Saint Gelert

Gelert / Celer
Born	7th century Wales
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Anglican Church
Major shrine	Chapel of St Celer
Feast	June 29

Saint Gelert, also known as Celer, Celert or Kellarth (see below), was an early Celtic saint. Several locations in Wales are believed to bear his name. They include Beddgelert ("Gelert's grave") and the surrounding Gelert Valley and Llangeler ("Gelert's church") where there is a church dedicated to him. Through the promotional efforts of an innkeeper in the early 1790s, St. Gelert, the human, has become much conflated with the legend of a saintly dog putatively from the same region, Gelert.

The name "Gelert" is a cymricized variant of Celert or Cilert (also written Cylart,Kelert,Kilart, or Kylart) and Kellarth (also written Kelarth or Kełłarth). It is also spelled Geler or Celer, although this probably represents a misunderstanding of Celtic alveolar plosives and dental fricatives, and is sometimes even teutonized to Killhart, Kilhart, or Gellert. It is of unknown meaning or origin.

Gelert was a hermit in the late 7th century who lived in a cave near what is now known as the Holy Well of St Celer near Llandysul. In the Dark Ages, pilgrims would travel to the well for healing by Gelert. Eventually a chapel dedicated to St Mary (called "Capel Mair") was erected over the well, of which the ruins still remain. It is believed that Gelert was at some time a missionary, evangelizing in Llangeler and Beddgelert. According to modern historical belief, he was martyred in Beddgelert, although this is a misconception simply based on the town name's meaning ("Gelert's grave"). It is believed, however, that Gelert was martyred.

Local Welsh legend more often identifies Gelert as a dog rather than a human. Unlike the dog-saint St. Guinefort, who was in fact an actual dog 'sainted' via folk belief for his reputed protection of children, St. Gelert was a man whose human identity has been overshadowed by hucksterism about a mythical martyred dog. According to folklore promoted by an innkeeper in Beddgelert, Gelert the dog was an wolfhound unjustly killed by his owner, Prince Llywelyn the Great, when found with bloody maws near the empty cradle of Llywelyn's son. When the scene was investigated, the body of a wolf was found, which the dog Gelert had killed to save the baby's life.

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