St Asaph Cathedral, Llanelwy, Wales
One of the great saints of Wales, today in the Orthodox Church we commemorate Sant Asaph, a sixth-century monk and later bishop at the monastery of Saint Cyndeyrn at Elwy. Asaph was one of Cyndeyrn’s closest and most devout disciples, and he took the crozier from him after he returned to the north country.
Asaph [or Asa] was the grandson of Saint Pabo the ‘Pillar of Britain’ of Yr Hen Ogledd by his son Sawyl Ben Uchel. He was therefore, by this connexion, a first cousin of two other great holy men of Wales: Saint Deiniol (ap Dunawd Fawr map Pabo) and Saint Tysilio (mab Brochwel Ysgrithrog, by his wife Arddun Ben Asgell ferch Pabo). Asaph being Cumbrian by blood, it seems natural that he would gravitate to a monastery run by another saint from the British Old North.
Asaph was given to Abbot Cyndeyrn at a young age, presumably by his parents. One miracle from his very early days is given in the Vita of Cyndeyrn. It was customary for Cyndeyrn, as with many other British and Gælic saints (like Dewi Sant, Saint Pedrog, Saint Cóemgen and Saint Neot, to name a few) to perform the ascetic discipline of reciting the Psalms while submerged to his neck in ice-cold water. On one occasion when he was severely chilled after having performed this austerity upon himself, he sent the six-year-old Asaph to fetch him a burning brand to warm him. Instead of a brand, Asaph fetched some embers and hid them in the breast of his cotte. Not only was Asaph not harmed by this, nor his clothes, but the warmth of his faith had brought the cinders out of his clothes bright and glowing. From this episode Abbot Cyndeyrn understood that this child was extraordinarily close to God. This wonder is very similar to one performed by the Breton Saint Malo of Aleth.
The abbey founded by Saint Cyndeyrn at Elwy – now the town of Llanelwy or St Asaph in Wales – was originally built from wood and served as a bishop’s seat as well as a monastic community. The tradition holds that Saint Cyndeyrn’s monastery housed 965 monks. The three hundred of these who were strong and hale in body and suited for outdoor work, were sent to labour in the fields. Another three hundred who were weaker in body, or who were better disposed for fine motor work, laboured in the barns or in the monastery buildings, cleaning or cooking, writing or transcribing as suited their talents. The remaining three hundred sixty-five monks, being cleverest and having the best memories and speaking voices, were assigned – one to a day – to singing in the choir, reading from the Epistles or the lives of the saints at Liturgy and mealtimes, and assisting Cyndeyrn at the altar. Saint Asaph was one of these last, and the dearest disciple to the abbot.
Saint Asaph reached the age of maturity, took the tonsure and later became a priestmonk. He set out from Llanelwy and lived for some while as a hermit in Tegeingl. A number of wonders accompanied Asaph wherever he went. We can tell this from the various toponyms associated with Asaph. There is Ffynnon Asa: Saint Asaph’s holy well in Cwm, the second largest in Wales. Its waters have healed people of rheumatism and mental disorders. There is also Pant Asa, ‘Asaph’s Hollow’, near Treffynnon. There is Onen Asa, ‘Asaph’s Ash’. And also Llanasa, ‘Asaph’s Church’, which may have been the site of his hermitage. All these places are located in Tegeingl, or Flintshire.
After Saint Cyndeyrn declared his intention to depart back to Cumbria, Sant Asaph returned to Llanelwy. He received his friend and abbot’s blessing, and became the second abbot and bishop of the town. He blessed the first cathedral in Tegeingl, which today too is dedicated to Saint Asaph. Asaph served as an exemplary bishop and was much beloved by the folk of Tegeingl, so much so that he was locally venerated as a saint after his repose. He lived to an old age and reposed peacefully in the Lord on the first of May, probably sometime around 598. Holy abbot and bishop Asaph, light of Christ’s Gospel in Tegeingl, pray to Him Who loves mankind on behalf of us sinners!
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