'Saint Deiniol' (died
584) was the first
Bishop of Bangor in
North Wales. He is also
venerated in
Brittany as 'Saint Denoual'. In
English, the name is translated as 'Daniel' but this is rarely used.
Very little is known of the saint's life, but the tradition that he was the first
Bishop of Bangor is very strong. He was apparently consecrated in
545 by
Saint David. The present
Bangor Cathedral is dedicated to Deiniol and is said to be on the site where Deiniol's first
monastery stood. His feast day is
September 11.
A Latin life of Deiniol has been preserved in Peniarth MS226 transcribed by Sir Thomas Williams of Trefriw in 1602. He was the son of
Dunod Fawr, son of
Pabo Post Prydain. The family were originally rulers of an area in what is now the
North of England, but having lost these were given lands by the king of
Powys,
Cyngen ap Cadell. Deiniol is said to have studied under
Cadoc of Llancarfan and later was given land by
Maelgwn Gwynedd king of
Gwynedd to found a monastery on the site where Bangor Cathedral now stands. He attended the
Synod of Llanddewi Brefi in c.
545 with
Saint David when the subject of rules for penance was being discussed.
He may also have been the founder of the
monastery of
Bangor-on-Dee (Bangor Iscoed or Is-y-coed),
Flintshire, though whether the early abbot there named
Saint Dunod was is father or not is unclear. The church of
Hawarden in Flintshire is dedicated to Deiniol.
William Gladstone dedicated
Saint Deiniol's Library, a library for arts students, in
1896. The church of
Marchwiel is also dedicated to Deiniol and there are also dedications at Itton in
Monmouthshire and Llangarran in
Herefordshire. According to the
Annales Cambriae, Deiniol died in
584 and was buried on
Bardsey Island.
Trivia
His name has been given to the Deiniol Centre, a shopping centre in Bangor.
References
★ S. Baring-Gould and John Fisher. (1908). ''The Lives of British Saints''
★ C.J. Clark. ''The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and such Irish Saints as have dedications in Britain''
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![Don\](images/articles/thumbs/beachrainthumb.jpg "Don\")
