower in Cornwall, England

Today is known primarily as the feast of St. Dominic of course, and rightly so, but it's also the memorial of St Ellidius, also called St. Illog, an obscure saint to be sure. Catholic Online calls him the "patron saint of Himant, Powys, Wales, and of a church in the Scilly Isles of England." Another site refers to him as: A Celtic saint originating, like the better known St Melangell, in Ireland. Only two other churches, in Cornwall and Brittany, are patronised by him. He has a holy well named after him which bubbles out of the hillside high above Hirnant. And from here: In ancient times it was customary to dedicate churches to saints with whom a church had in some way been associated. Illogan is a Celtic personal name found both in Cornwall and Brittany, and Illogan is the name of a Celtic saint known both in Montgomeryshire and Brittany.

"Boderlogan, a farm in Wendron, Cornwall, was spelt Bod-elugan in 1316, which means "the house of Illogan". A Saint Ilog is the patron saint of Hirnant in Powys, Wales, and the name occurs in several forms in that parish. When William of Worcester visited the Dominican Friary of Truro in 1378 he was told that the body of the saint was enshrined in Illogan Church, the original reference in Latin being Sanctus Illugham de Cornubia jacet prope Redruth, prope villam Truroburgh ."

Here is an art work from the time of St. Illog, a 7th century Welsh burial stone: (Enlarge) "The Bodvoc stone originally stood on one of a line of Bronze Age cairns on Margam Mountain. The inscription reads: 'BODVOCI HIC IACIT FILIVS CATOTIGIRNI PRONEPUS ETERNALI VEDOMAVI' ([The stone] of Bodvoc. Here he lies, son of Cattegern [or Cattegirn], and great-grandson of Eternalis Vedomavus). Eternalis was presumably a local ruler.'"