Picture: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tewdrig
Welsh saint and king
SaintResearchedWalesPre-congregation
Feast: 3 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
550
Died
—
unknown
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Tewdrig (Theodoric), a Welsh king of Glamorgan, was a generous benefactor of the church of Llandaff. He gave up his throne to his son and lived in prayer at Tintern.
When the Saxons pressed hard on his son, he left his solitude, led his old troops to victory, and was killed in the battle. A church was built over his grave at Mathern.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A king who left prayer to defend his people and died for them.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Tewdrig
- Wikidata Q1088014 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Tewdrig (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.