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In the Church in Wales Calendar, Saint Cadoc is commemorated on the 24th January. He was a sixth century Abbot, remembered for founding the centre of Christian study and worship of Llancarfan in Glamorgan, his learning and his ability to teach young people. Like most saints of his time, various legends have been built around his life story, but there is evidence to believe that he was the son of Gwynllyw and Gwladus. Gwynllyw was a ‘king’ in Gwent and whilst his wife Gwladus became a nun, he built a church Eglwys Wyllw, or St Woolos, which has now become the Cathedral Church in Newport.
Cadoc (also spelt Cadog), was alive in the age of the Welsh Saints: he was baptised by St Tathan (who founded the monastery at Caerwent to which Cadoc was sent for his education) and was a contemporary of both St Dyfrig (a leader of considerable importance in developing monasteries and perhaps was responsible for what has become the present diocese of Llandaff) and St Samson (a bishop who travelled from Wales to Brittany). Saint Cadoc belongs to these turbulent times when in the face of opposition and suspicion from pagan traditions of the people, the Christian faith was being spread throughout Wales by travelling priests and the emerging Christian communities. St Cadoc fitted all the typical expectations of a Celtic saint: he came from a noble background, he travelled to Celtic lands of Ireland, Brittany, Anglesey and Cornwall and he set up Christian communities.
His journeying seems to have started in Glamorgan, where he set up a church in a marshy valley owned by his uncle Paul or Penychen. A legend tells us that this site of ‘Llancarfan’ was the spot where once an old boar had his lair. The church became a site of learning for other young men who were attracted by the Christian faith rather than the appeal of training for battle. Cadoc built another settlement at Llanfeithin, constructed on high ground to serve also as a place of refuge in time of war.
Cadoc left his home of Wales to study in Ireland at Lisomre with St Carthag, and on returning three years later, he was to study again with a well-know scholar, Bachan in the Brecon area. It is here that another legend is set: once when food became very scarce, Cadoc saw a mouse carrying a grain of wheat; he succeeded in catching the mouse, tying a piece of long thread to its leg, and following the route taken by the mouse to escape. The mouse ran down a hole and Cadoc dug down after, discovering an underground store of food, which he and his fellows used to see them through the famine. About this time, Cadoc developed another settlement at Llanspyddid and is also said to have visited Scotland.
Returning to Llancarfan, Cadoc found that his first settlement had become quite wealthy and powerful in the area, but an outbreak of Yellow Fever in 547 forced Cadoc to flee to Brittany. Having built a church in France, Cadoc travelled back to Glamorgan and continued to oversee his growing network of Christina communities. As was the Celtic Christian custom, from time to time Cadoc would take retreats away from ‘civilisation’ to more harsh and lonely site. Originally, he would spend this time on one of the small islands in the Bristol Channel; one of these is Flatholm, where sadly his uncle Baruc was drowned (his body being buried on the mainland giving rise to the area now known as Barry Island). In time, attacks from pirates increased, and Cadoc took up retreat at a new site on the banks of the river Neath. It is this spot which is now known as the village of Cadoxton, and it is here that we now have a church dedicated to St Cadoc. Centuries after Cadoc’s death, the people of Glynneath would have been expected to travel to Cadoxton to worship at their parish church, but in the early nineteenth century when the local Williams family sponsored the building of the present church at Aberpergwm, this too was dedicated to St Cadoc.
As Cadoc grew older, he named St. Elli as his successor, and according to the legend, Cadoc spent his final years at Boneventum (Northampton?, Llansannor?) where he was murdered by marauding bands. We do not know Cadoc’s age when he died, but it is thought that he was born right at the end of the fifth century. Over his life he would have been one of those pioneering men and women who God used to establish the Christian faith in the land. The cult of following him as a holy man, a saint, remained very strong in South East Wales for centuries resulting in many churches in the country being dedicated to Cadoc (or Gatwg):
· Llandaff Diocese: Glynneath, Cadoxton, Llancarfan, Llanmaes.
· Monmouthshire Diocese: Llangattoch-juxta-Usk, Llangattock, Lingoed, Llangattock Feibion Afel
· Swansea and Brecon Diocese: Llangattock, Llanspyddid
· St David’s Diocese: Llanngadog Fawr, ruined chapel of Llangadog under Kidwelly
· Bangor Diocese: ruined chapel of Llangadog under Amlwch in Angelsey
