Saint of the Day – 18 October – Saint Gwen of Talgarth (463-c492) Widow, mother, founder of a Church in Talgarth. Born in 463 and died in c492 murdered by pagan Saxons at Talgarth, Wales. Also known as – Wenna (Cornish), Gwen of Tagarth, Gwen of Teirbron, Wite, Blanche, Candida, Genuissa, Wenna, Wenn. The name ‘Gwen’ means ‘white, pure, holy’ hence the derivatives of her name most meaning ‘white.’ (The name stands alone, i.e. it is not necessarily a short form of Gwendolyne and other versions of this name.) Her story, however. is greatly confused with another Saint of the same name.
Gwen is said to have been one of the many daughters of the famous, semi-legendary Saint King Brychan of Brycheiniog (Brecknock) (5th Century), King of the Christian Kingdom of Brecknock in south Wales. She was thus the sister of Saint Cledwyn (Clydwyn) and a number of other Saints. She is on both the older and later lists of Brychan’s children.
In the Life of St Brychan, she is unmarried but other sources list her as the wife of Llyr Merini and mother of Caradog Freichfras. She founded the Church at Talgarth in Brecknockshire. She is said to have been the Queen of Elmet, a Kingdom centered in Loidis, nortbern England (Leeds) and was a widow when, according to the various recprds, she was “killed by the heathen Saxons” around the year 492 in Talgarth. She was buried at Talgarth. Her memorial day is 18 October.
Another Saint of the same name who also lived at the same time is celebrated on the same day, namely Saint Gwen of Cornwall, who was the sister of Saint Non of Wales and thus the aunt of Saint David , the Patron Saint of Wales. She was married to Saint Selyf, King of Cornwall and it is claimed that she was the mother of Saint Cybi of Holyhead and, according to one version, also Saint Cadfan. Clodfaith, an alleged daughter of Brychan, is also said to have been a Saint in Talgarth as well as in Emlyn. Browne Willis and others have a Gwendeline in Talgarth but the real dedication is to our St Gwen.
The medieval St Gwendoline’s Church, Talgarth, is said to occupy the site where St Gwen was buried.
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