Eglwys Maelrhys, Llanfaelrhys, Gwynedd
The first of the year in the sæcular calendar is the feast day of two holy men of Wales. One of them was a disciple and heir to Cadfan of Ynys Enlli, and one of the twenty thousand saints who are said to rest there. On the first of January we commemorate the feast of Mael Rhys of Bardsey. We also venerate on this day Tyfrydog, a hermit of Anglesey.
There are conflicting stories about the origins of Mael Rhys. One of them says that he was a Breton of high birth. The traditional genealogy names him the son of Gwyddno, who in turn was the son of ‘Emyr Llydaw’; that is to say, Budic II. the King of Brittany. If this were the case, then his presence among the disciples of Cadfan, who was himself a Breton of high birth (being probably the eldest son of Gwen ‘Teirbron’) and thus likely a cousin to Mael Rhys, would have been no wonder.
There is another story, however, that Mael Rhys was in fact a wealthy trader from the south of Wales, a dealer in grain, flour and basic foodstuffs. The tale tells of how he landed with a load of flour and grain near Aberdaron, which was then in the midst of a famine. He distributed his goods as there was need for them, but he observed that the poor folk thereabouts had no place to worship. He used the proceeds from his trade to convert his trading-house in the north, called Blawdty (‘Flour-House’) and located near Porth Ysgo, into a church, and settled nearby as an anchorite. The church is now called Llanfaelrhys
It happened on one occasion that two thieves broke into his church and plundered it of everything of value. The tale goes that as soon as they crossed the march of the parish, the two of them were turned to stone. These stones were called the Lladron Maelrhys (‘the Thieves of Mael Rhys’), and were once apparently landmarks of some importance. But today their location is unknown. As for Llanfaelrhys itself, a humble church merely thirty-five by thirteen feet on its base, it still stands in a secluded and picturesque part of the Lleyn Peninsula in Gwynedd. Holy father Mael Rhys, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!
About Saint Tyfrydog, we know something of his origins but little about his life. He was a northern Welshman active in the fifth century. His father’s name was Arwystli Gloff, a Christian who appears to have been named under the patronage of Saint Aristobulus of the Seventy. He belonged to the same holy community as did Mael Rhys – the one founded on Ynys Enlli by Saint Cadfan mentioned above. Arwystli also had a daughter, Tyfrydog’s sister Saint Marchell, who also became an anchoress and founded a church in Powys.
At some point Saint Tyfrydog left Ynys Enlli and went into Ynys Môn, to found a church, St Tyfrydog’s in Llandyfrydog. There is nothing that remains of the original foundation; the current church dates to the fifteenth century. There is, however, a standing stone not far off from the church which is reputed to be the remains of a thief who stole a copy of the Gospels from Tyfrydog’s church. He was punished with being turned to stone, as had been the Lladron Maelrhys mentioned above. Sometimes the soul of the thief is said to be chased around the lea by devils, wielding red-hot pitchforks and prodding him mercilessly. Little else is known about Saint Tyfrydog’s life, though he is still venerated locally on Anglesey. Venerable Tyfrydog, pray unto Christ our God for us sinners!
St Tyfrydog’s Church, Llandyfrydog, Anglesey
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