Saint Illtud
| Saint Illtud | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Illtud Farchog – Illtud the Knight | |
| Born | 5th century Wales/England Border (Ewyas, Gwent and Herefordshire |
| Died | Llanilltud, Brecknockshire Wales |
| Venerated in | Wales and Brittany |
| Major shrine | Llanilltud Fawr, Glamorgan Wales, Loc Ildut, Sizun, Pen-ar-Bed/Finisterre, Brittany |
| Feast | 6 November |
St. Illtud (also spelled Illtyd, Eltut, and, in Latin, Hildutus), also known as Illtud Farchog "Illtud the Knight", is venerated as the founder-abbot and teacher of the divinity school known as Cor Tewdws, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in the Welsh county of Glamorgan. He founded the monastery and college in the 6th century, and the school is believed to be Britain’s earliest centre of learning. At its height, it had over 1000 pupils and schooled many of the great saints of the age, including Saint Patrick of Ireland, Saint David of Wales, Gildas the Historian, and Samson of Dol.
St. Illtud was popular among the very ancient Celts, but there are few dependable sources about his life story. The earliest mention of St. Illtud is in the Vita Sancti Sampsonis, written in Dol, Brittany, about 600 AD. According to this account, Illtud was the disciple of Bishop Germanus of Auxerre in north-central France. According to the St. Sampson biography, Illtud was the most accomplished of all the Britons, and was well versed in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as well as every type of philosophy, including geometry, rhetoric, grammar, and arithmetic. He was also "gifted with the power of foretelling future events". It appears that he was an educated Briton living shortly after Rome's departure from the West.
According to a rather untrustworthy later Norman Life of St. Illtud, c. 1140, Illtud was the son of a Breton prince and a cousin of King Arthur. According to this Life, Illtud's parents intended him for service in the church and had him educated in literature for this purpose. However, he forsook his religious upbringing, choosing instead to pursue a military career. He took a wife named Trynihid, and became a soldier in western Britain (now Wales), in service first to King Arthur, and then to the King Poulentus. As a result of this, he is sometimes called St. Illtud the Knight. One afternoon, he took a hunting party onto the lands of Cadoc. The party sent a message to the abbot, demanding that the abbot feed them. The abbot deemed their demand to be very rude and improper, but graciously offered them a meal anyway. Before they could enjoy the meal, the ground opened up and swallowed the whole party as just punishment for their impiety. Only Illtud was spared, and he went to St. Cadog on his knees, begging forgiveness for his sinful act. The abbot told him to give up his selfish ways and go back to his religious upbringing. Inspired, Illtud gave up his wife, and became a hermit in the Vale of Glamorgan (a matrimonial detail which, like many of his alleged miracles, may be regarded as fairly dubious).
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